Best of the week entry 1

Just an excellent post from Alan Knox, Living In the Shadows. Alan argues that much of what we do in the church is reflective of the Old Testament shadows instead of the fullness we find as the church in Christ...

Given my background, it is easy to switch back to thinking that there are holy days on which holy men do holy things in holy places. But, when this begins to cloud my understanding, I live in the shadows and not the reality of Christ. In Christ, all of God’s children are holy people; every day is a holy day; all opportunities to serve are holy offerings; and any place we are is a holy place, because we are the temple in which God dwells.

When do we live in the shadows? When we find ourselves asking questions like these: Should you do that on Sunday? Is there an ordained minister available to do that? Should they be doing that in the church [building]? Why is that person preaching [or teaching, or baptizing, or serving the Lord's Supper]?

These questions indicate a shift back into the shadowy thinking of the Old Testament. Today, in Christ, we have the realities available to us; we do not need the shadows.

Very good stuff. It is easy to slip into this mode and it is likewise very easy to justify our traditional practices in the shadows of the Old Testament that have already been fulfilled.