Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now, (Louisville, KY: Westminster, John Knox Press), 2014.

Walter Brueggemann is one of the treasures of our church. Each time I have had the opportunity to hear him speak, I have been amazed at his ability to discuss faith, the bible, and biblical theology as if the conversation was aimed directly at me - aware of my shortcomings and misperceptions and challenging me to grow not only in my understanding, but in my faith as well.

I have heard Brueggemann speak about Sabbath in other contexts. In this short study, he brings together several themes that have arisen in other contexts. The book would be excellent for a lay study group as well as for conversations between clergy and church leaders. In a world where discussions of Old Testament laws are often legalistic and moralistic, Brueggemann's approach is refreshing. He doesn't approach covenant obligations as a list of mandatory compliances, but rather as a challenge to the status quo. Our 24/7 society of consumption with its pressures for ever more growth, more money, more knowledge - stands in stark contrast to the liberation offered to God's covenant people. Brueggemann offers a peek at a different way to live - the way promised not only by the God of the Old Testament covenant, but also the God of Jesus who calls us to a new and different way of living.