St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran, Howards Grove, WI - June 2nd, 2024

The Pharisees fed off of laws. They had set up hundreds of extra laws – many of them about the Sabbath – all thinking they could satisfy God by their own behavior. So, when Jesus’ hungry disciples picked some grain on the Sabbath, the Pharisees accused them of unlawful working. Jesus was fed up with this attitude of legalism, which Christians still serve up today. Trying to please God with the law alone is a recipe for self-righteousness or despair. By the law, God craves complete holiness and will toss away anything less. Today, Jesus teaches the true meaning of the Sabbath and says to “Give Legalism a Rest”. Our sermon comes from Deuteronomy 5.