(Road Trip to) Jubilee 2009

Some of us will be driving down to the Coalition for Christian Outreach's Jubliee conference. Great speakers, great event--give it a look. Conference runs Friday to Sunday.

About Jubilee

The jubilee conference is a three day experience like no other. A unique approach to culture, leadership, and community responsibility through a dynamic attendee experience!

The music, worship, and workshops not only introduce students to Jesus Christ, but are innovative, fun, and intense! Thousands of students will gather together to re-imagine how their Christian faith should inform the way they study, play, work and live out every area of life. In preparing faithful followers of Jesus, Jubilee is committed to the ripple effect each attendee will have in their communities...are you? 

The Jubilee Vision

The biblical idea of Jubilee has been around since The Beginning. When God created the heavens and the earth, even before humanity's response of independence and rebellion, God introduced the concept of a sabbath—a jubilee—into the fabric of the created order. The sabbath was initiated so that we, God's creatures, would remember and live out our dependence upon God, our Creator. It is God who gives us life and all that we need to live fully. Jubilee is a reminder of the way things were originally created and a sign of what the future Kingdom of God will be like in all of its fullness.

The sabbath was established as a weekly reminder that the people of God must find their rest and peace in God alone. God made us and God will ultimately redeem us from our sin and restore us to our rightful place as heirs of the goodness of creation. The sabbath year (every seventh year) was a similar, but more dramatic and demonstrative, reminder. God alone is responsible for life and its maintenance. The sabbath year demonstrated the breadth of God's provision, even for those who were unable to care for themselves. The sabbath year became more than a reminder; it was a demonstration of the justice and mercy of the sovereign God of all creation.

The year of Jubilee was to be the sabbath year of sabbath years, to be held every fiftieth year. During this special year, God would provide for the release of prisoners, a second chance for the disenfranchised and hope for those who had lost hope in reliance on their own strength. Prescriptions for the year of Jubilee covered all areas of life—from basic human needs such as food and drink to the everyday tasks to which people had set their efforts: occupations, families, recreation and worship. Patterns established for the year of Jubilee were to point the way, to be a signpost of the coming Kingdom of God. This year was to be a sign, a taste of what heaven will be like.

The sad truth is that history shows no record of the sabbath or Jubilee mandates ever being carried out. The world has lacked the visible demonstration these provisions could be of the coming Kingdom. Today, even Christians rely on their own strength instead of their Lord for the day-to-day activities of life. Today we must look hard to find even a glimpse of hope in our families, our work, our politics, our economic system, our criminal code, our welfare system and even our churches. What would the picture look like if the people of God had taken seriously the sabbath and Jubilee ordained by God as a reminder and a sign?

Our hope and prayer is that this conference will be an encouragement to us, that we might make a difference for the sake of the Kingdom for which we are waiting, expectantly.