Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for the daily challenges.  This week’s topic is part of our series called EPIC where we’ve been exploring how Jesus is found throughout the Old Testament part of the Bible. We’re reading some epic old stories from the Old Testament, some of which you might have heard before, some of which might be new to you. But our hope is that in each of them we’ll see how they’re part of one big epic story: the story of the Bible, the story of the world, God’s story.

Our daily challenges are meant to help you explore what it means to follow Jesus, even if you don’t have a lot of time. That’s why we have a rhythm that keeps us in sync, even if we’re not a community that meets together in person regularly. This means every Monday we introduce the week’s idea. Every Tuesday we study it in the Bible. Every Wednesday we see how that challenges and transforms our thinking on the topic. Thursdays we try to apply and live it out. Friday is a day for prayer and reflection before we take a rest on Saturday, and Sundays we meet together with other Christians in community.

A friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of the front doors to a hotel where he was staying while in Colorado.  A giant granite tablet with the ten commandments engraved on it was right beside the doors.  The comments were quite funny – someone said you should be wary of staying in hotels with giant tombstones in front.  Not bad advice.

This can be a bizarre cultural experience for a Canadian to observe.  The Ten Commandments have been at the centre of much controversy in the USA, as people debate whether they should be on the walls of courthouses and public buildings.  This hasn’t been as prevalent in Canada.

So, what is the place of the Ten Commandments today, and where did they come from?  What’s in them?

A recent Canadian study found that 53% of those who reject religion endorse the contemporary applicability of the Ten Commandments. Clearly lots of people, no matter their spiritual background, claim these basic laws are important and maybe even part of their own personal moral code.  But how many can name them?  http://angusreid.org/faith-in-canada/

That’s what we’ll explore this week.  We’ll also explore the establishment of other laws to govern the new nation God was forming out of Israel.  Lot of content in the Bible in just one week, but we’ll get started on that tomorrow.

Question: How many of the Ten Commandments can you name from memory?  What do you believe they mean today?

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