Just another day?

The Bible teaches the principle of the Sabbath. During creation, we read that God rested on the seventh day. Keeping the Sabbath holy is one of the Ten Commandments. If you have studied the Old Testament or if you have Jewish friends, you know that technically the Sabbath is Saturday. Some denominations worship on Saturdays for this reason.

For New Testament Christians, who believe in the New Covenant established by Jesus, we worship on Sunday. This is because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. The scribes and pharisees were legalistic and had added many man-made rules to the Sabbath. They accused Jesus of breaking the Law for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus taught us that God made the Sabbath for the benefit of people, and he did not create people for the Sabbath.

Do you think that the Sabbath, or a day set aside for rest and worship is still a good idea today? The principle of rest applies to people, animals, and even the land. Farmers rotate crops to rest the soil and keep it fertile. If you want to perform well mentally, you need to make sure you get plenty of sleep. Students who are neglected by parents often do poorly in school, and one of the reasons is that they do not have a set bedtime.

While I understand that there are Saturday night worship services, I still associate Sunday mornings as a time for church attendance. When I drive to church on Sundays, I cannot help but notice people who are doing other things as if Sunday is just another day. Have you ever sat in church, in the summer, while the sounds of a lawn mower compete with the music or message?

I was thinking about growing up in St. Louis around orthodox Jews. On Saturdays you could observe Jewish families walking to their synagogue. Not only were they committed to observing a day of rest, but they would also make sure to purchase a home within walking distance of their place of worship. Do you ever wonder if your Saturday activities interfere with those who worship on that day?

We not only need a day or two off from work, but we also need to involve ourselves in corporate worship. In many ways, our society is growing more secular every day. If we want to stay strong in our faith, we need to feed our faith. We can pray and read Scripture, but we also need to associate ourselves with others who share our beliefs.

Hebrews 10:24--25 encourages us, "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

One of the biggest challenges of the pandemic for people of faith has been the interference of regular church attendance. Some people have still not returned to in-person worship. I have heard that if you miss church two weeks in a row, the odds of you dropping out become greatly increased. Perhaps some people feel embarrassed to return to church after a long absence. Speaking from experience, the people at your place of worship will be happy to see you, and your attendance will be an encouragement to your pastor and ministry staff. You will benefit spiritually as well. Let us set aside one day a week for The Lord. May it not be just another day.