Time off!

Genesis 2:2-3 "On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation."

The Sabbath, is the most holy of days. So holy in fact, it is the only day mentioned in God's Ten Commandments to us (Exodus 20:8-11). God took time to rest and soak in all that he had accomplished. He desires for us to do the same thing. We spend so much of our waking hours running around like chickens with our heads cut off. God's original design for our lives was for us to take some time off and explore all the wonderful things he has done for us through all he created.

Jesus respected the Sabbath as a time to benefit God's people. On one Sabbath day Jesus and his followers were walking through some grain fields when his followers started breaking off the heads of the wheat. The religious leaders of the day saw what they were doing and used this infraction of the law as a chance to attack Jesus ministry. Jesus replies "The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath. And I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath!" (Mark 2:23-28) Jesus also healed on the Sabbath which some would consider work as well. When challenged about this he responded, "If you had one sheep and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you get to work and pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath." (Matthew 12:1-14) The disciples picked the grain to survive, just like you would need to rescue a sheep for food. God asked for the Sabbath to be kept holy, by us stopping the work for others and concentrate on his works. What is godlier then taking care of yourself (God's greatest creation) by eating or helping others? Both of these scenarios keep the focus on God and that is what he is looking for us to do on our Sabbath day.

So when is this Sabbath day? Biblically this day runs from sunset on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday evening. To the Jews, sunset was literally the end of the day. Being Jews themselves, Jesus and his followers observed this time period as the Sabbath. It wasn't until after Jesus rose form the grave on Easter Sunday, was there any kind of celebration on Sunday. To the Apostles and the first Century Church Sunday morning gatherings were considered to be "The Lord's Day". (Acts 20:7-12) To them this was not a replacement of the Sabbath. It was a festival to gather and celebrate the Lords Supper. They still held to the law and observed the Sabbath as God's holy day.

It wasn't until fifth and sixth centuries that the Roman and Anglican churches called for they're to be no work done on Sundays. In 690 A.D., Ina, King of Saxons, made it illegal for any one to work on Sundays. If a freeman was caught working on Sundays they could lose their right to freedom. It wasn't until well into the tenth century that the Eastern and Western churches even began calling this day "the Sabbath".

There is nothing sacred and biblical about Sunday mornings. I believe it is very important for us the big "C" church, not the little "c" church I attend, to gather for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. When we do that and how frequently is up to us as body. There is no biblical mandate accept that we do it.

In a twenty-four hour a day society how can we hold in honor the Sabbath as the Lord asks us to do? There needs to be, for each of us, a time when we put all other things aside and concentrate on God. He deserves that much from us when you consider everything he has done. There are people that work weekends and then there is always that weekend sports event you are involved in. I think the key is to be able to keep your schedule during the Sabbath, but as you are participating in something others may consider to be work, that you focus on God through that activity. Do everything you do as you are doing it for the Lord.