Remembering the Sabbath

This is something I've been pondering, but definitely not something I'm any better at than probably anyone else reading this. I realize that's a huge assumption since I don't know you, but based on what I see in the lives around me, the percentage is favor of my being right that we're alike here.

Though the Ten Commandments are only a portion of the Old Testament Law, we as Christians tend to hold these up as the exclamation point of the Law:

1) You shall have no other gods before me.

2) You shall not have any idols.

3) You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

4) Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

5) Honor your father and mother.

6) You shall not murder.

7) You shall not commit adultery.

8) You shall not steal.

9) You shall not give false testimony.

10) You shall not covet.

(ref. Deuteronomy 5:6-21)

Based on the fact that you're a living and breathing human being, there's a high likelihood that you already believe strongly that we shouldn't murder, cheat on our spouse, steal, lie, or covet - those are somehow hardwired into our innate morality. And if you have any sort of church-going history, you probably have an inkling that we should have no other gods before THE God, we shouldn't have idols (and that these come in many forms, like hobbies, jobs, and even our spouses), we shouldn't use the Lord's name in vane, and we should honor our father and mother.

So that's 9 of 10, leaving only the Sabbath. How do we observe that and keep it holy? Is it simply by sleeping in, fighting our children to get up and get dressed, getting to church late, coming home for a nap, then watching the football game? Others may also see it as a day to get some things done.

While both of these examples do appear different than most other days of the week (other than the second example could look a lot like Saturday for that person), is that really how we make it holy?

Now I'm not getting into an argument over whether the Sabbath is a Sunday or a Saturday, or any other day of the week really, but here in American Christian culture, that day has been traditionally set aside as Sunday. And the way we make this holy is by holding church services on that day.

What does 'holy' even mean? It comes from the Hebrew meaning "separate". So anything holy is to be separate, different, clean, and pure; sacred, consecrated, divine. So while it is to look different than other days of the week, and it does just that, making it holy is something entirely different.

Now I'm not trying to be legalistic here, but Jesus didn't come to abolish the law - he came to fulfill it. When you hear Jesus preach about lying, stealing, adultery, etc. in the Sermon on the Mount  (Matthew 5-7), he doesn't just suggest these things are still wrong, but that fulfillment of them goes beyond just the actual command. For instance, in Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment'. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment."

So Jesus didn't say that murder was okay now, but that we just shouldn't be angry with our brother. I think it's clear he's still against murder. So "don't murder", but it's more than that - it's "don't murder, and don't even by angry with your brother."

Again, this isn't meant to be legalistic, but rather a barometer for our our hearts. If we can say "I've never killed anyone, but yeah - I'm always angry at my brother," then how are we fulfilling what Jesus says are the two greatest commandments: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind; and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself? This shouldn't be a "you're bad because you broke the rules, or yay - pat on the back for you. This is simply a heart-check to make sure we're aligning our lives with Christ.

But in the same way, shouldn't we be remembering the Sabbath and making it holy? And according to Christ's fulfillment of the law, shouldn't we be not only remembering it and making it holy, but going beyond that? Shouldn't the Sabbath be set apart, yet we should set our entire lives apart every day? This doesn't mean every day looks like Sunday, or that because we look like Christ every day we can ignore Sunday. If we aren't angry with our brother but still murder, it's still wrong. In the same way, I think our lives need to look different every day, but the Sabbath still needs to be there.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2)

On this Sunday, the Sabbath, the Lord's Day, I hope we can all find a way to set this day aside. That we can not only set this day aside as somehow holy, but to carry on throughout our week.

God Speed.