Remember the Sabbath Day

We’re taking one more step today in our journey through the 10 commandments.  Remember: we engage with these commands, confident that God loves us and makes us His children by grace through faith.  Even still, these commands are vitally important as boundaries for healthy living.

Today, we focus on the 3rd commandment.

Here God commands that we remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.  The Sabbath command is rooted in the creation itself.  As the creation story from Genesis 1 unfolds, God creates the heavens and the earth in 6 days and on the 7th day, God rested.  Rest is an important need for ourselves and creation.  Rest is vital to our work as partners with God in the ongoing work of creation.  So God commands that we rest.  And not just us.  That we join the whole creation in resting.  But this is not an easy command for us.  We are so programmed to gauge our worth based on our productivity.  How much did I accomplish today?  What’s left on the list?  But if the creator of the universe could rest on the 7th day, so can we.  The Sabbath command requires that we simply “be.”

In scripture, the Sabbath is also identified as a day of praise (see Psalm 92, for example).  And so as Luther explains the 3rd commandment he reminds us that we are not to neglect God’s Word or the teaching of it, but “gladly hear and obey it.”  So the Sabbath is also a time of worship.  This has become a challenge for us these days.  Gathering in crowds is not recommended right now.  Even still, we can engage with God’s Word in lots of ways right now.  How are you committing yourself to regular worship during this global pandemic?

Finally, the Sabbath is a day to serve our neighbors.  In Matthew 12, Jesus heals a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath – and lays a claim to that day which includes doing good for those in need.  I hear about so many who have reclaimed the importance of the phone these days.  And others who have reclaimed the front porch or the back deck as a place for visiting with their friends and neighbors.  What a great way to rest, and at the same time serve your neighbor through the gift of conversation!

Remember the Sabbath Day, my friends.  Once a week, engage with rest, attend to God’s Word, and doing something to serve the needs of others.  It’s a wonderful way to live within God’s boundaries for healthy living.  May this practice of rest, worship, and service strengthen you for the marathon of life


P.S. – Join us in the sanctuary!  Sign up for any Sunday in October.  We recommend attending 1-2 times/month, but attend as frequently as you would like.  Please register to help us better prepare: https://www.wadenaimmanuel.org/sanctuary-worship-registration. 

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