March 18th 2012

Last Sunday, the Old Testament reading was the famous 20th chapter of Exodus in which God gives to Moses, the Ten Commandments. You were no doubt taught in Sunday School that the first part was about our duty to God and the last about our duty to our neighbour. I am going to suggest that the fourth commandment is a special gift to us “remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy”. It is a day in which we are permitted to rest from our work and spend time with each other. It is tragic that in the past, many of us interpreted this in a very negative way. We made the Sabbath a burden and then rejected it all together. First of all, we should remember that our word holiday comes from holy-day. In it we are allowed to lay down the burden of our daily labour; seek out our God in worship and find him in each other as we worship together and play together. In medieval times, on Sunday afternoon after worship, people gathered together on the Village green to play. They practiced archery and other sports; they walked and visited with each other, especially young couples. At some time in the day, they had a family meal together. It seems that we have always been tempted to disobey the commandment. If you read in the book of Jeremiah 17:19, the people were continuing with their usual work and carrying heavy burdens in and out of the City gates on the Sabbath. God sends Jeremiah to denounce them.

Our loving Lord instituted the Sabbath that we may have a day of refreshment rest and re-creation. All of us need to examine our own lives and develop a plan which will enable us to worship with God, rest and recreate ourselves on the Sabbath. Have a Happy Holy Day