A Community of Faith - part 11
This is the Day!
Do you remember this song from childhood?
This is the day, this is the day.
That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice, we will rejoice,
And be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day, this is the day
That the Lord has made.
My mom would sing this song to get us up in the morning. The other song she would sing is “Rise and Shine.” You know, “Rise and Shine, and give God all the glory, glory!” I couldn’t stand these songs. I’m convinced these were not attempts at being the loving, caring and sweet mom you see in some sitcom of a by-gone era. These were tortuous acts to force us out of bed!
But as I got older, I came to realize the powerful truth of this song. This day is the day God made. We can rejoice and be glad because we have one more day. One more day to do what needs to be done. One more day to care for our families, complete chores, build our life, and whatever else God has given our hands to do. We can rejoice and be glad in the day God has made.
God also gives us a special day each week. It’s called “The Lord’s Day.” It is the day that we give back to God what He has given us. It is just a portion of the week, but it serves a very special function. The next point in the Baptist Faith & Message describes why we have the Lord’s Day.
The ‘Why’ of the Lord’s Day
The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s Day is a continuation of the Sabbath. It is not exactly right to call Sunday a Sabbath, since the Sabbath is actually Saturday, but nonetheless the Lord’s Day operates like the Sabbath. It is the day we set aside for worship refocusing our lives on Christ. Though we don’t keep Sunday exactly like the Jewish Sabbath, there is still much to be learned from the Old Testament Sabbath.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:8-11
First, above all else, the Lord’s Day is to be a holy day. “Holy” describes something that has been set apart for a sacred purpose. The Temple had holy artifacts, holy priests, and even holy curtains. Everything in the Temple was set apart from wider society in order to serve the purposes of God. The Temple and all that was in it was separated from the world to be devoted to the Lord. The Sabbath was the day of the week that was carved out of the week to be set aside as devoted to the Lord. Thus, no one was supposed to work that day. It was for the Lord, not for crops, construction, or anything else.
Now, Christians may quibble on the details on what constitutes ‘work,’ but what we cannot quibble on is the simple fact the Lord’s Day is carved out of the week to be holy.
The Lord’s Day is a holy day instituted for worship and rest.
For many decades, we lost sight of the need for rest in our society. Of course, most people work for the weekend, but Sunday had (and still is mostly) become like any other day of the week. Ironically, it took a pandemic for society to recognize the necessity of regular rest…both for humans and the world. It is no wonder animals returned to places they had not been in decades. Plants re-emerged from wasted ground. And, many families and friends reconnected in new more meaningful ways. It’s amazing what a little forced rest can do for the world.
This kind of rest is part of Creation’s rhythm. Humanity was meant to work 6 days and rest the 7th. That is the rhythm of life, and it is a healthy rhythm we should long to keep. It is a way to maintain a healthy renewal each week.
It is not by accident that the Resurrection occurred on the first day of the week. Christ’s Resurrection brings about the new Sabbath rest. Those who surrender to Christ are being renewed by the mercies and blood of the Lamb of God. Turn with me to Hebrews 4.
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:9-11
There is rest from the burdens of sin, and that rest is found in Christ. This spiritual rest is reflected in the weekly rest of the Lord’s Day. By resting on the Lord’s Day, we focus our hearts and minds on heavenly things in order to not fall into disobedience.
The Lord’s Day is a day for renewal in Christ and obedience.
The ‘What’ of the Lord’s Day
We now must turn to the inevitable question, “What can we do on Sunday?” Christian history is filled with an array of ethical interpretations on what Christians should and shouldn’t do on Sunday. From the legalistic attitudes of Puritans and others who uphold the many restrictions found in Exodus 20 to the more relaxed attitudes of mainstream America that lament you can’t get Chick-fil-a on Sunday. The answer to this question, I believe, lies not in trying to find the line, but rather in identifying the correct attitude toward the Sabbath.
Turn with me to Romans 14.
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;
Romans 14:5-10
The debate Paul is discussing is the debate between the Jewish Christians and their Gentile brothers in Christ. It’s a debate that you can read more about in Acts 15, and it boils down to the question of how Jewish a person had to be to be saved. James, Paul, and others lead the Jerusalem Council this this decision:
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain form the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.
Acts 15:19-21
If you look at James’ ruling, you’ll notice the judgement is against things that would draw the Gentiles away from God or other idolatrous behavior. The Gentiles are told to uphold an ethic that maintains integrity, faithfulness, and virtue. It is not about rote ritual or even the ceremonial practices of the old covenant. Christ has fulfilled the law, so Gentiles and Jews are called to follow Christ.
This ethic is what should rule our decisions on the Sabbath—and every other day of the week. The question is about our commitment to Christ, not commitment to rules and traditions.
How we honor the Sabbath reflects how we honor Christ.
So, flipping back to Romans 14, Paul’s admonition to not judge each other is based on the understanding that people are on different levels of faith. It’s not necessarily about more mature or less mature, but it’s that people have different consciences concerning the details of ethics. These differences occur because everyone has their own background and baggage. Some issues are not about right and wrong, but rather they are about what draws the individual closer to God or away from God.
So, Paul says if you abstain, then you abstain for the Lord giving thanks. If you eat, then you eat giving thanks to the Lord. In all that we do, whether we live or die, we live or die to the Lord giving thanks the entire time.
Now, someone will say, “See! I can do what I want, then. Leave me alone.” Well, no, that’s called being selfish. The emphasis is not on the freedom of our will. The emphasis is on the freedom we have from Christ.
Activities on the Lord’s Day should center on what honors the Lord and gives thanks to HIm.
Remember, whatever you choose to do on Sunday (or Monday through Saturday), Romans 14:10 ends with the reminder we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. i don’t believe God will condemn us or even discipline us for mowing the grass on Sunday. But we will have to give an account for how we spent our time on earth. It’s not always about whether what we are doing is right or wrong, but whether we are making the best use of the time we are given.
Before we close, let’s review the principles we have so far:
Sunday is to be set apart as a holy day:
Because God ordained the Sabbath rest as part of Creation
Because humans need a weekly renewal in Christ (most of us daily, but there’s still 6 days of work to be done)
There is one more, though. Turn with me to Hebrews 10.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.
Hebrews 10:23-25
We are a collection of Christians. The individualism of our culture is helpful for many things, but it sometimes distracts us from the realities of our faith. Christianity is a corporate faith. It is meant to be practiced together. Sure, individuals will have their own habits and preferences in their private study and meditations, but we are still a collection of Christians in the local church. Thus, we “hold fast the confession of our hope” together. We are to consider how to stir up one another together—to love, to good works, and encouragement together. That’s why the Hebrews writer also says to “not neglect meeting together.” The Day of the Lord is drawing near. We must stir each other up to be ready for the Day.
So the last principle is this:
Sunday is to be set apart as a holy day, because we honor Christ by coming together to fulfill our collective mission in Christ
Can you worship at the lake by yourself? Probably (though I doubt you are). But you can’t stir up one another by yourself at the lake. You can’t teach and admonish one another by yourself. You can’t encourage your fellow Christians by yourself.
There’s a story of a man who had began neglecting church attendance and generally started to pull away from the congregation. The pastor was concerned, so he went to visit the man. It was a cold winter day, so they sat by the fireplace as they talked about life and current events. The man was tired of things and just felt like he could just worship God at home. He didn’t see the need to be bothered with going to church on Sunday. The pastor listened to the man, and after the man was done, the pastor used the fireplace tongs to pick out a piece of coal. The coal was glowing brightly having been in the middle of the fire. The pastor gently placed the burning coal onto the brick of the fireplace and put up the tongs. The man just watched. Slowly but surely the coal’s bright light began to fade. After a minute, it did not burn near as brightly. Then, its glow became dark. The pastor picked up the tongs and replaced the coal into the fire. The coal’s light returned as brightly as before, and the pastor looked at the man. The man looked at the coal, then the pastor, and said, “Ok, I get it.”
Christians, we burn brighter together. Honoring Christ on Sunday isn’t about where we stick our rumps. It is about where our heart is. Are we seeking the things of God, not just in our heads, but in our hearts? And are we putting our hands to work in ways that reflect our commitment to Christ? True discipleship, truly following Christ, requires Head, Heart, and Hands. And though a measure of faith is individual, the fullest expression is found together. God has given us a day to come together to experience the fullness of Christian faith. That day is Sunday, the Lord’s Day.
The Lord’s Day is our weekly chance to experience the fullness of Christian faith which requires us to be together.