“The Sabbath Day,” Friend, Feb. 1975, 39
The Sabbath Day
The Sabbath Day
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
“But the seventh day is the sabbath of the
Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, …
“For in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested
the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the
sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8–11
One of the outstanding memories carried over from childhood is my recollection of the Sabbath day. Back in those early times out on the farm, Sunday was a day completely set apart from the rest of the week. From Monday through Saturday, our attention was centered in the heavy labor involved in making a living by the muscle power of men and animals.
But Sunday was different—it was the Sabbath. It was the day of rest. It was the day of the Lord. On Saturday night the horses were turned out to pasture and all work was suspended. Saturday was also a kind of special house cleaning day to get things and people ready for Sunday. The final act of the work week was … the “Saturday night bath.” This was supplemented by a parental issue of properly mended, clean clothing, all laid out, ready for Sunday. …
This is the day when we are expected to live at our best, when we put on our best clothes, read our best books, think our best thoughts, and associate with the people who mean the most in our lives. And after we have laid aside the cares that have concerned us during the other six days, we go to the house of prayer and let our minds reach up and try to comprehend the things of God.