The Lord’s Day is not only a day of rest and rejoicing. It is a day to reset us, recenter and focus us, and remind us of what is truly important. It is easy to become distracted during the week by the myriad of responsibilities and opportunities that confront us. It usually is not a question of whether but how many different crises will arise that demand our attention right now. If our own lives are not sufficiently dramatic, then 24-hour news and the never-ending barrage of social media posts are there to demand and direct our anxiety, anger, and attention.
The Lord’s Day is a time to deliberately disconnect from the wicked busyness of this present world and reconnect with the Maker. It is to reorder our thinking along creational and covenantal lines, to cleanse, consecrate, and lead us into communion with the Triune God. God’s Word and Spirit come to remind us of what was always true but what we neglected or forgot in the chaos of those very important posts on Instabook and Facegram.
Those who do not honor the Lord’s Day are dishonoring God and harming themselves. Are my work, worldly recreation, and distractions more important than the gifts God is giving me on his holy day? The Lord offers us solace and joy in his presence, but we make other activities our priority. We will give God his holy hour and a half, but then the real-world beckons us. We cannot afford to play church all day. We are, after all, important people.
What is more important than spending a day rejoicing in the Lord, meditating on his word, fellowshiping with his people? What is demanded of me that I could not accomplish in six days if I had planned better and disciplined my mind and my time? We do not Sabbath faithfully because we did not work faithfully, and negligence in the latter will surely lead to the loss of the former. The Sabbath is not a burdensome duty; it is a gift and celebration of Christian liberty and divine blessing.
On the Lord’s Day, God descends to minister to and bless his people. He reminds us what truly matters. He resets our priorities, reframes our perspective, and renews our spiritual vitality and energy to labor more faithfully, effectively, and joyfully during the week ahead. The Lord is summoning us to Mt. Zion. He has come near to help us. He is greater than our sorrows, our sins, our suffering, and our silly sense of self importance. Let us cast aside our worldly cares and come to him with gladness to receive his grace. --JME
