25 May 2008
One Day in Seven
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: Guest Blogger; Judaeo-Christian Values Under Attack .
Guest Blog by Sharon Anderson
When the Lord gave Moses ten commandments on Mount Sinai, He said, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh is the sabbath of the Lord thy God. . . ” (see Exodus 20:8-11)
The Sabbath is symbolic of the mighty works of God, including His resting on the seventh day of creation and the delivering of Israel from Egyptian bondage. After the ascension of Christ, members of the early Church kept holy the first day of the week, the Lord’s day, as a weekly commemoration of His resurrection.
The change from observing the last day of the week to the first day of the week is not as important as the concept and principle of the Sabbath. It is significant that carelessness in observing the Sabbath is followed by a decay in the religious life of a nation.
Observing a sacred day each week gives us an opportunity to of rest from our temporal labors. It gives us time to contemplate the word of the Lord, to assemble for public worship, and to focus on building His kingdom. Such activities are important to our spiritual development and are a blessing not a burden.
I love the beautiful promises recorded in Isaiah 58:13-14: “If thou turn away . . . from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight . . . and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earht, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
Israel Remembers
We celebrate our exodus
from the bitterness of sin,
our passage through
baptismal waters.
Liberated
from daily labor
and worldly care,
we flee Egypt to
offer Sabbath sacrifice.
Giving thanks,
we remember the Lamb,
token the Passover.
This day,
freed from bondage,
we serve the Lord,
rest in His love
.
Sharon Price Anderson
5 Comments so far...
Matt Says:
25 May 2008 at 1:17 pm.
Isn’t it strange how nowadays we seem to not follow some of the ten commandments? We take the Lord’s name in vain, covet, lie, and we definitely do not keep the sabbath day holy any more. I hadn’t really thought about that until I read this.
Saddened Says:
25 May 2008 at 1:39 pm.
Sharon, your poem is amazing. It makes me see things in a totally new way. I’ve noticed that about your poems.
Hank Says:
25 May 2008 at 1:52 pm.
I agree. This makes me think and think. It hurts.
Jesse Says:
25 May 2008 at 2:08 pm.
My Mormon neighbors keep the sabbath day very holy. It has always impressed me. Very deep and beautiful poem, Sharon.
E.E. Says:
25 May 2008 at 3:41 pm.
Sharon, from what I have seen so far, you are my favorite poet. It’s always great to have a reminder to keep the sabbath holy, thank you.
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