Finding Rest on the Sabbath Day

I gave the following as a talk in Sacrament Meeting.  My theme was "Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy."  Note the concepts presented herein are not substantiated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, although the author believes they are in accordance with the Church's doctrines.

Finding Rest on the Sabbath Day
Chelise Van De Graaff


A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints behaves 'peculiarly' on Sunday

If one observes a the conduct of a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Sabbath, it will be distinctly and noticeably different from those who do not observe our faith.  Such a difference in conduct may seem... well, peculiar.  Bruce R. McConkie said of this peculiar nature,

“We are, [nonetheless,] peculiar in the eyes of worldly people. We are a breed set apart. We are different from the world because we do not adopt the practices and follow the fashions of worldly and carnal people. We glory in the things which set us apart by ourselves, and we hope and pray that we may maintain and increase the differences. Of the true saints, with whom we are numbered, Peter said: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” Having so announced, he told what is expected of them: “That ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ” (1 Peter 2:9).” --Bruce R. McConkie, BYU Devotional Jan. 28, 1975 TheTen Commandments of a Peculiar People

A LDS Saint's observance of the Sabbath is in direct keeping with the commandment to keep the Sabbath Day Holy.

Scriptural References to the Commandment of the Sabbath Day

• Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8
• “That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High. [D&C 59:9–10]”

Sabbath Day is an Eternal Principal

As humans, our conduct does not sanctify the Sabbath.  The Sabbath day was first sanctified by God, and our actions determine if we keep the Sabbath day holy, or if we sanctify ourselves by its proper observance.  The Sabbath is eternally Sanctified or Holy in the same manner that God is infinitely Sanctified and Holy.   The Sabbath day is an eternal principle, as manifest by God's keeping of it, and its institution and re-institution whenever the true Church of God has existed on the earth. 

• The Sabbath was instituted to commemorate God's seventh day of rest at the Creation.

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 2: 2-3).”

• “We have no evidence of [the Sabbath's] observance in patriarchial times. This is no doubt due to the scantiness of the record, for the Sabbath is an eternal principle, and would have existed from the days of Adam, whenever the gospel was on the earth among men (BD: Sabbath).”

• Sabbath represented redemption from Egyptian bondage.

"Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.  Six days thou shalt labour, and do all they work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, no thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.  And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by  a stretcted out arm: therefore, the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)."

• Day of the Apostles to the present, to commemorate the fact that Christ came forth from the grave on Sunday.

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his supeech until midnight. (Acts 20:7)."

• Latter-day Restoration with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

“For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; (D&C 58:1-2)"

Sabbath is not just about one day set apart for worship... it's more than that.

Utilize a case study of a contrapositive example to illustrate a type of Sabbath observances that held no efficacy in terms of true worship.  The Book of Mormon documents a people called the Zoramites who would  not “observe to keep the commandments of God (Alma 31:9),” and they did “pervert the ways of the Lord in very many instances (Alma 31:11).  Indeed, they  “...had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord;...(Alma 31:12)"  On this day, they offered up worship in their own way.  They worshiped by standing one at a time in the center of the synagogue (upon a high place (Rameumptom), and reciting the selfsame prayer over and over.  It was a prayer which elevated their status and intentionally degraded the status of all other people. After which, “they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand... (Alma 31:23)”

Their observance of the Sabbath had turned into individualized moments of self-aggrandization and expressions of the utmost pride.  Additionally, the spirit of the Sabbath, had they ever felt it, did not follow them throughout the week.  It was a once-a-week obligation that served to further degrade their spirits rather than lifting them closer to their Father in Heaven.  

If our efficacy of worship is important, what do we DO on the Sabbath?

First, our prophets desire our proper Sabbath observance voraciously, as is expressed by President Hinckley, “I wish I had the power to convert this whole Church to the observance of the Sabbath. I know our people would be more richly blessed of the Lord if they would walk in faithfulness in the observance of the Sabbath.

[Heber City/Springville Regional Conference, Priesthood Leadership Meeting, May 13, 1995]

President Kimball counseled on how to observe the Sabbath,

“The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory— to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord. It is a day on which to fast in “sackcloth and ashes.” It is a day on which to read good books, a day to contemplate and ponder, a day to study lessons for priesthood and auxiliary organizations, a day to study the scriptures and to prepare sermons, a day to nap and rest and relax, a day to visit the sick, a day to preach the gospel, a day to proselyte, a day to visit quietly with the family and get acquainted with our children, a day for proper courting, a day to do good, a day todrink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, a day to seek forgiveness of our sins, a day for the enrichment of our spirit and our soul, a day torestore us to our spiritual stature, a day to partake of the emblems of his sacrifice and atonement, a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and of the eternal realms, a day to climb high on the upward path toward our Heavenly Father. [TSWK, p. 216]

Consider what President Hinckley relayed as one of President Brigham Young's experiences.

May I take you back 142 years when there was, of course, no tabernacle here, nor temple, nor Temple Square. On July 24, 1847, the pioneer company of our people came into this valley. An advance group had arrived a day or two earlier. Brigham Young arrived on Saturday. The next day, Sabbath services were held both in the morning and in the afternoon. There was no hall of any kind in which to meet. I suppose that in the blistering heat of that July Sunday they sat on the tongues of their wagons and leaned against the wheels while the Brethren spoke. The season was late, and they were faced with a gargantuan and immediate task if they were to grow seed for the next season. But President Young pleaded with them not to violate the Sabbath then or in the future. “

[Gordon B. Hinckley, “An Ensign to the Nations,” Ensign, November 1989, p. 51; emphasis added]

Now as to what we are to do, our prophets have counseled us much and varied. I particularly appreciate Elder Perry's suggestion that observances will differ, but many types of observances can still be appropriate,

“Thank goodness the Lord recognizes the differences in each of us, and has not prescribed every jot and tittle that we are to follow in keeping his day holy. As individuals differ, so our Sabbath-day observance will differ. We should do those things that will be of benefit to us, for our rest, for our relaxation, and for our rejuvenation, after we accomplish what the Lord has prescribed for us in attending our meetings and being faithful in our Sabbath-day observance.”

Tom Perry, 27 Oct. 1985 Speeches, Choose You This Day Whom You Will Serve

There is one sure thing that a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must  do on the Sabbath day.  The latter-day revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants states, “...Go to the house of prayer, and offer up thy sacraments (D&C 59:9).” Attendance to church meetings and partaking of the sacrament are integral to keeping the Sabbath.

The Sabbath should include the Sacrament. What does it mean to partake of the Sacrament?

“The ordinance of the sacrament is an opportunity each week to renew sacred covenants that allow us to be partakers of the Savior’s atoning grace with the same spiritually cleansing effect of baptism and confirmation. (Ensign, July 2012, Understanding Our Covenants with God)”

Additionally, one of the meanings is the “renew all the covenants entered into with the Lord.”

How are the Sabbath and the Sacrament joined?

“My sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you” (Exodus 31:13, italics added; see also

Ezekiel 20:20).

What is the sign?

The sacrament is an ordinance wherein we renew all of our covenants, and particularly the covenant of baptism and confirmation, which aims to accomplish the repentance of our sins (i.e. “IHeavenly Father promises that if we repent of our sins, we can be forgiven (see Alma 7:14) and “always have His Spirit to be with [us]” (D&C 20:77), a promise made possible, in part, through receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. “ (Ensign, July 2012, Understanding Our Covenants with God)

The Sabbath (remember the events which it commemorates) is “symbolic of the mighty works of God, i.e., the creation of the earth, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (BD: Sabbath).”

The Sabbath is indicative of the mighty works of God, of which remission of mankind's sins (i.e. the Fall, Atonement, and Resurrection) is one of the finest.

We understand the Sabbath to be a day of rest, which may stem from the command in Exodus and Deuteronomy to withstand from work, etc.  Indeed the "word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew shabbath, meaning 'day of rest.' (BD; Earl C. Tingey)”  We rest from our labours, but we must also rest from our sins.  We must use the ordinance of the Sacrament to be forgiven of our sins, and rest from our sins.

The Sabbath is a day of rest because on it we rest from our sins. We repent, we partake of the Sacrament, and we are cleansed as if through baptism and endowed as if through confirmation. Perhaps the command to 'rest' is to teach us that, as much as our bodies need physical and emotional rest and renewal, so do our spirits need rest from sin and renewal in God and Christ Jesus.

“Verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man,nor children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created. Behold I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual. (DC29: 34-35)”

Dual meaning of the Sabbath: consider temporal blessings to understand spiritual blessings.

Let's recall the story of the Saviour and the Pharisees' concerning the Sabbath. The Saviour HEALED the hand of a crippled man, and later HEALED a blind man. Christ then said, “Wherefore the Sabbath was given unto man for a day of rest; and also that man should glorify God, and not that man should not eat... (JST Mark 2:26)” The Sabbath is a representation of miracles.  God is willing to perform a miracle on behalf of those who keep his commandments, and keep his Sabbath day.  

Consider some easy-to-see temporal blessings of keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Then consider how these temporal blessing may be indicative of the spiritual blessings and miracles that will be given to one who keeps this commandment.

Temporal Sabbath Blessings can be indicative of Spiritual Blessing of 'resting from our sins.'

President Faust (Ensign, Nov. 1991, The Lord's Day) relayed the following, “A more recent miracle occurred at the Wells Stake Welfare Tannery some years ago where hides of animals were tanned into leather. On regular workdays, the hides were removed from the vats and fresh lime placed in the vats, after which the hides were returned to the lime solution. If the hides were not turned on holidays, they would spoil. But the change was never made on Sunday, and there were no spoiled hides on Monday. Explained J. Lowell Fox, the supervisor of the tannery at the time:

“This brought a strange fact to our minds: holidays are determined by man, and on these days just as on every week day, the hides need to have special care every twelve hours. Sunday is the day set aside by the Lord as a day of rest, and He makes it possible for us to rest from our labors as He has commanded. The hides at the tannery never spoil on Sundays. This is a modern-day miracle, a miracle that happens every weekend!” (Handbook for Guide Patrol Leaders, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1964, p. 37.)”

Our Father in Heaven has the ability to make modern-day miracles, and we can expect them when we keep the Sabbath.  Both temporally and spiritually.  Consider the following verse from Leviticus 26:2-6, 9 that documents the temporal blessings that come to those who keep the Sabbath.  Think about how these temporal blessings have spiritual parallels.

“Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. . . . For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. (Leviticus 26:2–6, 9)."

The Lord is teaching us that when we keep the Sabbath, the fullness of temporal things we be ours.  Commensurately, if we keep the Sabbath, the fulness of spiritual things will be ours.  This is consistent with the promises and blessings that come to those who have received a full forgiveness of their sins.  All that the Lord hath will be ours.

Recall D&C 59,
“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

“For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

“Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

“But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

“And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.” (D&C 59:9–13.)

This great commandment is culminated with a promise: “Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth.” (D&C 59:16.) 

We can readily see that observance of the Sabbath is an indication of the depth of our conversion. Our observance or nonobservance of the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. It is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether our conversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to us. [“The Sabbath Day,” Ensign, May 1975, p. 49]

May we resound the law of Alma's time, where “if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him (Alma 30:9),” and keep the Sabbath day holy as a privilege   May we take upon ourselves the sacredness of keeping the Sabbath day Holy, and by so doing commemorate the sacrificial Atonement of our Saviour, find rest from our sins, and stand apart as a peculiar people from those of the world.