Discover What to Do on Sunday
When it comes to what we do and don’t do on Sunday, there are different interpretations of what’s permissible and what’s not. These range from Sunday being a set apart day to being a day like any other, with the freedom to do whatever we want.
Here are some considerations.
A Holy Day of Rest
In the Old Testament law, God instructs Moses to tell the people that the sabbath is a day of rest (Exodus 16:23). It is a holy day (Exodus 20:8). And they are not to do any work on the sabbath (Exodus 31:14).
I don’t know anyone who follows this literally and sets apart their Saturday as a holy day of rest. But I do know people who apply this to Sunday, making it their holy day of rest.
Interestingly, God doesn’t tell the people that they are to go to the tabernacle or the temple (implicitly to go to church) on each sabbath.
Yes, some celebrations do take place on the sabbath when the people go to the tabernacle or temple, but God doesn’t tell them to do this every week. Instead, they stay home and rest.
Jesus Fulfills the Law
In his sermon on the mount, Jesus says he comes to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17). Some people take this to mean that the sabbath is no longer a holy day of rest.
Yet in this same verse, Jesus also says he’s not abolishing the law either.
This suggests he’s not doing away with what Moses taught as much as extending it to a new understanding. This is a consideration for us to grapple with.
Rest Predates the Law
This idea of a holy day of rest, however, doesn’t start with Moses and the law. It comes much earlier. It starts with creation. God spends six days on his creative work.
Then he blesses the seventh day, makes it holy, and rests (Genesis 2:2-3).
He doesn’t even call it the sabbath. He merely says he worked six days and took the seventh one off. If our almighty, all-powerful (omnipotent) God takes one day off to rest, who are we to think that resting every seven days isn’t a good idea for us to follow?
Frankly, I appreciate the idea of having a set apart day to rest my body from the toils of the other six and renew my focus on what matters most.
Though I don’t do this with legalistic fervor, I do want my Sundays to be different from my Mondays through Saturdays. I will rest, just as my Father in heaven modeled at the beginning of time.
Sabbath Made for Man
Yet another time Jesus says that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath (Mark 2:27).
Setting aside the fact that the sabbath is Saturday and not Sunday, we see a principle of the seventh day being given to us for our benefit and not something to restrict us.
Does this mean we’re free to do whatever we want on Sunday? Maybe. Maybe not.
Does this mean we can treat Sunday like every other day? Maybe. Maybe not.
Rest As Worship
There are many ways to worship God. We shouldn’t neglect our adoration of the Almighty. Though we often think of worship as singing songs to him or about him, it is more.
Worship includes praising him, living for him, and using our material blessings to honor him.
Another consideration is rest. When we rest, we can offer our rest as a form of worship. When we pause from life’s demands, we rest our body from our labors and reconnect our soul with our creator.
When our rest serves as worship, we follow God’s example from creation, embrace Jesus as fulfilling the law, and acknowledge that the sabbath was made for us and not the other way around.
Jesus tells us to come to him and rest (Matthew 11:28). May we do just that.
When we rest well, we worship well. In this way, rest is worship.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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