And Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Luke 6:5, ESV
The question of the Sabbath is a struggle for many people. The Adventist movement worships on the traditional Sabbath established by God, which would be Saturday that began when the sun would go down on the evening before (or Friday evening) until the sun would go down on Saturday. The early Church began the practice of coming together to worship on Sundays. It can be easy to become rigid in this practice, like many orthodox, particularly the ultraorthodox Jews of today. The issue, however, isn’t the day or exactly how it is practiced in Christ. It is about who is the focus for the day and the time. In Christ, every day is to be dedicated to God. We are called to gather regularly with other brothers and sisters in Christ in weekly regular assemblies which we would say, “We are going to church.” This is good practice and is what our Lord desires, but it doesn’t end there. If one were to study Acts closely, he or she would find that the early followers did that daily. Some still do gather and worship prior to beginning their workday in pockets of Christianity. The point is that our faith has never been a solitary faith, but one practiced regularly in community with other believers. Jesus was calling out the legalism of the Pharisees who, though they gathered, often were not focusing on the worship of God in community caring for one another, but the practice of doing no work and even rigidly defining work to something as minor as moving a chair. God desires us to be regularly in community in order to pray, hear the Word proclaimed, and lift one another in the faith that we hold together. He desires for us to be celebrating with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ regularly all that our Lord has done for us and seek His face at all times. We are to celebrate Christ with one another.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.