Holiday=Holy Day

After studying teachings about the sabbath day in Matthew 12, I had some insights about this important day that I previously had not thought about.

First, did you know that the word “holiday” is a compound word stemming from the words “holy” and “day?” After learning about the connection between these two words, I have been looking at my sabbath day observance with a new set of eyes. Think about your favorite holidays and why you love them so much. Is it the food? gathering with family? celebrating special traditions? or the different music and clothing associated with those days? Celebrating holidays can be burdensome and overwhelming for some of us, and that's the exact opposite of how we want the Sabbath Day to feel. But, is there a way that we can replicate some different and meaningful things that make holidays special into our Sunday worship that would elevate our love and anticipation for that weekly Holy Day? I know in our family, having certain “sabbath day rituals” (like attending church, going on family walks, watching family home videos or making homemade donuts) help to set apart our sabbath day as something different and special from other days of the week.

The second insight came with the suggestion of reading Matthew 11:28-Matthew 12:13 while skipping over the Matthew 12 chapter heading. By eliminating the "man-made" chapter break it's easier to see the connection that Jesus is making: one way He can help us find rest for our souls is by keeping the sabbath day holy.

The Bible Dictionary states: "the importance of a sacred day for man to rest from his temporal labors, contemplate the word of the Lord, and assemble for public worship is a major item in a person's spiritual development...The existence of a weekly holy day is a most important safeguard; it leaves a constant reminder to the individual of his need for spiritual sustenance and his duty before God."

I'm grateful for the gift of the sabbath day in my life. Just like we've been blessed to live more fully off of 90% of our income instead of 100%, I have a testimony that we are also blessed to live more fully "using" only 6 out of 7 days of the week for our own needs rather than using every day of the week for ourselves. I know that I can do so much more in six days with the Lord's blessing than I can in seven days without the Lord's blessing. The Lord has His ways of blessing us when we keep His commandments and I have seen those blessings in my life as I've done my best to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

(Thanks to the “Don’t Miss This” and “Follow Him” podcasts for their Come, Follow Me lessons on Matthew 12 that gave me insight into this week’s blogpost)