(This is a re-post of my “Rock the Commandment” series of posts. I’ll be running these on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week as we lead up to Palm Sunday.)
"Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: neither you, nor your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, nor your stranger who sojourns with you. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it." (Ex. 20:8-11).
Got all that?
Yesterday, in the Rock the Commandments series of posts, I looked at what the Sabbath is, considering that as Christians most of us worship on Sunday.
Today is the discussion about how the Fourth Commandment impacts our lives today as we strive to be more like Christ.
Many of us read this Commandment, then move right past it. Why? Because it sounds legalistic, old-fashioned, and like something that just doesn't apply to us in today's world. And that's understandable. I've had exams on Sundays. I've worked on Sundays. I've traveled for work on Sundays. I've even supervised employees on Sundays. Many of you have done the same. So, besides being a convenient day for church and football, what's so great about Sunday?
I'll let you answer that for yourself.
But consider this - what if it isn't about legalism? What if there is something deeper here that can bring you closer to God? Closer to living like Christ? How would you view this Commandment then?
Ask yourself:
+ Have I stayed away from church on Sunday - or prevented others from going?
We've all done it. Maybe you were out too late on Saturday night. Or there's a ballgame on Sunday morning. Maybe you just wanted to sleep in. After all, you deserved it, right? Of course, if you fall into that last one, the underlying logic says that you deserve that sleep more than God deserves your worship.
Ouch.
Christ and the apostles were rather adamant that we worship in a community of the faithful, that we partake in His body and blood on a regular basis. Not even Paul got to be a "cowboy" Christian, doing it all on his own, and doing it his own way. We need the Church. (The Byzantine Rambler wrote a nice post about this recently.)
+ Have I done unnecessary work on Sundays?
You just read how I have worked on Sundays. Many jobs require that. But - and I'm not suggesting that you slack off when you work a Sunday shift - have you undertaken unnecessary labors? Pulling your sheep out of a ditch is necessary. Healing is the loving mercy of God. That's good. If you are working solely for your own satisfaction, to fulfill some want or desire of the self, you might be in trouble. It's not for me to tell you what action is in or out of bounds here. That is between you and God, because only you and God can know what is in your heart. Just consider if your work is for self or out of loving compassion for others. It's a good place to begin when you decide.
+ Have I spent the day in unwholesome fashion or profaned it by improper conduct?
This isn't just about vulgar behaviors. It's about any of the passions. Pride, greed, anger, envy, gluttony and laziness can be as bad as lust or foul language. The nice thing - if I can use the term - about lust and foul language is that they can be easier to recognize. That gives you more opportunity to repent and ask God for forgiveness. Many of the others can grab us in unsuspecting ways. Constant vigilance is important.
+ Have I caused anyone else to profane the Lord's Day?
If we do those things, we are no doubt influencing others. It might be direct or indirect influence, but how we live has an impact.
+ If I could not go to church due to illness or other grave cause, have I prayed at home?
Have you? Or did you just let it be a lazy day? As an Orthodox Christian, it seems that I have an advantage here. We have prayer services that the faithful can pray at home. I missed church a few Sundays ago. I read - actually I chanted - an akathist service at home before an icon of Christ. If you don't have any ready-made prayers, or simply are not practiced in praying alone, I'll bet you still have a prayer book nearby. The Book of Psalms. The Psalter has been called the prayer book of the church from the earliest days. Open it up. You may start with Psalm 1. Or maybe a favorite Psalm, such as Psalm 23. For me, Psalm 51 is a regular (big surprise). But don't read it. Pray it. That's what it's for.
+ Have I kept the fasts and festivals prescribed by the Church?
The Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches maintain church calendars developed over the past two thousand years. For an example, check the Online Chapel widget located on this page. You will see the readings for the day, what saint(s) are remembered, and so forth. Every day is different. The days never just run into each other, same old, same old. Each day is special and unique. Even if your church acknowledges fewer days on the calendar (e.g. Christmas, Pascha [Easter] and Pentecost), do you observe them? Spiritually?
And finally,
+ Have I treated the Lord's Day as if it is about me and the things I want - instead of being about the Lord?
This is what it all comes down to. Who is your day - your life - about? You or God? If I'm honest, most of my day is about me. With God's help, I need to align myself more with Him. I suspect some of you may need to as well.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the troublesome;
But his will is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
-Psalm 1:1-2
Most of these prompts come from A Pocket Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians. But the commentary is all mine. So, if there is any error, it all belongs to me.
Image: Christianphotos.net
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