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Holy Sabbath - September 2, 2007

Holy Sabbath

Exodus 20:8, Luke 23:50-56

September 2, 2007

Rev. Dave R. Garwick

We just read together a passage that many of us have heard a hundred times if we've heard it once, a story so familiar that it kind of washes over many of us.  But this time something caught my attention that I have never noticed before.

This incident is usually referred to as "Jesus' Burial" and it is usually read right after Easter in the spring.  But I think the story might also be called "The Greatest Sabbath".  This was the day that the first human being rose from the dead, the day JESUS rose from the dead - the resurrection that no one actually witnessed.

The single most important thing about Christianity is the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead - not that He was a good role model or that He taught a lot of good ways to live:  lots of people have done that much.  But that He rose from the dead and made death a temporary thing, and something that every single human being could have.  But no one actually saw this happen!  On Sunday morning, the already risen Jesus was first seen by the women who came to the tomb very early in the morning.  But at that point He was already risen.  The actual Resurrection itself had already happened and was not witnessed by a single soul.

I have always thought, what a shame this was that the most important thing about our faith was never actually seen by anybody.  If someone had actually SEEN the Resurrection, then maybe it would be easier for some people to believe the fantastic promises of Christianity.  To me this has always seemed like an indictment against the weak faith of Jesus' followers who either had not remembered that Jesus had said this would happen or they didn't get it, or they didn't believe it.

Otherwise, wouldn't they have been right there the whole time waiting for this to happen?  That may explain a few of the apostles who were hiding behind closed doors for fear that the Jews were going to lynch them as well.  But how about the women?  THEY were not afraid - they even walked through a dark cemetery on Easter morning with the intent of actually going inside a tomb to unwrap a corpse to prepare it.  THAT takes nerve.

So, why then, were even theses brave and faithful women not present to witness the actual Resurrection?  Well, this is the part of the Gospel Lesson that has caught my attention for the first time:  the very last line.  And again I want you to read this last line with me:  Luke, chapter 23, verse 56 - the last verse of the 23rd chapter in Luke.  Okay...page 1047 in your pew Bibles.  We're going to read this out loud in just a moment.  This is WHY the women did not stick by the tomb to actually see the Resurrection.  Let's read the 56th verse together;  "Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.  But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."

Let me read that one more time:  they went home because, "...they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."  Which commandment?  From the Bible Focus at the beginning of the service, the 20th chapter of Exodus:  "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy...On it you shall not do any work."

If I had been one of the women, I would have objected that there could be nothing more important to do on this particular Sabbath than to tend to the poor battered body of my Lord and Savior and actually BE there to witness the Resurrection that HE had promised.

But even for these special women on this particular Sabbath, what was more important was to rest and set the day aside for God as GOD had asked.  HE did not ask that His body be tended to.  He asked only that His followers do no work other than worship.  By their obedience, the Resurrection became an article of FAITH in GOD'S promise, not a matter of proof of man's judgement.  Because the women remembered the Sabbath and KEPT it holy the way God had asked, the Resurrection became the chief article of our ....FAITH.

This morning we are on a double header weekend, two official days of rest, back to back.  Tomorrow is Labor Day which gives the American laborer a day off in commemoration of the day off benefit that was achieved by the labor union movement.

Today, of course, is the Christian Sabbath (except for our Seventh Day Adventist friends down the street who hold their Sabbath on Saturday like Jesus did).  The Bible does not dictate which particular day of the week is the Sabbath, only that one day our of seven should be set aside to rest up.

Two days of rest - tomorrow's decreed by the government and today's decreed by God.  The one that is decreed by the government simply says, "Take a day off".  The one decreed by God says, "Remember the Sabbath Day to KEEP IT HOLY."  God not only tells us to take a day of rest but to keep it holy.

By and large I think most people do a pretty good job of resting on the Sabbath.

I am here this morning to thank you for keeping BOTH parts of what God decreed about the Sabbath:  you are resting and by worshiping, you are also keeping it holy.  "Holy" does not simply mean that something is special.  "Holy" means that it is set aside for the Lord.

From an earthly perspective, you have more than enough to do without being here - just as the women at the tomb did on our first Sabbath.  Today is essentially the last Sunday of the summer.  Everything goes into full swing in just a couple days.  I KNOW that you don't have everything ready.  There is an awful lot yet to be done.

But you are here.  You are not only taking a break from your usual work, but you are setting this day aside for the Lord - you are keeping the Sabbath holy by worshiping God, by praising the Lord, by hearing His Word and accepting the invitation to His banquet, by sharing what's on your heart with what's on everybody else's heart and bringing it to God's heart.

I thank you on this day as a kind of down payment for those Sundays around the corner when you may be tempted to keep just the first part of the Sabbath - by sleeping in, by replacing worship with your kids' tournament or your rendezvous with deer, duck or walleye.  Remember the Sabbath day...and keep it holy.

Amen.  May it be so.