A friend of mine recently told my wife that she was spending Sunday at the pool with her family, because her kids had a swim meet that would last all day. Suzanne told her, "Just don't let West find out!"
Suzanne knows what I think about the Sabbath. I can't just can't come to terms with writing off the Fourth Commandment. Call me a legalist, but I think we are still obliged to obey it. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a "strict sabbatarian," but I do believe in setting aside the Lord's Day as a day of rest from as many unnecessary worldly activities as possible.
Some would say I'm a hypocrite, because I am paid by the church to work to Sundays. Not only that, but (shhh - don't tell anybody) I eat out a lot on Sundays with close Christian friends. But I'm not bothered by that. The way I look at it, the Sabbath is a day of communing with God, feasting with friends, and freeing myself from the frenzy of everyday life. (Thanks Marva Dawn for the great alliteration, "freedom from frenzy", in "Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, p.192.) To me there's no conflict. I'm contributing to the welfare of my city and the individual waiting on us at restaurant.
The other option would be to go home and cook, or microwave, or eat soup or cereal. That's all fine, but then you have dishes to clean; and that's work. (Of course, you could do as John and Noel Piper do, and eat on paper plates with plastic ware. But doesn't that contribute to our growing trash heap of a world? Well, not if you recycle, I guess. But you still are "taking out the trash" on Sunday.)
Considering all that, to me, it's all a wash.
But I'm still a Sabbatarian to a certain degree. And I think this particular article is a good one to read to consider the weightiness of keeping the Fourth Commandment.
And for further thought, consider what the Westminster Confession of Faith says in Chapter 21, "Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day":
7. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.
8. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe a holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.
(HT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbatarian)
What do y'all think?
Christ's peace,
-w
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