WHAT HAPPENED TO SUNDAYS AND CHRISTMAS?

Genesis 2: 2-3 “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

If there is any single thing that has happened in my lifetime that is brutally tormenting, it is the gradual disregard for Sundays and Christmas Day.

Growing up in the fifties and sixties, the remembering of stores being closed on Sunday and Christmas Day, very strongly lingers in my mind.

Granted, many stores close on Christmas day in order for their employees to be with family. This is indeed admirable and to those we give a big thumbs-up!

Apparently the presence of greed (1 Timothy 6: 10) in our world has preempted the word and will of God. It is also evident, that for employers to sustain a monetary gain in their businesses, they feel the need to open on the days that have been deemed by our Creator as sacred. 

We fully well understand the influence of capitalism on our lives. We have microwaves, smart TVs and the internet which people have come to depend upon as if survival could not continue without them. 

We also have a large segment of the population for which Christmas Day and Sunday mean no more than a Monday or Wednesday. 

What has happened in our world that has caused us to relegate God and His commandments into a position of lesser importance? While there are numerous answers to the question, the final answer may be greed or a satanic influence. 

Exodus 20: 8-9 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work.” Is this so difficult? It is not a suggestion; it is a commandment by our Creator God!

Exodus 20 10-11 “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

If verses eight and nine did not make a point, surely ten and eleven do. “The Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” This is a statement of certainty!  We know sin is sin and all sin is against God. But we categorize sin into “severe” and “not so bad.” This is an action that discredits the Word of God; how dare we?

When the Israelite people were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, God provided them with manna. Manna is believed to be a bread-like substance but since they had no chemical preservatives, it would ruin if they gathered more than a one-day supply. 

Exodus 16: 23 “And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, tomorrow is the rest of the Holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and see that ye will see; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.”

The power of God to preserve on the sixth day for the seventh is a demonstration of His abilities to enforce the priorities of the day of rest. It also signifies the position of importance to commandment number four. “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy.”

The priorities of God are unmistakably clear. When we determine His priorities should be our priorities, we may be on a direct and certain path to being that person that pleases Him. 

Galatians 1: 10 “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men, for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” To be pleasing to God is a characteristic every Christian must strive for. 

When we open our stores or engage in those non-essential actions that our earthly wisdom tells us “That’s not so bad,” we open a door for disobedience to govern our lives. We humans are vulnerable to our own notions and opinions. We are vulnerable to the retailers that tell us to shop and buy on Sunday. 

We are vulnerable to the restaurants that cater to the after church crowd. How many of us have attended church on Sunday morning then ate lunch at a restaurant after the church service? Does that not encourage the restauranteurs to open their doors on the Sabbath?  

So, what do we regard as our most precious blessing? Without a doubt it is our precious Jesus and His sacrificial death on the Cross of Calvary. We are given eternity by our faith based belief in Him. 

Luke 2: 11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Of course this would be an opinionated statement but the most significant days in world history should be the day of Jesus’ birth, His crucifixion and His resurrection. How can humanity ignore those days with a blink and a shrug?

Our indifferent attitudes toward the Sabbath and Christmas Day scream volumes about our disregard for our Creator. Just as our parents gave us life, Christ Jesus gave us eternity. How can anyone ignore that?

Writers note: This article was inspired by my good friend and amazing neighbor, Luis Marin. Thank you sir!

Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. His email: vmy2121@outlook.com