The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-02-02
Rest and GIadness
Lesson for February 4, 1862

A BUS schedule has been put
out in four sections: Saturday,
Sunday. Monday and weekdays.
In American cities most people
do not have longer than a five
day work week. The DAY Of
Rest has become one of the
days of rest. Nevertheless, peo-
pie come to Sunday about as
tired as they used to be when
everybody worked right up to
Saturday night. only for different
reasons. Some people pay no at
tention at all to Sunday. and
work or play on that day just
as on any other. Some find Sun
day a burden, others find it a
problem. Yet it ought to be
a golden day. Day Of all Of the
week the best"
Day of rest
The Fourth Commandment
says two things clearly. One: BY
Gods intention, one day in seven
is a holy day. Two: It is to
be a day of rest. The Christian
church, after long argument.
finally came to observe the
first, not the seventh day. and
we give it a new name, the
Lords Day. in memory of the
resurrection of our Lord.
Though it is still called the
Sabbath by many Christians
The day chosen is less important
than how the day is used. We
believe I'VE" meaning the
great majority of Christians to-
day-that the Fourth Command
ment gives us a guide to how
we may best use the Lords
Day; and we would also say that
the attitude of Jesus to the Sab
bath gives us further clues to
the right attitude to the Lords
Day. The first point is that it is
holy. It is a different day, a
set-apart day. for that is what
"holy' originally meant. It is
Gods day. because that also is
what holy" meant. Further, il
is a day Ct rest. Machines need
rest, plants and animals need it,
and human beings most of all
Day Of Worship
Now cur Lords use of the
Sabbath gives us the Christian
line. He knew the Fourth Com,
mandment; but he did not sup
pose that rest meant doing
literally nothing. Certainly his
Sabbaths were extremely busy;
you might say He worked over
time on that day. For one thing
it was then as now the day sci
apart for worship. It was His
cusom to attend the synagogue
on the Sabbath day. He could
have preached better sermons
than he heard there. but He
went all the same. Christmas
do not always appreciate en-
ough what it means to be able
to worship in freedom anc
peace. We are throwing away
one Of Gods best gifts wher
we let a Lords Day drift BY
without joining other Christians
at worship. if we are able to &c
at all. The first thing commmis'
do when they take over a country
such as China or East Germany
is to make it impossible fol-
Christians there. or extremely
difficult to worship in church
II You can &c a whole genera
ton growing up without leisure
for religion. you have driven rel
gion underground, and it vii
take Il long time to return. So the
Lords Day is a prime target o.
communism.
Day for doing goOd
The PhariSeeS Of Jesus time
were very strict about the Sab.
bath Day. Jesus set as much
store by it as they. but in a
different way. Their big queS-
ton was: What is WRONG to dc
on the Sabbath? Jesus question
was: What is RIGHT to do?
When Jesus saw any one in need
OF help that He could give. He
never looked at the calendar first
to make sure what day it was
It is lawful to do good on the
Sabbath. He said. Don't most oil
us have in the back Of our minds
some one thing. at least. some
kind and helpful act, which we
could do if We only had time?
Well. the Lords Day is the time
To come to that blessed day,
the Day of rest and gladness.
wondering whether we ought To
do this or that. worrying about
what We are supposed to do OF
not to do. is frustrating. But ID
come II the day With the uueS
ion: What good can I be, u-ha.
good can ! do to others, on this
day when the pressure is off? Is
the first step to a happy day,
This day was made for man, as
Jesus said. For his body. his
mind. his soul. Whatever makes
ourselves, and others nearest us.
better persons, is surely a right
thing to do on the day named for
one who went about doing
good"