Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

The Sabbath has been on my mind constantly over the past week or so, and no matter what I do, it continues to creep in and occupy it. Hence I feel that I must share my thoughts about it. The moment that spurred this was Superbowl Sunday, one of the biggest events in American Sports if not America itself. It draws crowds of a hundred thousand to the stadium where it plays. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of parties across the nation. As I pondered this great event, I feel the need to proclaim the Gospel.

I will start with the basic commandment found in Exodus 20 and Mosiah 13, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy, Six days shalt thou labour and do all they work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any work...."

What does it mean to keep the Sabbath Day holy? What activities does that exclude? What activities does that include? There are many grey lines and many questions that surround our observance of such a blessed day of the week. D&C 59:9-10 gives us an insight about things that we definitely should do, "And that thou mayest keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up they sacraments upon my holy day: For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High." Here we learn that sacrament meeting and all other meeting attendance is a must. We need to offer up our sacraments upon His holy day in the form of repentance through the renewing of sacred covenants made at baptism as we partake of the Sacrament. Remember, this is all so that we might keep ourselves "unspotted from the world".

The church hasn't nor ever will produce an all encompassing list of things that we cannot do or can do on the Sabbath. "For it is not meet that we should be commanded in all things" (D&C 58:26) Nevertheless, in Preach My Gospel, we are taught that the Lord wishes that we do refrain from some things by proclaiming, "We should refrain from shopping on the Sabbath and participating in other commercial and sporting activities that now commonly desecrate the Sabbath" (PMG p. 74) As already mentioned we should also refrain from working on the Sabbath.

Then the Lord gives this stern warning,  "When a community or nation grows careless in its Sabbath activities, its religious life decays and all aspects of life are negatively affected. The blessings associated with keeping the Sabbath day holy are lost." (PMG p.74) Search the scriptures even a little bit and you will find countless warnings from prophets, even the Lord himself as well as blessings awarded for proper sabbath day worship. (I will refrain from going over them here, although books could be written about it.)

Each individual must judge for him/her self to determine whether an activity is acceptable to perform on the Sabbath or not. From the small amount of doctrine that I have explained here, it should be easier to decide. If ever in doubt go to the Lord in fervent prayer and He will illuminate your mind and guide you by the Spirit. I testify that these things are true. I testify that as we obey the Sabbath day, we will be blessed in more than just spiritual matters but in temporal and social matters as well.

To all who read my words I humbly submit unto to you that this might press into your minds. It is time that we stand for Zion, and keep the Sabbath day Holy, every week of the year! It is time that we who have testimonies of the truth stand for righteousness. I gain great strength from a quote by the Prophet Joseph Smith, "The object with me is to obey and teach others to obey God in just what He tells us to do . It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular, I will always maintain a true principle, even if I stand alone in it."It is my prayer that we might always stand alone in defending principles of righteousness.