How should I spend the Lord’s Day, that Festive Day of Rest?

In defining the gift of the Christian Sabbath, I think the Heidelberg Catechism strikes a lovely balance of creating anticipation, expectation and freedom about this day which the Lord of the Sabbath made for man without the restrictiveness of creating rules and policy. The question is asked: What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment? The answer is given: First,  that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God’s people to learn what God’s Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor. Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.

I like to think of the Lord’s Day as the Festive Day of Rest. It is a party! When someone throws a party, invitations are sent and people mark their calendars and clear their schedules because they want to gather in the enjoyment and celebration of the host and the occasion.  It is a privilege to get invited and the party becomes a fixed point in your life and is typically not neglected. In the Lord’s Day the invitations are sent to those whom He loves to come to share in the fellowship and worship of the Savior and all the attendees are richly blessed just to be there.

When you are invited to a party, you also engage in thoughtful preparations so you can enjoy the party. We always work hard to get all of our tasks done ahead of time so that we can ENJOY the party and the host. For the Lord’s Day, that means working hard for 6 days to accomplish our tasks so that we can enjoy the festivities. It even takes some preparation to get in the festive mood, doesn’t it? Doing things to warm our hearts and avoiding things that can dampen our spirits the evening before can help get us in the right frame of mind so that we can get the most out of the Lord’s Day is a great way to enjoy His Day to the full.