Our scripture this morning is Leviticus 23:3 (NET).
Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy assembly. You must not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all the places where you live.
Why do we hear the same commandments repeated different places in scripture? Apparently we humans have a hearing problem, and once is never enough! God said this to us in Genesis 2:1-3. He repeats it to us in Exodus 20:8-11. Here He tells us once more, before outlining the annual remembrance celebrations. Notice the instruction about “holy assembly”, telling us that Sabbath is to be celebrated together as His people. When Jesus came He found we had hundreds of trivial instructions for Sabbath that we used to control each other rather than honoring God through gathering for worship. He tells us that God wants our attention for Sabbath, but He also wants us to use common sense and not judge each other about how we celebrate. Praise and worship, loud or quiet, God accepts our observance of His Sabbath.
Heavenly Father, help us to remember the importance of gathering for worship together in Your name. Forgive us for letting worldly things control our Sabbath. Help us to honor Christ’s sacrifice for us and live new lives in Him. Amen.
