Time is a gift that is given to us by God. Most of us think about time in terms of a clock or a calendar. But clocks and calendars are only a measure of time, they are not the essence of it. Time is the opportunity that God gives us in life to experience and to express his mercy in our lives.
The timeless Christ was outside of time and creation, but entered into time and creation by becoming a part of it, so that he could take away the curse that had fallen upon it. His life, death and resurrection were a perfect expression of God’s law and mercy. Indeed, God’s law and mercy found their meaning, interpretation and definition in him.
Sabbath rest has been opened up to us in a new way that goes beyond anything we find after the fall in the Old Testament. The veil of the temple has been rent, there is no longer a need for temple, alter, or Sabbath ceremony. Christ has called us to come to him and enter his rest by taking his yoke upon us and we will find (not earn) rest (Mt 11:28-30).
Is this rest to be experienced in one particular day out of seven? I think the answer is “Yes” and “No.” The rest we experience in Christ is surely a daily rest — and yet, the New Testament clearly establishes Sunday as “The Lord’s Day” a new day commemorating Christ’s resurrection which seems clearly to correspond to the 4th commandment in the Moral law.
The principles of refreshing ourselves in God by experiencing and expressing his mercy in Christ on the Lord’s day is what our hearts should prepare for, hunger for, and prioritize. These things will find expression on other days as well, as God gives us time and opportunity. But the Lord’s day was designed to be a day to celebrate Christ. A key question we need to ask ourselves is: How is what I’m doing on the Lord’s Day a meaningful and purposeful experience and expression of God’s mercy in Christ?
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. (Heb 4:9-10)
