At the heart of this discussion is one of the basics of human history, the Ten Commandments. (See Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Jan. 2008, 7.) In this respect, much of the “Christian” world has willfully turned its back on it, and Latter-day Saints ought to set the shining example of reminding them of God’s promised blessings, no matter the fallout. What business do we have conducting activities in a modern Roman colosseum on this sacred day that garner more reverence and profound attention than most worship services? Perhaps I won’t even be considered objective, as I don’t even know what teams are playing today, if such astonishing ignorance can be imagined. Perhaps this could be viewed as an opportunity to hear a unique perspective!
This will not be about me or anything I may personally propound. Someone once said to me, as if to negate an uncomfortable subject, “Only a PROPHET can say that!” I replied, “Many of them have. Does it not bear repeating?” How could I dare to assert something strongly that is not in accordance with the Lord’s expressions? Not one new doctrine from me!!! One of the greatest desires in my life is for as many listeners or readers as possible, instead of inching away, to simply look at what I’m presenting and realize the reason for my intensity. This is nothing to sneeze at. If it matters to God, shouldn’t it matter to us? That something is almost universally neglected is no cause to retreat.
I am about to set forth line upon line—which are, nonetheless, but selections from a vast corpus of church literature—in a procedure I call “laying the incontrovertible foundation.” Whether or not this warrants thanks is up to the reader, but I see it as fulfillment of D&C 88:81-82: “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads.” There were times in my earlier life when I did not understand this commandment as well as now, but the only choice when confronted with prophetic clarity, it has seemed to me, is to either accept or deny. I am absolutely converted to the belief that, almost excessively long as prophetic excerpts may seem, no one can plunge in allowing the Spirit to speak to them, and emerge unchanged. The proper response is not to be contemptuous or dismissive just because plain, lowly, little old me appears to be on a soapbox. I do not stand to condemn; my feelings are more in accord with Ezekiel 18:23 than those quick to pass judgment may ever realize. Please, let the prophets speak for themselves. . . .
Brigham Young (DBY, 164-165)
Spend the Sabbath day prudently, in the love and fear of God. . . .
Instead of suffering our labors to occupy the Sabbath—instead of planning our business to infringe upon the first day of the week, we should do as little as possible; if it is necessary to cook food, do so; but even if that could be dispensed with, it would be better. As to keeping the Sabbath according to the Mosaic law, indeed, I do not; for it would be almost beyond my power. Still, under the new covenant, we should remember to preserve holy one day in the week as a day of rest—as a memorial of the rest of the Lord and the rest of the Saints. . . .
Now, remember, my brethren, those who go skating, buggy riding or on excursions on the Sabbath day—and there is a great deal of this practiced—are weak in the faith. Gradually, little by little, little by little, the spirit of their religion leaks out of their hearts and their affections, and by and by they begin to see faults in their brethren, faults in the doctrines of the Church, faults in the organization, and at last they leave the Kingdom of God and go to destruction. I really wish you would remember this, and tell it to your neighbors.
John Taylor (TPC, 108-109)
The best of us are not too good; we all of us might be better, and do better and enjoy life better, having more of the Spirit of the Lord in our own homes and in our own hearts, and do more to promote the welfare of all who come within our reach and influence. To serve the Lord is one of the great objects of our existence; and I appreciate as a great privilege the opportunity we enjoy of worshiping God on the Sabbath day. And when we do meet to worship God, I like to see us worship him with all our hearts. I think it altogether out of place on such occasions to hear people talk about secular things; these are times, above all others perhaps, when our feelings and affections should be drawn out towards God. . . .
I will tell you how I feel on a Sabbath morning. I realize this is a day set apart to worship Almighty God: now I ought to worship God myself, and I ought to look after my family and discover whether they are engaged in the same thing or not. For we are commanded to keep holy the Sabbath day and to rest from all our labors, as God did when He created the earth upon which we dwell. He has given us six days to attend to the various labors and duties of life, and if we [undertake] to keep the Sabbath, let us do it acceptably to God our Father, dedicating ourselves to him at least, for that day, and placing our feelings and affections upon him.
Joseph F. Smith (GD, 242-245)
True, Sunday is a day of rest, a change from the ordinary occupations of the week, but it is more than that. It is a day of worship, a day in which the spiritual life of man may be enriched. A day of indolence, a day of physical recuperation is too often a very different thing from the God-ordained day of rest. . . . A proper observance of the duties and devotions of the Sabbath day will, by its change and its spiritual life, give the best rest that men can enjoy on the Sabbath day. . . .
My belief is that it is the duty of Latter-day Saints to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy, just as the Lord has commanded us to do. Go to the house of prayer. Listen to instructions. Bear your testimony to the truth. Drink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, as it may be opened for us from those who are inspired to give us instruction. When we go home, get the family together. Let us sing a few songs. Let us read a chapter or two in the Bible, or in the Book of Mormon, or in the book of Doctrine and Covenants. Let us discuss the principles of the gospel which pertain to the advancement in the school of divine knowledge, and in this way occupy one day in seven. I think it would be profitable for us to do this. . . .
To observe the Sabbath day properly is the plain duty of every Latter-day Saint—and that includes the young men and young women and the boys and girls. It may seem strange that it should be necessary to repeat this often-asserted fact. But there appear to be some people, and sometimes whole communities, who neglect this duty, and therefore stand in need of this admonition. . . .
The Sabbath is a special day for you to worship, to pray, and to show zeal and ardor in your religious faith and duty—to pay devotions to the Most High.
The Sabbath is a day when you are required to offer your time and attention in worship of the Lord, whether in meeting, in the home, or wherever you may be—that is the thought that should occupy your mind.
Heber J. Grant (GS, 249)
I am opposed to Sunday baseball, and have been so from my boyhood days. When a young man, I was passionately fond of the game. Today I am happy in contemplating the fact that, much as I loved to play it, I never played a game on Sunday. I am grateful to know that I also persuaded more than one young man from playing on Sundays.
Not only am I opposed to Sunday baseball, but I am decidedly and emphatically in favor of a Sunday law which will not only prevent the playing of baseball but will also provide for the closing of theatres and other places of amusement. . . .
I never think of the quiet in the great city of London, on Sundays, and compare it with our own city, that I am not humiliated.
George Albert Smith (TGeAS, 108-109)
Brethren, it is not an insignificant thing to violate the Sabbath day. I want to say that you lose every time you violate the Sabbath day, you lose more than you can gain, no matter what you may think you are going to gain, but your boys and girls sometimes do not understand that. Teach it to them. Teach them that their homes may be the abiding place of prayer.
I remember when I was a child, living right across the street form here and the boys would come over to our place on Sunday after Sunday School, and I was like the boys. I thought it would be lots of fun to play ball and to play other games. But I had a wonderful mother. She did not say, “You cannot do it,” but she did say: “Son, you will be happier if you do not do that. Let the boys go home and read a good book.” . . .
Those who do not honor the Sabbath and keep it holy displease [God]. Some people appear to think that if they have attended religious meetings, or performed some portion of the service required of them on Sunday, they are then at liberty to go to ball games, picture shows, or resorts of various kinds, and still continue to enjoy the favor of the Master. I say to you that if they persist in doing things of that kind, members of the Church will lose their faith; and the Spirit of our Heavenly Father will withdraw from them. . . .
This very day upon which we meet here to worship, viz., the Sabbath, has become the play-day of this great nation– the day set apart by thousands to violate the commandment that God gave long, long ago, and I am persuaded that much of the sorrow and distress that is afflicting and will continue to afflict mankind is traceable to the fact that they have ignored this admonition to keep the Sabbath day holy. Where are your sons and daughters and mine today? . . .
There was no happiness worthy of that name which resulted from violating the Sabbath day in the time of Moses, and I want to say to you there is no happiness for us now when we violate the Sabbath day.
David O. McKay (TDOM, 266-267)
Let us not make Sunday a holiday. It is a holy day, and on that day we should go to the house of worship and seek our God. If we seek him on the Sabbath day, if we come into his presence on that day, we shall find it easier to be in his presence the following days of the week. . . .
Is it better to cherish Church ideals on Sunday or to indulge in Sunday sports? This is simply a question of physical pleasure or spiritual development; and in that regard we should keep in mind the following:
First, it is a day of rest, essential to the true development and strength of the body, and that is a principle we should publish more generally abroad; and we should practice it.
A second purpose for keeping holy the Sabbath day is mentioned in one sentence of modern revelation: “ . . . That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world. . . .” (D&C 59:9.) That is a glorious sentence!
Third, keeping the Sabbath day holy is a law of God, resounding through the ages from Mount Sinai. You cannot transgress the law of God without circumscribing your spirit.
Finally, our Sabbath, the first day of the week, commemorates the greatest event in all history—Christ’s resurrection and his visit as a resurrected being to his assembled apostles.
Now, if a person wants to indulge in bodily exercises and amusements, he cannot do it on the Sabbath day with impunity.
Joseph Fielding Smith (SYE, 102, 130-131, 162)
This is what I think when [the Lord] is going to come—on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the summer time when the people—the members of the Church and everybody else—are picnicking in the canyons, and to the lake, or some other resort; on vacation and having a wonderful time doing everything but what the Lord commanded us to do. It may be in a picture show. It will be a Sunday afternoon and then the cry will sound, “Go ye out to meet him,” and oh, what scurrying and what confusion there will be. . . .
Brethren and sisters, let us live in accord with his word today and tomorrow and the next day—not with any feeling of fear that we might be caught, but because we love to do the things he has commanded us. . . .
Every member of this Church that violates the Sabbath day, that is not honest in the paying of his tithing, that will not keep the Word of Wisdom, that wilfully violates any of the other commandments the Lord has given us, is ungrateful to the Son of God and when ungrateful to the Son of God is ungrateful to the Father who sent him. If our Savior would do so much for us, how in the world is it that we are not willing to abide by his commandments which are not grievous, which do not cause us any suffering if we will only keep them?
Have we observed the Sabbath day and kept it holy? Is it not a fact that we have looked upon this law as being obsolete; something suited, perhaps, to the needs of a primitive people, who, like little children, need special care, but not necessary for us to observe in this modern world of superior wisdom? Is it not the fact that through the length and breadth of our land, this sacred commandment has been treated, and is being treated, with absolute contempt? Have we not made of it a day of pleasure, of indulgence, and have we not lost all love for its sacredness? How can we expect the Lord to bless us when we ignore so universally this holy law?
Harold B. Lee (THBL, 210-212, 391-392)
But Sunday is more than a day of rest from the ordinary occupations of the week. It is not to be considered as merely a day of lazy indolence and idleness or for physical pleasures and indulgences. It is a feastday for your spirit bodies. . . .
Whether at home or in church, your thoughts and your conduct should be always in harmony with the spirit and purpose of the Sabbath. Places of amusement and recreation, while at proper times may serve a needed end, are not conducive of spiritual growth and such places will not keep you “unspotted from the world” but will rather deny you the “fulness of the earth” promised to those who comply with the law of the Sabbath (see D&C 59:8-16). You who make the violation of the Sabbath a habit, by your failure to “keep it holy,” are losing a soul full of joy in return for a thimble full of pleasure. You are giving too much attention to your physical desires at the expense of your spiritual health. . . .
Make this a day of prayerful, thoughtful study of the scriptures and other good books. While filled with the joy of the Sabbath, write a letter to your sweetheart or an absent loved one or a friend who may need your spiritual strength. Make your homes the places for the singing and playing of beautiful music in harmony with the spirit of the day. At evening’s close as you gather at your fireside with the family alone or with friends, discuss the precious truths of the gospel and close with the benediction of family prayer. My experience has taught me that the prompting of the conscience to a faithful Church member is the safest indicator as to that which is contrary to the spirit of worship on the Sabbath day. . . .
One who keeps the Sabbath day holy will be filled with a lasting joy far more to be desired than the fleeting pleasures derived from activities indulged in contrary to God’s commandment. . . .
That, it seems to me, is about the progressive way that men begin to fall away. They first begin to “kick against the pricks.” . . . I wonder, perhaps, if they are not those things referred to by President J. Reuben Clark Jr. as “restraints”—the restraints of the Word of Wisdom, the restraints imposed in keeping the Sabbath day holy, injunctions against card playing, the restraints imposed by following the welfare program, and so on. . . .
I remember in this connection what somebody said in classifying humankind. He said there were only three kinds of people in the world—“Saints, Ain’ts, and Complaints,” and perhaps the “Complaints” would represent those who seem to be kicking against the pricks. These are the ones who “persecute the Saints” and, finally, “fight against God.” . . .
Today the greatest enemies we have are those who, for flattery of the world, would betray the Savior by denying His prophets and making light of Church pronouncements on vital issues that strike at the very foundation of the Lord’s work. Such we have among us today—make no mistake.
Spencer W. Kimball (TPC, 168-172; see Ensign, Jan. 1982, 3, for his First Presidency message calling our attention to a statement on appropriate Sabbath and other activities for the home, from “the Brethren”)
To many, Sabbath-breaking is a matter of little moment, but to our Heavenly Father it is disobedience to one of the principal commandments. It is evidence of man’s failure to meet the individual test set for each of us before the creation of the world, “to see if they will do all thing whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” (Abraham 3:25.) . . .
The solemn command brought down from the thundering of Mount Sinai was “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” That commandment has never been rescinded nor modified. Instead, it has been reinforced in modern times. . . .
I . . . would urge upon all Saints everywhere a more strict observance of the Sabbath day. The Lord’s holy day is fast losing its sacred significance throughout the world. . . . More and more, man destroys the Sabbath’s sacred purposes in pursuit of wealth, pleasure, recreation, and the worship of false and material gods. We continue to urge all Saints and God-fearing people everywhere to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Businesses will not be open on the Sabbath if they are not patronized on that holy day. The same is true of resorts, sporting events, and recreation areas of all kinds. . . .
We have become largely a world of Sabbath breakers. . . . The Sabbath is the preferred day for rodeos, conventions, family picnics; even ball games are played on the sacred day. “Business as usual” is the slogan for many, and our holy day has become a holiday. . . .
To go into the canyons for picnics, to attend games or rodeos or races or shows or other amusements on that day is not to keep it in holy remembrance. . . .
There is no criticism of legitimate recreation—sports, picnics, plays, and motion pictures. All have potential for revitalizing life, and the Church as an organization actively sponsors such activities. But there is a proper time and place for all worthwhile things—a time for work, a time for play, a time for worship. . . .
Sometimes Sabbath observance is characterized as a matter of sacrifice and self-denial, but it is not so. It is merely a matter of shifting times and choosing seasons. There is time enough, particularly in our era of the world’s history, during the six days of the week in which to do our work and play. Much can be done to organize and encourage weekday activities, avoiding the Sabbath. . . .
The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected.
Take time . . . to be together as families to converse with one another, to study the scriptures, to visit friends, relatives, and the sick and lonely. This is also an excellent time to work on your journals and genealogy. . . .
It is a day to get rid of selfish interests and absorbing activities.
The Sabbath day is given throughout the generations of man for a perpetual covenant [see Exodus 31:16]. It is a sign between the Lord and his children forever [see Exodus 31:17]. It is a day in which to worship and to express our gratitude and appreciate to the Lord. It is a day on which to surrender every worldly interest and to praise the Lord humbly, for humility is the beginning of exaltation. It is a day not for affliction and burden but for rest and righteous enjoyment. . . .
The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory—to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord. It is a day on which to fast in “sackcloth and ashes.” It is a day on which to read good books, a day to contemplate and ponder, a day to study lessons for priesthood and auxiliary organizations, a day to nap and rest and relax, a day to visit the sick, a day to preach the gospel, a day to proselyte, a day to visit quietly with the family and get acquainted with our children, a day for proper courting, a day to do good, a day to drink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, a day to seek forgiveness of our sins, a day for the enrichment of our spirit and our soul, a day to restore us to our spiritual stature, a day to partake of the emblems of [the Lord’s] sacrifice and atonement, a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and of the eternal realms, a day to climb high on the upward path toward our Heavenly Father.
We hope . . . that either before or after your series of Sunday meetings, depending upon your particular . . . meeting schedule, you will do what the Savior asked the Nephite disciples to do: After he taught them, he asked them to go to their homes and to ponder and to pray over what was said (see 3 Ne. 17:3). Let us keep that pattern in mind.
Ezra Taft Benson (TETB, 438-441, 460-461)
The purpose of the Sabbath is for spiritual uplift, for a renewal of our covenants, for worship, for rest, for prayer. It is for the purpose of feeding the spirit, that we may keep ourselves unspotted from the world by obeying God’s command. . . .
Few, if any, subjects in the great, eternal gospel plan of the Lord have been spoken of more frequently than that of the Sabbath. Ancient prophets of God have proclaimed it, Presidents of the Church and other General Authorities have repeatedly emphasized it, lay Christians and men of goodwill throughout Christendom have spoken approvingly of its place and value in the lives of men, women, and children of all races and climes. . . .
Many—too many—have almost ceased to observe the Sabbath. Not only is it a workday now, but it is supremely a day of amusement and recreation: golf, skiing, skating, hunting, fishing, picnicking, racing, movies, theaters, ball playing, dancing, and other forms of fun-making—all are coming largely to be the rule among too many so-called Christians. Some churches are said to encourage all these, if properly conducted. But God’s law says keep the Sabbath day holy. . . .
What fits the purpose of the Sabbath? Here are a few suggestions: Activities that contribute to greater spirituality; essential Church meetings in the house of prayer; acquisition of spiritual knowledge—reading the scriptures, Church history and biographies, and the inspired words of the Brethren; resting physically, getting acquainted with the family, relating scriptural stories to children, bearing testimonies, building family unity; visiting the sick and aged shut-ins; singing the songs of Zion and listening to inspired music; paying devotions to the Most High—personal and family prayer; fasting, administrations, father’s blessings; preparing food with singleness of heart—simple meals prepared largely on Saturday. . . .
Yes, Sunday is wonderful, but how much more wonderful it might be if honored as a sacred Sabbath. . . .
We have requested priesthood leaders to minimize administrative meetings on the Sabbath so that families may engage in worship and family time. Our hope is that you will use this time to attend your meetings, render Christian service, visit family members, hold family home evenings, and study the scriptures. . . .
Remember, Sunday is the Lord’s day—a day to do His work. . . .
I believe in honoring the Sabbath day. I love a sacred Sabbath. I am grateful that as a boy I had a constant example and sound parental counsel as to the importance of keeping the Sabbath day a holy day. My memories of the Sabbath from infancy have been joyful, uplifting, and spiritually profitable, for which I am deeply grateful. . . .
I am grateful for the Sabbath day. I sometimes wonder what I would do without it. I mean that literally. A day of rest, but more than a day of rest—a day of prayer, a day of worship, a day of devotion, a day to be spiritually fed, a day to reflect on the purpose of life and the privileges, opportunities, and obligations which are ours as members of the Church. . . .
It is not possible to keep the Sabbath day holy just by resting from our labors. . . .
We need to keep the Sabbath day holy. We need to close our businesses on Sunday and as Latter-day Saints refrain from making purchases on the Sabbath. We need to refrain from going to moving pictures on the Sabbath, and if we are operating show houses, we should close them on Sunday. We should not seek pleasure in any form on the Sabbath day. We should stand firm in opposition to Sunday baseball and other amusements regardless of what much of the Christian world may do. . . .
We do not compromise principle. We do not surrender our standards regardless of current trends or pressures. As a Church, our allegiance to truth is unwavering. Speaking out against immoral or unjust actions has been the burden of prophets and disciples of God from time immemorial. It was for this very reason that many of them were persecuted. Nevertheless, it was their God-given task, as watchmen on the tower, to warn the people. . . .
Remember, my young brethren and sisters, you will never have an occasion to be embarrassed—among people of character, people who count, real men and women—because you live according to the standards, the teachings, and ideals of the Church.
Howard W. Hunter (THWH, 42, 111, 114)
We have room for the commercialism of Christmas and even pleasure-seeking on the Sabbath day, but there are times when there is not room for worship. Our thoughts are filled with other things—there is no room. . . .
A father and a mother who take their children to a movie on the Sabbath day will pay dearly for that failure to follow advice and counsel. . . . There was a time when the Sabbath was not violated among God-fearing people. We live in a [time] where those things are much forgotten. Stores are open. Things go along as usual except that employees, in most instances, have a day off for recreation.
The Sabbath day has been desecrated from the day of rest to a day of sports and recreation. We must look to the proper definition of the word “rest.” It is a day when there is cessation from labor and we give thought to those things which pertain to God. . . .
What respect is paid today to the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy? Of recent years there has been a growing trend toward using the Sabbath as a holiday, a day for sporting events, pleasure, travel, and play. This tempo of activity seems to be increasing. The admonition “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy” would appear to be largely ignored. The word of God spoken to the Israelites and graven in stone tablets has never been rescinded or modified. . . .
Are we entitled to the blessings of the Lord as a nation, communities, families, or individuals if we fail to keep his commandments? To know God, one must know his laws. To receive the blessings of God, one must keep his laws. I pray we may come to observe the Sabbath day and to keep it holy.
Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign, Nov. 1997, 69)
The Sabbath of the Lord is becoming the play day of the people. It is a day of golf and football on television, of buying and selling in our stores and markets. Are we moving to mainstream America as some observers believe? In this I fear we are. What a telling thing it is to see the parking lots of the markets filled on Sunday in communities that are predominately LDS.
Our strength for the future, our resolution to grow the Church across the world, will be weakened if we violate the will of the Lord in this important matter. He has so very clearly spoken anciently and again in modern revelation. We cannot disregard with impunity that which He has said.
Gordon B. Hinckley, James E. Faust, Thomas S. Monson (issued by approval of First Presidency-True to the Faith [2004], 146)
The Lord emphasized the importance of Sabbath observance in the Ten Commandments. . . .
In the latter days, the Lord has commanded us to continue observing the Sabbath. . . .
Because the Sabbath is a holy day, it should be reserved for worthy and holy activities. Abstaining from work and recreation is not enough. In fact, if we merely lounge about doing nothing on the Sabbath, we fail to keep the day holy. . . .
In harmony with this revelation [D&C 59:9-10], we attend sacrament meeting each week. Other Sabbath-day activities may include praying, meditating, studying the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets, writing letters to family members and friends, reading wholesome material, visiting the sick and distressed, and attending other Church meetings.
Thomas S. Monson
(Ensign, Nov. 1990, 47)
The Lord has given the Sabbath day for your benefit and has commanded you to keep it holy. Many activities are appropriate for the Sabbath. Bear in mind, however, that Sunday is not a holiday. Sunday is a holy day.
(Ensign, Nov. 1999, 19)
What lessons have we learned from our fathers? Years ago, a father asked Elder ElRay L. Christiansen what name he could suggest for his newly acquired boat. Brother Christiansen suggested, “Why not call it The Sabbath Breaker?” I’m confident the would-be sailor pondered whether his pride and joy would be a Sabbath breaker or a Sabbath keeper. Whatever his decision, it not doubt left a lasting impression upon his children.
Yet another father taught a son a never-to-be-forgotten lesson in obedience and, by example, to honor the Sabbath day. I learned of this at the funeral service of a noble General Authority, H. Verlan Andersen. A tribute was paid to him by one of his sons. It has application wherever we are and whatever we are doing. It is the example of personal experience.
The son of Elder Andersen related that years earlier he had a special school date on a Saturday night. He borrowed from his father the family car. As he obtained the car keys and was heading for the door, his father said: “The car will need more gasoline before tomorrow. Be sure to fill the tank before coming home.” . . .
In his exuberance, however, he failed to follow his father’s instruction to add fuel to the car’s tank before returning home.
Sunday morning dawned. Elder Andersen discovered the gas gauge showed empty. The son saw his father walk back into the house and put the car keys on the table. In the Andersen home, the Sabbath day was a day for worship and thanksgiving, and not for purchases.
As the funeral message continued, Elder Andersen’s son declared, “I saw my father put on his coat, bid us good-bye, and then walk the long distance to the chapel, that he might attend an early meeting.” Duty called. Truth was not held slave to expedience.
In concluding his funeral message, he said: “No son was ever taught more effectively by his father than I was on that occasion. My father not only knew the truth—he lived it.”
It is in the home that we form our attitudes, our deeply held beliefs. It is in the home that hope is fostered or destroyed.
Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries; they should also be places where God’s Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells.
Some jump to their feet to condemn the extremism of certain examples that our leading Brethren clearly feel comfortable sharing. In one such case, Elder Bednar added, “I presume that some of you might have difficulty with my last example. You may believe the young man was too judgmental or that basing an eternally important decision, even in part, upon such a supposedly minor issue is silly or fanatical. . . . I simply invite you to consider and ponder the power of being quick to observe and what was actually observed” (Ensign, Dec. 2006, 33). I’ve “been around the block” (is that the right colloquialism?), and am only more persuaded than ever that I would have made fewer mistakes had I insisted on just such well-rewarded observations. I certainly won’t find someone to do things with by attending events that I wish to have no part of.
The Sabbath is important to a host of general authorities. (See, for starters, “Church Magazine Articles” under the topic of Sabbath:
There is understandable reluctance to discuss what NOT to do on the Sabbath, so as not to abridge personal liberties, but is it not becoming obvious how to reevaluate one’s reverence toward one’s Maker? There are some fundamentals of the spirit of the law completely denied nowadays. Between 1945 and 1975 our society changed so fundamentally that one must be totally unsteeped in tradition and willing to look to another generation for their example to even discover the Sabbath’s sanctity. Our apostles are uniformly different from society in how they approach this sacred day. Witness, for instance, Elder Nelson’s statement of personal preference(The Power Within Us [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1988], 127):
Now I understand that my behavior on the Sabbath is my sign to the Lord of my regard for him and for the covenant under which I was born. If, on the one hand, my interests on the Sabbath were turned to pro football games or worldly movies, the sign from me to him would clearly be that my devotion would not favor the Lord. If, on the other hand, my Sabbath interests were focused on the Lord and his teachings, my family, or the sick, or the poor, and the needy, that sign would likewise be visible to God. Our activities on the Sabbath will be appropriate as we consider them to be our personal sign to him of our commitment to the Lord.
Elder Oaks recently spoke to the youth, strongly and at length in favor of renewed Sabbath observance. (See the last half of his talk, if you insist on passing over some other excellent remarks.)
In a final pause for thought, what has our generation forgotten? Elder Oaks referred to it in his recent talk: “We certainly have fewer rules than the Orthodox Jews, but I wonder whether we match their excellence in faithfully carrying out the positive purposes of the Sabbath day. As I have reflected on my own Sabbath practices, I believe I have been far more effective in observing the Sabbath in what I did not do than in what I did do. Along with many others, I have not been so effective in applying the teachings of the scriptures to do things that would make the Sabbath what the prophet Isaiah called ‘a delight, the holy of the Lord.’”
President Faust certainly attempted to place his finger on it: “By today’s standards, perhaps Grandfather’s interpretation of Sabbath day activities seems extreme, but something wonderful has been lost in our lives. To this day, I have been pondering to try to understand fully what has slipped away. Part of it was knowing that I was well on the Lord’s side of the line. Another part was the feeling that Satan’s influence was farther away. Mostly it was the reinforcement received by the spiritual power which was generated” (Ensign, Nov. 1991, 33).
I will close with a passage from Bishop H. David Burton, Ensign, Nov. 1998, 9:
Over and over again we have been reminded from this pulpit to fully observe the Sabbath day. If we are not keeping the Sabbath day holy, today is a wonderful time to commit to seize that opportunity, to receive the promised blessings that come from Sabbath day observance.
Many have come to feel that the terms “Sabbath day” and “play day” are synonymous. A friend who manages several small retail outlets in predominantly LDS communities tells me he can precisely tell when Sunday worship services conclude because customer counts increase dramatically. Recreation in its various forms has become “king of the Sabbath day.”
When Sister Burton and I were first married, we lived in the southeast part of the Salt Lake Valley. On occasion, as we purchased groceries from a small neighborhood store, we observed President and Sister Joseph Fielding Smith in the same store making their purchases. After several such observations, I finally mustered the courage to inquire of President Smith why it was he traveled all the way from downtown, past a dozen grocery stores, to shop at this particular store. Looking over the tops of his glasses he emphatically said: “Son! [He had my immediate attention.] Sister Smith and I patronize establishments that keep the Sabbath day holy.”
The need to reverence the Sabbath day is not new counsel. We are only being told today what prior generations have been told by the prophets of their day and reconfirmed countless times by the prophets of our day. . . .
I . . . know that remembering to keep the Sabbath day holy is one of the most important commandments we can observe in preparing us to be the recipients of the whisperings of the Spirit.
For the benefit of the incensed reader, I confess that I need to enforce with greater strictness in my own life not patronizing on Monday through Saturday those establishments which are open on Sunday. President Joseph Fielding Smith was not alone in this conviction.
Some of us who wouldn’t think of giving the Lord 7.5% for tithing are not exactly giving Him His full day. Is there anything in the foregoing passages not in agreement? Is there anything suggesting that Sunday evening should differ in tone from our meeting block? I bear solemn testimony that my life and spirit have been greatly enriched during just such times when I could easily have had my mind distracted from the sacred uses of this day. One will not be blessed in a measure above any ordinary day—and perhaps less—if not in keeping with this great commandment. Yes, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath...but is this really all that we want to give back to the Lord?
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