A few weeks ago, we celebrated Easter. You probably remember it; there was hot cross buns and special church services. Good Friday is our annual remembrance of Jesus’ death and Easter Sunday is our annual celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Guess what?
But yesterday we celebrated Easter again.
In fact, we actually celebrate Easter every week.
In Christ, the Sabbath is fulfilled.
Before Jesus, Saturday was the most important day of week for God’s people. Sabbath. On the final day of the week, Israel stopped. They rested to remember: to remember God’s provision; to remember God’s Kingship; and to remember God’s promise—the promise that one day, a full Eden-like rest would be theirs again. They looked forward to the kind of rest which could only happen when they were liberated from their sins and able to enjoy the presence of God. Sabbath, the final day of the week, pointed back to the Garden and forward to a time of future rest.
And then, Jesus came onto the scene. He announced: I am bringing the rest you’ve been waiting for. I am ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ (Matthew 12:8). The Eden-Kingdom is here, in me. This announcement was proven on that first ever Easter weekend. His death brought liberation from sin and his resurrection was the dawning of a new age. In Christ, the Sabbath is fulfilled.
All four Gospel writers carefully set the scene for Jesus’ resurrection, ‘After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week’ (Matthew 28:1). Sabbath is over, it’s a new week. That new week begins the new age.
Soon after the first Easter Sunday, early Christians began celebrating Easter Sunday every week. This practice is noted in Acts, some of Paul’s writings and Revelation. Even a non-Christian source, Roman governor Pliny the Younger, records Christians meeting ‘certain day before light where they gather and sing hymns to Christ’. (Pliny, Letters 10.96-97) In combination with New Testament sources, we can probably assume this was a Sunday. Just like today, Christians in the early Church used Sunday to gather, worship God, eat together, read scripture and give to one another.
Sunday points us backward to the resurrection of Jesus. And, it points us forward to when Jesus will return
Sunday is not a ‘Christian version’ of Sabbath. Many early Christians would have celebrated Sabbath and the Lord’s Day (what a weekend!). Sabbath was to point Israel forward to God’s provision of rest. Jesus was—and is—that provision. The Lord’s Day, historically a Sunday, is a celebration of that fulfilment. Paul tells the Colossians that the Sabbath is, ‘a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ’.
And yet, the Lord’s Day does have similarities to the Sabbath. Like the Sabbath, our weekly Resurrection Sunday both points us backward and points us forward. It points us backward to the resurrection of Jesus. And, it points us forward to when Jesus will return—when we will fully enjoy what Jesus’ resurrection achieved.
Sabbath Wisdom in a Resurrection Age
Christians have been celebrating the Lord’s Day ever since that first Easter Sunday. Over time, the practice of Sabbath decreased in popularity. And yet, the word ‘Sabbath’ still gets thrown around. In fact, in our over-worked and exhausted world, rest has never been a more popular topic. Keeping Sabbath isn’t a requirement for God’s people anymore. It was a shadow of what is on offer in Christ. And so, we celebrate the day of Jesus’ resurrection instead. But, perhaps there’s room for both. As Christians, we could live with Sabbath wisdom but a Resurrection hope.
The wisdom of Sabbath is good. We are creatures who need rest. It’s healthy and proper for us to stop work. The Sabbath keeping of the Old Testament was strict to the point of inconvenience, on purpose. Every week, God’s people were reminded: I’m not master of my own time. God is. He is the one who provides. And, one day he will provide a way back to Eden—back to life-giving relationship with him. We need that reminder too.
And yet, Christians know the way back to Eden. It’s in Jesus. And so, Resurrection Sunday is the right expression of this. The Lord’s Day, celebrated on the day Jesus rose from the dead, reminds us of our hope fulfilled.
As Christians, we could live with Sabbath wisdom but a Resurrection hope.
There is freedom in how we choose to use our time. Sabbath keeping and weekly rhythms are a matter of conviction. Some Christians, especially Messianic Jews, still choose to keep the Sabbath and celebrate the Lord’s Day. Other Christians, like me, use the Lord’s Day to do both. Sunday is a day of rest for me—that’s Sabbath wisdom. And, as I meet with my church family, I celebrate the source of real rest—Jesus’ resurrection. For others, the Lord’s Day might not be all that restful. Perhaps you could find another block of time during the week and set it aside to rest. Whatever we choose to do, it’s worth remembering the purpose of these traditions.
God offers us real rest. In Christ, we find rest through restored relationship with God. When Christ returns, we will enjoy eternal Eden-like rest. Let’s use our weekly rhythms to help us remember and celebrate that. Next Sunday, I hope you have a happy Easter (again). He is risen, you can rest.
