Article March 26, 1927 Issue

Keeping the Sabbath

VERA E. BARNDOLLAR

When students of Christian Science are called upon to teach the fourth commandment to a Sunday school class, it is not an unusual experience for them to feel at a loss as to the correct procedure to follow. Endeavoring to keep in view the spiritual lesson to be gained from this commandment, while eliminating all personal opinion, they sometimes find it difficult to answer the children's questions, such for instance as the following: How shall we keep the Sabbath? Is it wrong to participate in recreation and entertainment on Sundays? Is it wrong to work on Sundays? Both teacher and children need to have these questions answered; and the answers, after all, are not difficult to find.

When Moses gave the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, his aim was to lead them out of the depths of materiality up to spiritual heights. It is well to keep this purpose of Moses in view, as in the record of the Old Testament spiritual teaching would often seem to be confused with material ceremony. The thirty-first chapter of Exodus records that Moses received from God the following: "The children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." It is evident from this passage that the Sabbath was designated as a day for communion with God, as a sign that God's work is finished, that God's creation, manifestation, or expression is complete and perfect now.

In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 279) Mrs. Eddy states, when referring to the seven days of creation, "The six days are to find out the nothingness of matter; the seventh is the day of rest, when it is found that evil is naught and good is all." Should not all Christian Scientists therefore remember to take time to contemplate prayerfully God's infinite perfection by limiting material activities for a day and devoting the time to a realization of God's perfect creation and man's place in this creation?

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