This is in response to Mr. Harris’ “Happy New Week” advertisement in the Jan. 1 issue of Our Town. First, we want to commend him and the growing team of Christians from local Christian churches for the bold and, we are sure, expensive continuing Christian outreach to Silverton and beyond.
Our purpose in writing is to offer an alternative way of looking at what was presented under the title, “What is so special about Sunday?” The points were: 1. God began creation week by producing illumination. He said “Let there be light,” and there was some sort of unusual light as the sun wasn’t created until Wednesday. 2. Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday morning, and 3. The Holy Spirit fell upon the fledgling church 50 days after Pentecost, which placed it on a Sunday morning. The comment was: “What is God telling us through all this? That Sunday is a very special day.”
Yes, we agree about Sunday being a special day, however, in our opinion, there is another way of looking at the day of the week which God made special. Many references in the Bible show us that God named Saturday as His special day. For example, in Gen. 2:1-3, the Sabbath was set apart at creation. In Exodus 20: 8-11, the fourth commandment of the Decalog says to keep it holy. (Interestingly, the Spanish name for Saturday is Sabado.)
In John 14:21 God says that “he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.” In Matthew 5:17, 18 Jesus made it plain that He didn’t come to change the law but to establish it. Mark 2:27, 28 notably statest that the Sabbath was given to the human race as a memorial to all mankind. And finally, in Revelation 12:17 His remnant people at the end of time – like the faithful through the ages – will keep His law – the Ten Commandments.
Yes, we agree with Mr. Harris that Sunday is a special day, but let us not forget that the Fourth Commandment of the Decalog in Exodus 20 instructs us to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
Enid & Arthur Hands
Silverton
