From NFL games and our children’s sporting events to yard work and homework, we are inundated with temptations to do many other things than worship corporately. Going to church might sound like a small thing to some, but our keeping of the Sabbath by gathering with the church on Sunday is a testimony to the world that needs to be heard. When we do not forsake the assembly but call the Sabbath a delight (Heb. 10:25), we testify to various realities.

In the United States, we have twenty-one federal and other holidays each year. This does not include religious and cultural holidays such as Christmas, Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, and Mardi Gras. There are also those modern special days that range from World Autism Awareness Day to Talk like a Pirate Day. We go out of our way to create special days that hold significance for our communities. Such days may be marked by joy or mourning, spiritual services or raucous parties, education or celebration.

And yet Christians, despite the significance of their most holy day, given to them by the Lord, often treat it as a good option so long as there isn’t anything better going on that day. We have called this weekly holy day the Lord’s Day since the first century when Jesus rose from the dead. But as Keith Green sang: “Jesus rose from the grave. And you! You can’t even get out of bed!”

The significance of the Lord’s Day cannot be overstated. Each Sunday, the church gathers in local assemblies to celebrate and proclaim Jesus’ resurrection, His victory over death, and the salvation He accomplished for all who believe. It’s a day that demonstrates the unity and diversity of the people of God as we gather to confess with one voice our one Lord, our one faith, our one baptism, and our share in one Spirit.

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