Bless and Hallow the Sabbath

Worship God as a family

John H. Groberg was a remarkable man. If you have seen the film, The Other Side of Heaven, with Anne Hathaway, you know who he is.  He is the main character of that film, which was based on real-life experiences he had as an LDS missionary to Tonga following the Korean War.

John H. Groberg of the First Quorum of the Seventy, 1984

As a General Authority of the LDS church, speaking as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, he once stated, "The injunction from God to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus. 20:8) has been in force throughout human history. There is power in keeping the Sabbath day holy. I testify that God lives, that we are his children, that he loves us, and that he gives us commandments so he can bless us as we keep them and thereby have joy. As we keep the Sabbath day holy he will bless us, and we will achieve a quiet power for good as individuals, as families, and as nations, that we cannot obtain in any other way."

From The Power of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, October, 1984

Learn about God and his Son Jesus Christ in Sunday School

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once stated that Sabbath observance is an eternal principle, and he noted five occurrences in the scriptures when observance of the Sabbath day was required by the Lord:

“From the day of Adam to the Exodus from Egypt, the Sabbath commemorated the fact that Christ rested from his creative labors on the 7th day (Exodus. 20:8–11).”

“From the Exodus to the day of [Christ’s] resurrection, the Sabbath commemorated the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:12–15).”

“From the days of the early apostles to the present, the Sabbath has been the first day of the week, theLord’s Day, in commemoration of the fact that Christ came forth from the grave on Sunday (Acts 20:7).”

Enjoy worshipping at home as a family

“The Latter-day Saints keep the first day of the week as their Sabbath … because the Lord so commanded them by direct revelation (D&C 59).” This revelation was given on Sunday, 7 August 1831.

“Sabbath observance was a sign between ancient Israel and their God whereby the chosen people might be known (Neh. 13:15–22; Isa. 56:1–8; Jer. 17:19–27; Ezek. 46:1–7)” (Mormon Doctrine, 658).

Have Family Prayer

"Much of the sorrow and distress that is afflicting and will continue to afflict mankind is traceable to the fact that they have ignored his [God's] admonition to keep the Sabbath Day Holy."

-President George Albert Smith

The Prophet Moses

In an article published in February of 2000, Elder Earl C. Tingey, of the Presidency of the Seventy, quoted from the Old Testament injunction given to Moses:

“Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;“Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.“And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.“And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. …“For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you” (Lev. 26:2–6, 9).

Elder Earl C. Tingey

He continues:

We can relate to the promises of the Lord in this modern-day world. Do we not need today, just as the Israelites did in the Old Testament, to have the land yield her increase and the trees of the field yield their fruit? Do we not also need to have rain in due season and peace in the land and to be able to lie down and not be afraid and to not have the sword or wars go through our land? Do we not also want the Lord to have respect for us and help us be fruitful and multiply and establish His covenant with us? All of these promises apply to us today.

Partaking of the Lord's Supper on the Sabbath

Elder Tingey concludes with the following statement:

I bear witness that observing the Sabbath day is a commandment of the Lord and that the Lord is very displeased when we do not honor His day. If we as a people, and each of us as an individual, will follow the counsel of the prophets, we will truly be unspotted, that is, in the world but not of the world, and we will be blessed.

The Good Shepherd

Elder Tingey's statement: "Do we not also need to have rain in due season and peace in the land and to be able to lie down and not be afraid and to not have the sword or wars go through our land?" really touched my heart.

We could sure use some rain right now, and also some peace in our land.

Let us each prove the Lord, put him to the test - and commit to keeping the Sabbath the way the Lord would have us keep it.