Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” There is one theological tradition that places heavy emphasis on keeping the Sabbath on Sunday. For more than twenty years, members of that tradition have not asked me what they should do on the Sabbath, but they have asked me whether they are forbidden to do this or that. They only ask me what they must not do. For them, the Sabbath is not a day to receive mercy and to show mercy, but a day to exhibit dedication in the form of enduring sacrifice, boredom, and inconvenience. In fact, this seems to be their view of the entire Christian life. Perhaps they do not think this way all of the time, but their faith is defective even if they think this way some of the time.

Assuming for the moment that their doctrine of the Sabbath is correct in the first place, instead of asking what you should not do on Sunday, ask what you should do. Do you teach people the word of God, to bring them close to him and to build up their faith? Do you pray for the sick, so that God may work miracles right in front of everybody? Do you exercise the power of prophecy, so that God may reveal the secrets of the heart, to comfort and encourage? Do you help the poor, the orphans and the widows, albeit as the Bible teaches, intelligently and not indiscriminately?

If you do not do these things, what good is it if you avoid reading the newspaper or shopping for groceries on Sunday? What good is it? If your church does not pray for the sick like Jesus did, why does it exist? Whose Sabbath are you honoring? What religion is this? Those who claim to revere the Sabbath the most are usually the ones who desecrate it the most. It is the easiest thing to keep the Sabbath with your body, and only for one day a week. Even many unbelievers do it. What the most vehement Sabbath pushers refuse to do, however, is to keep the Sabbath with their hearts, and to do it every day. To please God on Sunday and every day, start first with faith, mercy, and justice, not tradition or ceremony. Otherwise, you might as well do anything you want on Sunday, or any day. It makes no difference.

Jesus Christ gives us rest. Honor his sacrifice by teaching and receiving the mercy that he has obtained for us by his own blood. Enter into his covenant benefits by faith. These include fellowship with God, forgiveness of sins, holiness and integrity, knowledge of spiritual things, healing, prophecy, the miraculous manifestations of faith, the miraculous manifestations of the Spirit, material provisions and blessings, and many more.

If you use the Sabbath to complain about politics, argue about philosophy, attack the ministry of healing and prophecy, or in one way or another, to justify and promote yourself, then just forget about it. Pack it up and go home. It is not worth the time or effort. You are like the Pharisees. It would be an improvement if you would forget about church altogether and just take your kids to a fast food restaurant. Have a good time. This would be much more holy than that sacrilege you call the Sabbath.