A: Dear Mary,

Thank you for such a good question! There are several reasons that the Sabbath is so important. First of all, the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). Breaking God's commandments is sin (1 John 3:4). The Sabbath commandment begins with the word "remember," because the Sabbath was to remind us that God made us. He is our Creator. He wouldn't have created us if He didn't love us, so it reminds us of His love. He also wouldn't have created us if He didn't have a purpose for us, so it gives us a sense of purpose. The Sabbath reminds us of His creative power that He gives us to help us obey Him. Finally, the Sabbath reminds us that we need to spend time with God every 7th day so we can get to know Him better and build a strong relationship with Him.

God gave the Sabbath as a special sign between Him and His people that He is their God (Ezekiel 20:20). Keeping the Sabbath the way God commanded is the sign of our allegiance to Him. It is the sign that we love Him and want to serve Him. This is why Jesus said "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). The Sabbath is important to Jesus, so it is important to us!

Thanks for writing, and remember, there's never been a better time to share Jesus!

Your friend, Pastor Howard