The Lord's Day and the Consummation of Salvation History
When the Lord delivered his Law on Mt. Sinai, he called the people to remember the Sabbath (which they were already observing, Ex. 16:30) in memorial of God’s work of creation (Ex. 20:8-11). Forty years later when Moses delivered the Ten Commandments a second time on the eastern bank of the Jordan, Yahweh commanded the people to observe the Sabbath as a memorial of their deliverance from Egypt (Deut. 5:12-15).
As redemptive history progresses, the mighty acts of God which are to be remembered and memorialized accumulate. The history of providence which we celebrate grows. The Psalms of the OT speak of creation, exodus, sustenance in the wilderness, and God’s victory over Israel’s foes. The hymns of Heaven recorded in the Revelation speak of salvation accomplished and the final vengeance on the persecutors of God’s people. Throughout the history of the covenant, God’s people sang new songs when God intervened in mighty ways, so it is appropriate that the Church also sings new songs, not setting aside the former songs of Messiah Jesus, but building upon them as we sing with joy of redeemed people, filled by the Spirit of God.
The Sabbath was originally observed by the covenant community on the seventh day of the week, but after the resurrection of Christ, the Church universally embraced its commemoration on the first day. This was the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10), the day of Christ’s resurrection and appearances, the day on which the Church would gather to worship until the return of the King (Acts 20:7; 1Cor. 16:2). If you pay attention to the Sabbath law as codified in Exodus and Deuteronomy, you will notice that it is not Saturday but every seventh day. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh is the Sabbath of Yahweh your God.
The first day of the week fits into this pattern. The Sabbath sanctifies one day in seven for rest and the commemoration of God’s mighty acts: creation, exodus, and the greater exodus of Christ’s death and resurrection. The Jews worked all week in view of the Sabbath that lay ahead of them, a reminder of the promise of a Savior who was yet to come. Christians begin their week with Sabbath and then go to their work with the strength and joy of a promise fulfilled and a rest that is already theirs in God’s Son.
The Lord’s Day is not merely about one historical moment or act of God but is the commemoration of the cumulative work of God in saving his people. The resurrection of Jesus is the climax of deliverance, the fulfillment of the promises, types, symbols, and rituals that had communicated grace to God’s people for millennia. On the Lord’s Day God’s people rest and they rejoice. They rest from their sin and the vanity of toil and mere existence. They rejoice in forgiveness, consecration, and the transformation of their lives and labors from vanity to victory.
The Lord’s Day is a weekly reminder that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It carries us from creation to consummation, from glory to eschatological glory. It is the memorial of God’s mighty acts, so it is fitting that on that day the Church partakes of the memorial of Christ’s sacrifice, the ultimate act of deliverance toward which all prior grace pointed. We are not here merely to survive but to thrive in God’s love, strength, and joy. We are not called to vanity but to victory in Christ who is King of all kings and Lord of all lords. We are citizens of the kingdom that comes down from Heaven and before which all kingdoms of this world will fall. We are priest-kings of the new creation. In Christ all things have been made, including our peace, joy, and power to live holy lives in this world.