Peace and rest are yours through Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath. Amen.

Our lessons for this morning are all about God’s Word. So in our text for today, God tells us about the importance of his holy Word: "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. {13} Six days you shall labor and do all your work, {14} but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. {15} Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)

The minister gave his Sunday morning service, as usual, but this particular Sunday, it was considerably longer than normal. Later, at the door, shaking hands with the congregation as they moved out, one man said, "Your sermon, Pastor, was simply wonderful - so invigorating and inspiring and refreshing." The minister of course, broke out in a big smile, only to hear the man say, "Why I felt like a new man ... when I woke up!"

Have you ever felt like that? Maybe you felt like the pastor droned on and on. Your eyelids were heavy and drooping. But then must have been in a different church. Surely you've never felt like that during one of my sermons. (Seeing all the smirks on your faces, I can see that I'm sadly mistaken.)

God wants you to find rest in his house of worship. Not rest for your eyes, but rest for your souls.

Coming to church for worship is a very important part of our lives as Christians. And God says that it should be. This morning we go with God to church for a time of rest. Why? Because God says so and because it is for our own good.

The setting of our text is Moses repeating God's laws to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. He reminds them that God says, "Observe the Sabbath day." The word "Sabbath" literally means "rest."

God had rested on the seventh day of creation -- not because he was worn out from a long week of creating the universe, but because he wanted to institute a day of rest and worship for his creation. Notice that this rest was for everyone and everything. "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do."

God didn't rest because he was tired or needed a break, but he knew we get tired and need a rest. We would work and keep ourselves busy every moment of our lives, if God didn't tell us to rest. If you don't believe me, just think of the 24-hour Super Wal-Mart, how your employer has you working evenings or weekends, or how you work overtime any chance you get. It can even be as simple as you having the TV or radio on, just so background noise is there or how you always have to be doing something, always busy. God knows that if we were left to ourselves, we would wear ourselves down and eventually forget about him.

Do you ever work so hard that you need a rest? I know you do. You are hard working people. But how and when do you take that well-deserved rest? By coming to church or skipping church?

Do you ever play "hooky" from church? There have been many times when I have called up one of you and in the course of the conversation I've mentioned that I missed you on Sunday. And you will say, "Pastor, I just had a really hard week at work. My whole family was tired and so we just stayed home. We played hooky from church." I can't believe that people actually tell me that they didn't have a good reason for not being in God's house to worship him.

Now, I may be able to understand you being tired and worn out and wanting some rest. But does God understand? He's the one that you have to appease, not me. I don't mean anything. Is your excuse valid before God's throne? "God, I was just too tired to give you the worship you deserve." "I was just too worn out to receive comfort and strength from your Lord's Supper." "I just needed some "family time" even though it’s probably more important to be with your holy family."

Now you might want to argue, "Well, I can worship God at home or while I'm on vacation." Sure you can. And I hope you do. But when you say that you are worshipping God at home or on the fishing boat or on the golf course, are you really worshipping him? Do you partake of Holy Communion? Do you sing hymns or give praise in your prayers (and not just ask for stuff)? Do you take a portion of Scripture and dig out the truths and apply them to your life like in a sermon or Bible study?

When you aren't in God's house, you aren't cheating me or the church. You are cheating God. When you don't make worship a priority you make God just one more item on your to-do list, like washing the dishes or mowing the lawn.

So am I saying that you "have to" come to church for a Sabbath rest on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday evening. No. You don't have to. But you "get to". Worship isn't an obligation. It is a privilege. It is an opportunity. It is rest. And why do you need this rest? Because God says you do. "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you." Not a request. A command.

I believe that all God’s asks from us in his Third Commandment is that we apply the same standards of faithfulness to our church activities that we would in other areas of our life. That doesn’t seem too much to ask…. If your car started one out of three times, would you consider it faithful? If your refrigerator quit work for a day every now and then, would you consider it faithful? If you miss a couple of mortgage payments in a year's time would your mortgage holder say "10 out 12 ain't bad"? So, are you faithful in your Sabbath day rest?

According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity. Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bows implies."

The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it."

Often, we think that we can go on vacations to find rest, but often we return exhausted physically, emotionally and financially spent because God was put on hold until we returned. When God is not included, our spiritual life is not energized. Our life suffers disorder. If you want your marriage to be renewed, your vacation to serve as refreshment, and your life re-energized, then put your hope in the LORD and he will renew your strength. He will give you true rest and relaxation. You will be at your best for the Lord if you have taken time with the Lord to loosen the bow.

I visit a lot of different people in our area and find them to be "church shopping." They want to know what they can get out of church. Churches have become one more consumer commodity. Worship services are not a place for us to serve God and neighbor but a place where people expect to purchase the best: Inspiring worship, good music, moving sermons, quality child care. As if we buy God and not vice versa.

The worship service should be meaningful, the sermon should be relevant, the songs should be able to speak to the heart. But you need to understand the worship service really isn't for you. It is for God. It is an opportunity for you to give God the praise and glory he deserves. God is the Lord of the Sabbath.

Why does God deserve our worship and praise? "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."

Moses is telling the God's people who are about to enter the Promised Land: "Keep this commandment because you remember the Lord's grace. Remember what you were in your childhood – slaves. Remember who brought you out of slavery -- the Lord, who never changes his love for man and is faithful to all his promises. Remember the power he displayed and on your behalf to deliver you – a hand and an arm so strong that his enemies could not budge against him." The grace of that powerful Lord God would motivate Israel to observe his Sabbath in worshipful rest.

The same is true for us. We need to remember who we once were – slaves to sin, hopelessly lost. We recall again and again in grateful faith how our Lord delivered us from sin and death by a mighty blow to Satan with his arms outstretched on the cross. Our ever-living, risen Lord invites us to partake of the spiritual rest which he alone gives.

One man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had. "I don't get it," he said. "Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did." "But you didn't notice," said the winning woodsman, "that I was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest."

How about you? Are you too busy to sharpen your ax? Worshipping God, prayer, his Word and sacraments are the hone that gives you the sharp edge. Without them, the more work you do, the duller you'll get. (And some of us can be pretty dull.) We need to take time to stay sharp as we go about the work of Christ's kingdom!

In spite of our sin, our lack of worship, our apathy towards Sunday mornings, still God invites us to find spiritual rest with him. "For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his." (Hebrews 4:10) He promises this earthly rest will lead to eternal rest. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." (Revelation 14:13) Rest and relaxation can be found in a good book, away from the kids, on the lake or on the golf course. Those are nice, but true rest, lasting rest, meaningful, deep, calming rest is found in Jesus Christ. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

We want to be excited about our Sabbath day of worship. Just as excited as you would be to go to Lambeau Field for Packers training camp. You want to be excited to come to church. Maybe having a WWJD pennent, a foam finger that says, "Jesus is #1, a foam halo and body paint on your belly that says, "Go God!" Well, that might be a little over the top, but that is the kind of unbridled enthusiasm God wants from us.

When we don't worship, when we don't rest, then we are cheating both God and us. The Sabbath rest in worship is really meant for both of us. It is rest for us and glory for God. Amen.

To God be the glory. Amen.