I grew up in a Methodist preacher's home. Papa was strict about the Sabbath Day. No work was allowed on Sundays. When Mama pointed out to him that cooking and cleaning were work, Papa knew he was cornered. So, he took us out to lunch on Sundays, but he felt bad about making the restaurant personnel work on the Sabbath. Papa did not like the idea of watching television on Sundays, but I noticed that he often peeped at the TV late on Sunday afternoons when his beloved Washington Redskins were playing football.

No swimming was allowed on Sundays. That was one rule I did not violate and I'll tell you why. I knew that even a good swimmer could get a cramp and drown. I could just imagine what the scene would be like if I drowned and reported to St. Peter at the gates of heaven. St. Peter would ask, "Son, what happened to you that you should be reporting to me at such a young age?" I would reply, "Sir, I was swimming today, caught a cramp, and drowned." Then St. Peter would say, "But son, today is Sunday. Surely you weren't swimming on the Sabbath, were you?" I figured that as I nodded my head shamefully, down would come the gavel of judgment. Case closed. Off to hell with you. Swimming on Sunday. Those thoughts kept me out of the water, at least not over waist deep.

The Fourth Commandment is the longest of the Ten. Whereas it required only four words to give us the sixth Commandment--thou shalt not kill--the Lord used 94 words to tell us about the Sabbath. This commandment has also been the most controversial.

The essence of the commandment is the first sentence, verse 8: "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." The word "Sabbath" ("shabbat" in Hebrew) does not mean "seven." It means to desist or to cease or to rest. The word "holy" means "different." Therefore, we could render that sentence as follows: "Remember the rest day and keep it different from the other days."

As you probably know, the Jewish Sabbath has always been from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. The Christian movement changed the Sabbath to Sunday because that was the day Jesus arose from the dead.

Across the centuries Sabbath observance among Christians has swung between two extremes. On one extreme have been the nit- picking legalists who have forgotten the purpose of the Sabbath. On the other extreme have been the secular materialists who have disregarded the Sabbath altogether.

In the first century A.D., the nit-picking Jewish legalists harassed Jesus about the Sabbath. They had listed thirty-nine types of work, with lots of sub-heads in each category, that were prohibited on the Sabbath. It required one Philadelphia lawyer or a dream team of Los Angeles lawyers just to keep up with Sabbath rules and regulations. In short, they had made the Sabbath more a burden than a blessing.

On one particular Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples were traveling down a road and were feeling a bit hungry. They picked a few ears of corn from a field to munch on as they walked. But the Jewish legalists saw them and pounced upon them. You see, harvesting crops was outlawed on the Sabbath.

Some years ago I took a group of about thirty Christians on a tour of Israel. On a Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, we happened to be near the historic Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Our guide was telling us something of the history of that wall which dates all the way back to King Solomon. I noticed a strange woman standing nearby watching us closely. I assumed she would try to sell us something when she got a chance. But just then a member of our group raised a camera to take a picture. Suddenly this woman was on him like a duck on a June bug. "No photograph allowed on the Sabbath," she shouted as she wagged a finger in his face. Suddenly I understood exactly the kind of legalism that Jesus and the disciples confronted long ago in a cornfield.

Jesus responded by taking his critics back to the original intent of the Sabbath. He said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

Today our problem with the Sabbath is not too much strictness. The pendulum has swung to the other extreme. Our society disregards the Sabbath. There are two main culprits: greed and the self-indulgence of our secular culture.

Like the other Ten Commandments, the Fourth Commandment cannot really be broken. But people can break themselves by violating it. People in America are suffering grievously and dying too early because they disregard God's wonderful gift of the Sabbath day. Therefore, let me try to declare three guiding principles which I believe are true to the letter and the spirit of Biblical instruction about the Sabbath.

FIRST, A 24-HOUR PERIOD, PREFERABLY ON SUNDAY, SHOULD BE SET ASIDE EACH WEEK FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH, REST, AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL RENEWAL.

Did you know that the actuarial experts for the insurance industry can almost predict the year in which you are going to die? That's right. They ask you a few questions...like, do you smoke? Are you overweight? What is your occupation? Are you happily married? What is your family medical history?-I think there is another question the actuaries ought to ask. It is this: do you observe a Sabbath day each week? I am convinced that Sabbath observance will add at least five years to the average life span.

One of the finest attorneys I ever knew was a member of a church I once served. His was a corporate law firm. Some of the largest companies in the Southeast were his clients. This man was so sharp that his biggest clients insisted upon his personal service; they would not accept the services of his partners and assistants. This man came to church regularly but he never really observed a Sabbath. He either went back to the office or worked on material he brought home.

I remember the first time he was in the hospital for a heart attack. Major corporate leaders telephoned him in the hospital. They would ask how he was doing. Then, thirty seconds into the conversation, they were pumping him for legal advice.

This man died in his early 50s. A well-observed Sabbath each week would have added years to his life. The eminent British physician, sir James Crichton Browne, made this observation: "We doctors, in the treatment of nervous disease, are now constantly compelled to prescribe periods of rest. Such periods are, I think, only Sundays in arrears."

A second guiding principle for the Sabbath is this: IF WE CANNOT OBSERVE SUNDAY AS SABBATH, WE SHOULD SET ASIDE ANOTHER DAY.

If we cannot is best, of course, because that's the day when the church gathers, but some people just have to work on Sundays.

Sunday is a workday for me. Therefore, I generally select Thursday as my Sabbath. Other than the fact that it's hard to find golf partners on that day, it works just fine.

Many people in the tourist industry find that Sunday mornings are the busiest times of the week. For my former congregation at Myrtle Beach, this was their least popular commandment.

Just think of all the institutions and businesses that have to be open on Sundays: hospitals, nursing homes, some drug stores, some service stations. Many large industries cannot shut down all operations one day per week; therefore, at least a skeleton crew is required on Sundays.

One of the great things about our Saturday Night Alive service is that it gives a worship opportunity to those folks for whom Sunday is a regular workday. I must issue a word of caution at this point. Don't rationalize your Sunday morning behavior. Are you really indispensable on Sunday mornings at your place of business, or is it just a question of saving a little money? Let's suppose that Sunday is a workday for you. And let's suppose that you are invited to be the guest of a good friend on the prettiest golf course in Shelby County, and the date selected is a Sunday. Would you miss work to go with him? If you can get away from work to play golf, can't you get away to worship God?

But remember, even if you worship on Sunday morning but work the rest of the day, you should find another 24-hour period to treat as a Sabbath. And you have a responsibility to see that your employees have a Sabbath too.

A third principle for the Sabbath is this: WE CHRISTIANS ARE WELL-ADVISED NOT TO IMPOSE OUR SABBATH ON OTHERS.

If a Chamber of Commerce wants to urge businesses to restrain their activities on Sundays, that's fine. But I am suspicious of blue laws that force our Sabbath observance on an unwilling population. Some argue that without blue laws, Christian business persons operate at a competitive disadvantage. My response is this: Being a Christian has always required some sacrifices. But somehow God manages to help his servants do rather well. Several years ago the business leaders of Atlanta were asked to choose their city's most respected CEO. They did not select Ted Turner or the boss of Coca Cola.

Instead, they chose a fast-food chicken magnate, Truett Cathy, the boss of Chick-fil-A. You can tell what makes Cathy tick by observing a plaque in his office which states his corporate goal: "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us; and, to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." As you know, the fast-food business is highly competitive. But don't look for Chick-fil-A restaurants to be open on Sundays. They are not. Cathy has heard all the arguments for staying open seven days a week. But he replies, with a slight grin, that his restaurants usually generate more sales in six days than others do in seven.

I know a teenager who needed a summer job desperately. He found one at a fast-food restaurant. When he was arranging his work schedule with his boss, he said, "I can work anytime but Sunday mornings. I am in church then." His boss honored that request. In fact, in a very short time, this young man had moved up to cashier. His boss commented, "As soon as I knew of this young man's attitude toward church and Sunday work, I knew he could be trusted to handle our money."

The Sabbath is a gracious gift to us from a wise, loving God. We can ignore it, but if we do, we will suffer. In my 29 years of ministry I have been with lots of folks who were dying. I have never yet heard one of them say, "I sure wish I had spent more time at the office or worked a little harder in my business." But I have heard many of them say, "I wish I had taken more long walks with my spouse"..."I wish I had flown more kites with my kids"..."I wish I had spent more time watching a little cork bob up and down in the water"..."I wish I had read more story- books to my children and grandchildren." In short, I wish I had observed a Sabbath each and every week.

That magnificent preacher from Georgia, Charles Allen, likes to tell about some American explorers who went to Africa. They employed some native guides. The first day they rushed to cover as much distance as possible. They did the same thing on the second, third, and every day. On the seventh day they noticed the guides sitting under a tree. "Come on," they shouted, "Let's go." One of the guides replied, "We no go today. We rest today to let our souls catch up with our bodies."

For that purpose, God says, "Remember the Sabbath."