The Lord’s Day - Part 2: Practice (Audio only)

In the previous episode, Pastors Zac and Brandon discussed the doctrine of the Sabbath, examining Sabbath from Genesis to Revelation. In this episode, they turn their attention to the practical ways in which the Lord's Day is observed by believers in the New Covenant. They also speak into a debate between the Continental Reformed and the Puritan tradition. For example, in Isaiah 58:13, God speaks against "doing your own pleasure." Does this mean that we ought to abstain from our "works, words, and thoughts about [...] worldly employments and recreations" (WCF 21.8), or is Isaiah 58:13 speaking against  "a hypocritical religious ritual [i.e., formalism] on the Sabbath that is used as a cloak to cover the pursuit of one’s selfish and sinful agenda"? Regarding this intramural debate, R.C. Sproul, siding with the Continental tradition, wrote: 

“We find a division among Reformed theologians on how the Sabbath day is to be observed. Both the Continental believers and the Puritans believed that the seventh day was to be observed, but they differed as to how it was to be observed. They agreed that Christians are required to worship on the Sabbath day, which is set apart in the New Testament as the day when the people of God come together. We are not to neglect the assembling together of the saints on the Lord's Day (Heb. 10:24-25). Christians should be prepared to [according to the Puritans] "observe an holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations." Here is the chief and principal point of difference between the Continental view of the Sabbath and the Puritan view of the Sabbath. It was the Puritan view that won out in the Westminster Confession. The Puritans believed that the Sabbath day was to be taken up in worship, in the study of the things of God, and in doing errands of mercy. It was not to include things like going  on picnics, playing badminton, swimming, or any of the recreational activities that are commonplace on the Sabbath day in our culture. The Continentals believed that though the Sabbath day should indeed be given principal to worship, there still was an opportunity for restful recreation. The whole idea of recreation was that the body was re-created by having rest and fellowship on the Sabbath day... To see how these views collided, imagine the consternation of John Knox, who was expelled from England during the reign of Bloody Mary and first sought refuge in Germany and finally went to Calvin's Geneva. Knox was shocked when he arrived in Geneva and found Calvin, with his family, lawn bowling on the Sabbath day. Calvin took the Continental view, while Knox took the Puritan view…. Both the Continental and the Puritan views on the Sabbath are tolerated within the Reformed community. Each takes a strong view of the central importance of worship and delighting in the things of God... The prophets weren't revolutionaries; they were reformers. They didn't come to change the law of Israel... The function of the prophets wasn't to add new burdens but to call the people back to the original terms. That is why it is unlikely that Isaiah [c.f., Isa. 58:13] was adding new regulations regarding the celebration of the Sabbath Day... The Puritans misunderstood the word 'pleasure.' The Israelites knew God's law, but they were violating it commercially.... It really had nothing to do with recreation; it had to do chiefly with commerce" (pp.485-491)

For more information, see: 

Heidelberg Catechism Q.103

The Lord's Day: Sabbath Worship and Rest by W. Robert Godfrey 

The Best Day of the Week: Why We Love the Lord's Day by William Boekenstein