It has been reported recently that an Employment Tribunal examining the case of a Christian appealing over being compelled to work Sundays took evidence "that only some (i.e. a minority) of Christians felt obliged by faith to avoid work on Sundays." Without wishing to comment on this particular case, it does seem that not only has society at large lost its regard for the weekly Day of Rest but sadly many Christians have also abandoned this observance.

What does the Bible have to say about the Sabbath Day or Day of Rest?

The fourth Commandment reads:

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work." (Exodus 20:8-10)

But as Jesus explained, this does not exclude deeds of necessity and mercy as he demonstrated by healing on the Sabbath day.

"What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days." (Matthew 12:11,12)

The sabbath day was provided by God as a blessing to mankind.

"And he (Jesus) said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." (Mark 2:27)

The Government is intent on pushing through its plans to re-define marriage so that single-sex couples may 'marry' - not only presuming to re-define something that it has no right to do so but ignoring the wishes of the majority of respondents to its own consultation exercise. Over 500,000 signatories from the Coalition for Marriage petition were excluded from its figures (see the C4M comment)

What does the Bible have to say about marriage?

"Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave unto his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?" (Matt 19:4,5)

"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Heb 13:4)

"The body is not for fornication" (1Cor 6:13)

"To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." (1Cor 7:2)