Sabbath Day

“Our observance or nonobservance of the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. It is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether our conversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to us.”
– Mark E. Petersen

“Our strength for the future, our resolution to grow the Church across the world, will be weakened if we violate the will of the Lord in this important matter. He has so very clearly spoken anciently and again in modern revelation. We cannot disregard with impunity that which He has said.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley

“I don’t believe it is possible to keep our spirituality on a high plane by spending our Sabbaths on the beach, on the golf course, in the mountains, or in our own homes reading newspapers and looking at television. When the Lord said, “And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayerm,” that is exactly what He meant. We must have spiritual food.”
– Ezra Taft Benson

“Why don’t we take the Lord seriously concerning the Sabbath day? We know that we should not trifle with sacred things and that the Sabbath is his sacred day.”
– Mark E. Petersen

“The Sabbath of the Lord is becoming the play day of the people.  It is a day of golf and football on television, of buying and selling in our stores and markets. Are we moving to mainstream America as some observers believe?  In this I fear we are.  What a telling thing it is to see the parking lots of the markets filled on Sunday in communities that are predominately LDS. Our strength for the future, our resolution to grow the Church across the world, will be weakened if we violate the will of the Lord in this important matter.  He has so very clearly spoken anciently and again in modern revelation.  We cannot disregard with impunity that which He has said.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley

“The Lord expects us to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  I can’t understand why anyone thinks that he or she has to shop on Sunday.  We have refrigerators. . . . You don’t need to buy meat on Sunday.  You don’t need to buy milk on Sunday.  None of these things.  You don’t need to buy furniture on Sunday.  You don’t need to buy automobiles on Sunday.  You don’t need to do any of these things on the Sabbath Day.  The Lord, from the time of Sinai has declared unequivocally that we should keep the Sabbath Day holy.  It is just that simple, but He has said again…that we will be blessed if we do so.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley

“May I take you back 142 years when there was, of course, no tabernacle here, nor temple, nor Temple Square. On July 24, 1847, the pioneer company of our people came into this valley. An advance group had arrived a day or two earlier. Brigham Young arrived on Saturday. The next day, Sabbath services were held both in the morning and in the afternoon. There was no hall of any kind in which to meet. I suppose that in the blistering heat of that July Sunday they sat on the tongues of their wagons and leaned against the wheels while the Brethren spoke. The season was late, and they were faced with a gargantuan and immediate task if they were to grow seed for the next season. But President Young pleaded with them not to violate the Sabbath then or in the future. Imagine how tempting it must have been for our pioneer forefathers to break the Sabbath day. Their survival depended upon the food they could grow and harvest. Yet their leaders counseled them to exercise faith in the promises of the Lord and to respect the Sabbath day. Church members are the beneficiaries of that heritage and of the promises of the Lord to those who are faithful. We must always remember who we are and that we are different from the world.”
– Spencer W. Kimball

“I mention the Sabbath day. The Sabbath of the Lord is becoming the play day of the people. It is a day of golf and football on television, of buying and selling in our stores and markets. Are we moving to mainstream America as some observers believe?  In this I fear we are. What a telling thing it is to see the parking lots of the markets filled on Sunday in communities that are predominately LDS.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley

“There is always something new to learn and feel each Sunday.”
– Gerald Causse

“We constantly talk about the worldliness of the present day and speak of the fact that our young people face more serious temptations than did those of a generation ago, and this is probably true.  Also, more parents seem to be caught up in the worldliness of today than was the case a generation ago. What can we do to protect ourselves under these hazardous circumstances? How can we better help our young people to remain unspotted from the world? The Lord gives us the answer, and says that it can be done by sincerely observing the Sabbath day.  Most people have never thought of it in this way, but note the words of the Lord in this regard: “That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world” – note these words – “that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day.”  (D&C 59:9) Think about that for a moment.  Do we really believe in God – sincerely?  Are we convinced that he knows what he is talking about?  If we are, then will we take him and his word seriously?  Or will we further trifle with divine revelation? The Lord does know what he is talking about.  Sabbath observance will help us to more fully remain unspotted from the world.  If we are serious about avoiding the contamination of worldliness, shall we not take his word at face value and believe it and practice it? We should be willing to admit that we are surrounded by nearly every form of seductive worldliness.  We should never close our eyes to this fact.”
– Mark E. Petersen