In 1858 Christina Campbell and her husband settled in the frontier town of Salina, Kansas. They opened a small store and traded with the Indians for pelts and furs. Christina was in charge of the store and befriended the Indian women who traded with her. When Christina and her husband set up the store, she insisted that it be closed on Sundays, an idea that her husband dismissed because their customers did not have calendars, and would not recognize a Sunday from any other day. Nevertheless, Christina persevered. She painstakingly explained to their customers the reason for the one day out of seven closing. The Indians began to send a rider into town to ask, “Big Father’s Day, No swap?” If it was a Sunday, there was no complaint; everyone waited until Monday. (Pioneer Woman, Pg. 116 , by Joanna Straton)

“Remember the Sabbath day , to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.” (Exodus 20:8-10 ) This is the fourth of the ten commandments given to Moses too give to the ancient Hebrews. Throughout the centuries the fourth commandment has been interpreted in countless ways, but at its core is the admonition to “remember”. It continues: For in the six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11)

The message to human beings to observe and remember the seventh day is simply the message to the Hebrews that they are to be like Him, a message sent by Jesus as well. Each of god’s “commands” are doorways to His character, and as such, God looks for those who keep His words and thereby grow closer to Him. When I read the story of Christina Campbell and her simple act coming from her faith, I was reminded of god’s call to be like Him. Both the Old and the New Testaments repeat this call: “Be holy because I am holy.” ( Leviticus 11:44) even one step toward that holiness is pleasing to God, and intended to increase our joy in Him. Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. (Mark2:27)

The Sabbath is a gift to humanity from our God who desires to share His life with us. To the Indians in Kansas it was simply Big Father’s Day. For us it is family day with God.

Love in Him,

Prue