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, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

- Exodus 20:8-11

Keep the Sabbath Day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

Six days thou shalt 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, thou, nor thy son, nor hy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidserant may rest as well as thou.

And remember that thou last a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence though a mighty hand and by stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day.

- Deuteronomy 5:12-15

• The Epistles of Ignatius, a friend of the Apostle John, (107 A.D.) - "Let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day as a festival, the resurrection day, the queen and chief of all days. Those who were concerned with old things have come to newness of confidence, no longer keeping Sabbaths, but living according to the Lord's Day, on which our life as risen again through Him depends."

• The Apostolic Constitutions (approximately 150 A.D.) - "On the day of the resurrection of the Lord, that is, the Lord's Day, assemble yourselves together without fail, giving thanks to God and praising Him for those mercies God has bestowed upon you through Christ."

• The writings of Justin Martyr (145 A.D.) - "But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day of the week and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day arose from the dead."

• The writings of Irenaeus (approximately 195 A.D.) - "The mystery of the Lord's resurrection may not be celebrated on any other day than the Lord's Day."

For these eight reasons from Scripture and church history, we celebrate our special weekly worship day on the first, rather than the last day of each week.

After examining the previously stated reasons for observing the Christian Sabbath on Sunday, Evelyn asked her minister, "But don't the ten commandments require that we observe the seventh day of each week, to keep it holy?"

"No," he replied, "the ten commandments do not require us to observe the seventh day of the week, but to labor for six days and to rest the seventh. We must obey this weekly cycle - work six days and rest the seventh. Let me illustrate this principle with an example."

Her minister placed seven books on a table. "Take six in a row," he stated, "but give me the seventh."

Evelyn did as she was instructed.

"Now do it again," he said, "but this time start with a different book."

Evelyn again did as she was told.