10/01/2026
By Elder Hugo E. Martinez
Africa West Area President
“And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God” (Ezekiel 20:20).
The Sabbath Day
In Mark 2:27 we read, “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” President Russell M. Nelson has taught that this means that the Sabbath day is a gift to us from our Savior, as a day of rest from our weekday labors. It is a day to focus on Jesus Christ and His gospel.1 I have remarked many times that without the commandment to “remember the sabbath day to keep it holy,”2 Sunday would be just another day of work or of leisure for me. That line of thought would not have allowed me to obey this commandment, nor keep all covenants that I’ve entered with our Lord Jesus Christ. I now strive to receive the blessings from obedience and from service opportunities of the Sabbath day.
The Sabbath is clearly a day in which we worship, work, and serve, as our employment circumstances allow. Each one of us has different responsibilities to attend to. Healthcare workers, police, and other vital occupations may be required to work on Sundays. When I was working as a physician, I had to do shifts in the hospital on some Sundays as assigned by the department director. I would go early to the hospital to evaluate the patients admitted under my care dressed in trousers, a white shirt, and a tie. I kept a prayer in my heart and focused on the service that was needed for the attention of our patients. As soon as the work was done, I would go straight to church and meet with my family there for the remainder of the meetings that I was able to join.
I like the focus on Church attendance expressed by a member whom President Dallin H. Oaks quoted in the October 2021 general conference. He said, “Years ago, I changed my attitude about going to church. No longer do I go to church for my sake, but to think of others. I make a point of saying hello to people who sit alone, to welcome visitors, . . . to volunteer for an assignment. . . .
“In short, I go to church each week with the intent of being active, not passive, and making a positive difference in people’s lives.”3
President Spencer W. Kimball’s words were also quoted by President Oaks in that same general conference address, as follows, “we do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility. . . . If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own waiting upon the Lord.”
Happy Sabbath day ゚