Forget John Mark Comer — Read This Instead
Worship, Feasting, Rest, Mercy: The Christian Sabbath, Daniel Howe. Pittsburgh: Grassmarket Press, 2023. Softcover, 213 pages.
I recently read John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. This book looked promising, especially since a quick survey of its contents indicated that “Sabbath” was one of the practices he was recommending for “unhurrying your life.” However, this book is problematic in several ways, particularly in its promotion of contemplative spirituality. Moreover, when it comes to “Sabbath,” it turns out John Mark Comer isn’t really thinking about the Lord’s Day or the Fourth Commandment. Doing a little further research on him reveals that he isn’t a trustworthy author at any rate. Daniel Howe, on the other hand, is. And his book on the Christian Sabbath is a readable, reliable, and edifying approach to the same issue Comer was trying to address.
Daniel Howe is a Reformed Presbyterian (RPCNA) pastor in Rhode Island. This appears to be his first book. It’s part of The Bedrock Series from RP publisher Grassmarket Press. This series “aims to provide clear, concise books on Christian doctrine and life from a Reformed and Presbyterian perspective.” This is the second book I’ve read and reviewed in that series (the first being Nathan Eshelman’s Worthy) and so far it’s two for two.
Howe structures his book into two parts: Sabbath Why and Sabbath How. In the first part, he explains the Old Testament background to the Fourth Commandment and then ties it into what the New Testament says. One of the dangers when it comes to the Sabbath is legalism and I applaud Howe for how he connects the Sabbath with Christ and the gospel. As one might expect, the second part is the more practical section with chapters dealing with worship, feasting, rest, and mercy.
As an RP pastor, Howe is committed to the Westminster Standards and they’re mentioned several times. However, he does express some constructive criticism on the Westminster Confession. He writes, “It’s one of the finest summaries of Christian doctrine ever written. But it’s not perfect. This is my opinion, but it could use improvement in its statements on the Sabbath” (p.113). He explains the polemical background to the Confession’s “strong emphasis on what we should not do” (p.115). He wishes that it would speak more to what we should do. After all, “the Bible gives a fuller picture of how to enjoy the Sabbath. It is about rest in a full sense, including feasting” (p.115). Fair enough. Perhaps something similar could be said about our Heidelberg Catechism’s treatment of the Fourth Commandment.
There are two features I think might especially interest (potential) readers. In chapter 8 on rest, he argues for a straight-forward interpretation of the Fourth Commandment: on the Lord’s Day God calls us to rest from what we normally do. He answers four objections people bring forward against that understanding:
- The Sabbath was a law for the political nation of Israel, not the Christian church
- We don’t see the early church keeping the Lord’s Day as a day of rest
- We can rest spiritually without resting physically
- I can’t possibly do everything I need to in six days!
He then goes into the real reasons we don’t rest. What are they? Read the book and find out for yourself.
The other feature that might interest you is the appendices. The first one is on “Pastors and Sabbaticals.” He notes that even if a pastor does take a day off instead of Sunday, it’s still not the same as the Sabbath others get to enjoy. A regular sabbatical can be a way to compensate for this. The other appendix contains sample letters to employers asking for employees to be excused from Sunday work due to their Christian convictions. While these letters were written for an American context, I’m sure they can be adapted for other locales.
This is a positive, gospel-based, Reformed approach to the Lord’s Day. Howe exudes joy about this gift from God. Yes, it’s part of the Law of God, but when viewed from a Christian perspective it’s a delight, not merely a duty. This book is well-written, witty, and practical. On this subject I used to recommend Walter Chantry’s classic Call the Sabbath a Delight. But from now on it’ll be Howe’s Worship, Feasting, Rest, Mercy.
Originally published in Clarion 73.15 (November 22, 2024)
