Reclaiming the Lord’s Day: Rest, Reverence, and the Soul of a Nation

By Chaz Evanson, Candidate for Governor of Colorado

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NASB)

In an age of constant motion and nonstop demands, we’ve lost something vital, not just spiritually, but culturally. We’ve lost our rhythm. We’ve lost our reverence. And in many ways, we’ve lost our rest.

Scripture teaches that God gave the seventh day, the Sabbath, as a day of rest (Exodus 20:8–11), set apart from labor. For Israel, the Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day, commanded by God as a holy day. As Christians, we gather and worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, not as a replacement Sabbath, but in celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is rightly called the Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10).

While the Sabbath reminds us of God’s creation and covenant, the Lord’s Day reminds us of His new creation and eternal redemption. And in a culture that celebrates self-reliance, idolizes productivity, and forgets its Maker, honoring the Lord’s Day, setting it apart for worship, family, and spiritual renewal, is a deeply countercultural act.

Rest Is Not Weakness. Reverence Is Not Optional. We were not made to live at full throttle 24/7. God gave us a pattern of work and rest not because He was tired, but because we are. Even Jesus, who fulfilled the Law perfectly, still withdrew to quiet places to pray, to reflect, to commune with the Father.

To keep pressing through Sundays without worship, without quiet, without reverence, is to declare that we have no need of God. It is to burn the candle at both ends and wonder why the light goes out. We must ask: What is the cost of a culture that never stops?

“If you turn your foot from doing your pleasure on My holy day… and call the Sabbath a delight… then you shall delight yourself in the Lord.” Isaiah 58:13–14 (NKJV)

This promise was given to Israel, but the principle holds: when we honor God’s order, He blesses our lives. We don’t earn salvation through resting. But we do reflect His design when we trust Him enough to slow down.

Tocqueville Saw the Power of the Pulpit and the Pause. When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America in the early 1800s, he was struck not just by our political system, but by our moral core. He wrote: “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.”

He observed that in towns across the young Republic, churches were full on Sundays. The local pastor was often the moral center of the community. Sunday was set apart, not by government mandate, but by the conviction of the people. He saw what we have forgotten: that liberty is not sustained by law alone, but by a people who honor God, worship together, and pass moral truth to the next generation.

The Lord’s Day Is Not Just a Tradition, It’s a Testimony. In today’s world, giving your Sunday to the Lord is radical. It testifies that you believe in something eternal. It teaches your children that God comes first. It shows your neighbors that your joy and identity are not rooted in entertainment, errands, or endless busyness, but in Christ.

As a man of faith, a husband, a veteran, and a candidate for governor, I believe that any hope of restoring our state begins in the heart, and the heart is renewed in worship. I do not believe the Christian is under Sabbath law, but I do believe every believer is called to honor the Lord’s Day, not out of legalism, but out of love. Not for obligation, but for joy. And I believe that as we return our Sundays to the Lord, we just might begin to heal our land.

Reclaim the Rhythm. Reclaim the Lord’s Day. Reclaim the Soul of the State. If we want peace in our homes, we need reverence in our hearts. If we want revival in Colorado, we need reformation in the church. And if we want to protect liberty for our children, we need to remember that rest is a gift, and worship is a weapon against idolatry.

This weekend, I invite you: gather with the saints. Put down the devices. Open the Word. Rejoice in the resurrection. Make the Lord’s Day holy in your home. Because when we give God the first day of the week, He transforms the rest.

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…” Revelation 1:10