How important is Sabbath day or Day of the Lord observance for Christians today

The emphasis on Sabbath rest is, as you observed, largely lost in the modern church. I have noted with delight, that D.L. Moody took a stance on the principles that would startle most churchgoers today. I would recommend this book. It's on Vyrso. 

https://vyrso.com/product/12761/the-rest-of-god 

FWIW, the Puritans had a great grasp on the importance of it.

Here is what the Catholic Church teaches about Sunday as a day of rest:

A day of grace and rest from work

2184 Just as God “rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,”¹²¹ human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord’s Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.¹²² (2172)

2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.¹²³ Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health. (2428)

The charity of truth seeks holy leisure; the necessity of charity accepts just work.¹²⁴

2186 Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life. (2447)

2187 Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees. (2289)

2188 In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church’s holy days as legal holidays. They have to give everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society. If a country’s legislation or other reasons require work on Sunday, the day should nevertheless be lived as the day of our deliverance which lets us share in this “festal gathering,” this “assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.”¹²⁵ (2105)

¹²¹Gen 2:2.

¹²² Cf. GS 67 § 3.

¹²³ Cf. CIC, can. 1247.

¹²⁴ St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 19, 19: PL 41, 647.

¹²⁵Heb 12:22–23.

 Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., pp. 527–528). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

I hope this helps.

Agape,

Steve

You can also check this one by Carson.  https://www.logos.com/product/121454/from-sabbath-to-lords-day-a-biblical-historical-and-theological-investigation  

Gregorio Billikopf said:

I tried to do a search on the Web, but got stuck with most articles focusing on whether Christians keep Saturday or Sunday as a Holy Day. That is NOT my question. Can anybody direct me to a source that has some ideas about actual percentage observance of a day of rest? Is this even preached by most churches?

You might want to cross post into the Seventh-day Adventist forum.  They worship on the Saturday Sabbath.

We currently do not have a Mormon forum.  Their football team has forfeited championship games because they were to be played on Sunday - the day of worship for them.

Someone has already posted the 'rules' of the Catholic Church on Sabbath.

Most Christians worship on Sunday.  But with Sunday Football and Sunday's with major sales events for someone from another world it would appear that most that use the name Christian are only worshiping one hour per week and not one full day per week.  

Terrence D. O'Hare has written an extensive work on this subject titled The Sabbath Complete And the Ascendancy of First Day Worship, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2011.  395 pages.

The back cover features an endorsement by Craig L. Blomberg.

I have read this volume carefully through three times. I read the manuscript before publication at the request of a mutual friend, and Dr. O'Hare (doctor in the field of dentistry) mentions me in his acknowledgements, and sent me a copy of the book when published.  He spent ten years doing the research for his book.  It is a worthwhile volume to read, and goes into the subject of the opening post question thoroughly yet from some very unique angles.  Readers will learn much about the subject they did not know before from this book.  The work is well-documented, and includes an extensive Scripture index.  Not available in the Logos library, far as I know.

I may be wrong here MJ, but my understanding is that Jeff Woodman is simply saying that any citations from these books should properly be weighed against the primary authority - the Bible (the KJV). If it is acceptable for quotations for the Roman Catholic position (or other denominations) to be cited by reference to a text, then an admonition to weigh carefully what you read against Scripture is simply being sensible. From that perspective, it is about the relative authority and regard we place in the texts important to us. This is done fairly often in the forums and it is also pleasant to sometimes hear people sharing something about their own lives along the way. Keep well Paul    

It's a different category of book, and not available on Logos, but I enjoyed it. It's a descriptive history, not a theological argument.

Sunday: A History of the First Day from Babylonia to the Super Bowl (Doubleday)