As I Keep the Sabbath Day
#1035 Hymns—For Home and ChurchLyrics
The Story Behind “As I Keep the Sabbath Day”
Written by a young father of four kids under six, for whom Sundays were anything but restful — after a conference talk reframed the Sabbath as a delight.
When Sundays Are Hard
In 2015, Nathan Howe — a Colorado music teacher and composer — and his wife were parenting four children under the age of six. Sabbath worship, and sacrament meeting especially, was often less a rest than a wrestle. That April, President Russell M. Nelson gave a general conference talk called 'The Sabbath Is a Delight,' reframing the day not as a list of rules but as a sign of love for God.
The talk landed. Howe — whose sacred music had already earned recognition in the Church's annual submission program — wrote this song that same year, distilling the idea for the very children who made his own Sundays chaotic: keeping the Sabbath is something you give, not something you endure.
The Spirit over the Checklist
Howe's conviction, quoted in the Church's hymn resource, is that the spirit of our Sabbath approach 'matters more than any checklist of approved activities.' The song's verses show what that looks like at a child's scale — resting, renewing covenants at the sacrament, giving thanks, drawing near to the Savior.
A version appeared in the Friend magazine in 2017 under the title 'The Sabbath Day,' its lyrics adapted for the youngest readers — one reason the hymnbook credit carries an 'alt.'
Into the Hymnbook
'As I Keep the Sabbath Day' was released June 12, 2025, as hymn #1035 in the fourth batch of Hymns—For Home and Church.
It joins a line of scripture running from Sinai to the Doctrine and Covenants: the Sabbath as a gift and a sign — 'a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable.'
Did You Know?
- Composer Nathan Howe wrote it as a young father of four children under six — for whom Sundays were anything but restful.
- It was sparked by President Nelson's April 2015 conference talk 'The Sabbath Is a Delight.'
- A children's version ran in the Friend magazine in 2017 as 'The Sabbath Day.'
- Howe is a Colorado public school music teacher who served a mission in Sydney, Australia.
- His conviction, quoted by the Church: the spirit of our Sabbath 'matters more than any checklist of approved activities.'
Scripture Connections
- Isaiah 58:13–14 — 'Call the sabbath a delight' — the verse behind both the talk and the song.
- Exodus 31:16–17 — The Sabbath as 'a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever.'
- Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–12 — The latter-day Sabbath commandment — rest, worship, and offering our devotions.
Talk About It
Questions to spark a conversation with your family or Primary class:
- What is one thing that makes Sunday feel different — and better — than other days at your house?
- President Nelson taught the Sabbath is a sign of our love for God. What could you give Him this Sunday?
- The songwriter's Sundays were noisy and hard with little kids. Can a chaotic Sunday still be a holy one?
- What's the difference between keeping the Sabbath because of rules and keeping it because of love?
Teaching Resources
Attribution
Music by: Nathan P. Howe, 2015 | BALSAM
Text by: Nathan P. Howe, 2015; alt.
Audio files from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints