23 September 2025 | St Albans, UK [Joe Philpott]
Millions of viewers were introduced to the Seventh-day Adventist understanding of the Sabbath on Sunday 14 September, as Pastor Ian Sweeney featured on a special Songs of Praise episode titled “Sabbath Rest.”
Broadcast live on BBC One and now available on iPlayer, the episode explored the meaning and value of rest in a restless world. Sweeney, Field Secretary for the Trans-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was invited as a guest to share the biblical foundation of Sabbath-keeping, and to highlight how the Sabbath remains relevant in modern life.
“It was a request that came out of the blue,” Sweeney shared, “but it is always an honour, and a daunting task, to represent the Church. I suspect that the majority audience that watches Songs of Praise is Christian and has never heard of Seventh-day Adventists.”
Reflecting on the experience of the production, he noted the creative initiative that sparked media interest: “It was the ingenuity of pastors who presented a fresh and ingenious spin on the Sabbath, utilising a sofa that caught the attention of the media.”
Though only a portion of his interview was broadcast, Pastor Sweeney said the original conversation went far deeper. “Our conversation was much longer than what was aired, which was about four minutes, but this was edited for the BBC’s timing and message focus.”
At the heart of Sweeney’s message was a desire to communicate that the Sabbath is a gift, not a burden. “The Sabbath is a wonderful gift of time that God has given for us to spend in relationship with Him,” he explained. “For those Christians who know about Adventists and think that we are legalists, I really wanted to show that our practice is born out of our love for God and wanting to spend time with Him.”
He also addressed the wider cultural need for meaningful rest. “Humans have lost the ability to rest, reflect and build relationships. Sabbath is a demonstration of where the priorities of our lives lay. Jesus gave us the Sabbath to be a time of quality relationship with Him.”
Quoting a sermon he once heard, Sweeney added: “Seventh-day Sabbath keepers are distinctly different to first-day worshippers because the Sabbath is a sign that it is God who makes them holy (Ezekiel 20:12). In other words, Sabbath-keeping is much more than worshipping on the correct day. True Sabbath keepers are holy people.”
This appearance marked a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on one of the UK’s most recognised Christian programmes. It also reflected the Church’s ongoing commitment to engage constructively with the wider public and media, sharing biblical truth with clarity, warmth and conviction.
The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
[Photo: Tor Tjeransen / Adventist Media Exchange (CC BY 4.0)].
