Sabbath Observance

[carlgobelman]

OK, in the recent thread regarding the Sabbath that is getting to the point of , I would like to know more about this subject. I know what the confession(s) say, and the hot topic seems to be regarding recreation. I will do my own research on this subject, but what I'd like to know from you all is how do YOU (emphasis on the "YOU" in case the bold, italic, underlined word didn't give it away) observe the Sabbath?

I don't want this thread to turn into a "how you think others should observe the Sabbath," and I don't want to know what you don't do on the Sabbath; but I am really interested in how others seek to satisfy this:

This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their wordly employments and recreations, but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy. (WCF 21.8)

Thank you!

 

[Tripel]

We attend public worship and other church events
We plan ahead so we don't have to do things like go to the store or get gas
We eat our meals together and enjoy each other's company
We abstain from work, be it career or work around the house
We physically rest (naps for the kids and occassionally for the parents)
Sometimes we will watch football or something else on TV while the kids nap
After the naps (and weather permitting), we all take a walk (dog included) or we play in the backyard with the kids

 

[jfschultz]

We attend public worship and other church events
We plan ahead so we don't have to do things like go to the store or get gas
We eat our meals together and enjoy each other's company
We abstain from work, be it career or work around the house
We physically rest (naps for the kids and occassionally for the parents)
Sometimes we will watch football or something else on TV while the kids nap
After the naps (and weather permitting), we all take a walk (dog included) or we play in the backyard with the kids

I am similar to Daniel (and fellow RRPCer), except, my wife and I physically rest (we are empty nesters). And except sometimes for news and weather the TV stays off.

 

[ColdSilverMoon]

My wife and I generally observe the Lord's Day in the following ways:

1. Go to worship services and/or other church-related events.
2. Relax at home and read.
3. If the weather is nice (and it rarely is these days), we might go for a walk.
4. I watch a few minutes of football here and there, especially the Sunday night game, but generally don't watch much TV on Sunday.
5. Get on the PB.
6. As a physician, I often work on Sunday out of necessity.
7. Often get together with friends after church for lunch and/or a walk.
8. Sleep.

 

[Scynne]

I stand around outside grocery stores with a sword, looking menacingly at all who enter...

*ahem*
But actually:
1) Wake up.
2) Read the Word
3) Breakfast
4) Worship
5)Go home, eat lunch and read something edifying OR eat lunch with a family from church
6) I try to avoid it, but often have a nap, as I tend to nod off in the evening service if I don't. I work graveyards, and being awake at the same time the sun is is downright hard.
7) Evening worship
8) Read a bit more?
9) Crash in cozy bed

 

[Montanablue]

I:

- run errands beforehand so I"m not stuck having to go to the store or get gas
- refrain from doing housework
- go to Sunday School and church in the morning
- often stay after church for a fellowship meal or am invited to a family's house for a meal
- If I go home, I make myself a nice lunch - often try a new recipe - and often eat with my roommate (who is not a Christian)
- spend the afternoon reading, latchhooking, talking a walk, watching a movie, or fellowshipping with friends
- usually go to church in the evening - during the winter, if its snowing, I don't. Too dangerous.
- spend my time before bed with cup of tea and doing something with my roommate - often watching a show or chatting.

 

[Matthew1034]

I shall preface my reply with this thought I posted in the other thread:

Resting from physical work is ineffectual if you haven't first found rest in Christ from your works and wickedness. Salvation gives us this rest unendingly, and the Sabbath points us to this. We have died to ourselves and walk in newness of life towards God: By his grace we are given the nature to apprehend the pleasure found in him and the ability to practice the first commandment unceasingly: We do our pleasure on the Lord's Day the same as on every other day of the week.

Is there a blessing in resting from our physical labor on the seventh day? Absolutely. Is this the entire scope of the Sabbath (and the blessings and cursings regarding it)? Certainly not.

Thus, the Lord's Day presents a consistently peculiar day in so much that I have the opportunity to:

1) Benefit the Body with the gifts and talents God has given me. Leading people in the study of God's Word on Sunday morning, helping to orient their hearts towards the Lord's cross and resurrection and preparing them for the formal, corporate worship service, wherein we together sing praises to the Lord, hear the public proclamation of the word, and perhaps partake of the elements. It is pleasing to the Lord, and a pleasure unique to this day, that I may bless and be blessed in the capacity which the Lord has graciously provided.

2) Genuinely relax from my school work, papers, and reading assignments. The heft of "labor" at this point in my life is in the academic realm. Per the will of God, I am a full-time student and am able to serve God during the week by responsibly managing my workload. There is a minimum amount of reading I must do per week to stay on schedule for the semester. Thus, when Sunday comes, I truly have something to rest from -- it is a real reminder of the Lord resting from his works -- both in creation and redemption.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

For what it's worth: http://www.hopeofchrist.net/2009/06/Jesus-lord-of-the-sabbath-luke-61-11/

May help some understand how resting in the Lord is to be a delight.

 

[Scott1]

We certainly are not perfect in keeping in the fourth commandment.


ADVANCE PREPARATION

1) Saturday night, consciously try to have all routine errands run (return phone calls, groceries, gas, ATM, etc.) so the day is not distracted. I try to "settle" any urgent business.

2) Prepare meals in advance so that preparation focus is minimized. (Trying to do this has really improved my cooking skills, saves money, and gives us an extra 30 minutes to enjoy at home every Lord's Day, compared to eating out after church).

3) Pray before bed for grace to prepare for the sabbath, and to begin by a good night's rest.


REST AND WORSHIP

1) Begin Lord's Day early with personal quiet time (at least 25 minutes)- Bible reading, meditation and prayer.

2) Regularly, pray for grace to keep the sabbath, and pray for others struggling to do the same- that they may be obedient and know blessing that comes from obedience.

3) Prepare a simple, healthy breakfast so my wife does not have to. Set dishes aside to minimize cleanup work.

4) Go early to Sunday School

5) Church worship

6) Linger in fellowship after church.

7) Ask for grace and try to encourage, greet and exhort people met at and around church activities- especially needy people, new or unfamiliar people.

8) Meal at home, sometimes timer heated in oven heated while away at church. Not a fancy meal, but a good meal. Set dishes aside for later cleanup.

Presently, we are looking toward occasionally inviting people to our home for a quiet meal after church with us, especially those who are lonely, needy or new.

9) Short prayer time for needs encountered, especially that day at church or Sunday School.

10) Nap or quiet time.

11) Family Bible reading and short prayer time, about one hour. Ordinarily, I, as head of household read one chapter and we discuss, without study aids. We invite guests to participate if they are in our home.

12) Simple evening meal at home.

13) Occasionally, afternoon or right after dinner, sing a few hymns. (would like to figure out how to work the "Psalter" too)

14) Early evening small group, class, or quiet reading time at home.

15) Around sundown, computer (maybe Puritan Board).


WHAT WE ORDINARILY, BY GOD'S GRACE, DO NOT DO

Television, ordinary computer exchanges (news, email, video games, etc.), phone calls, recreation (e.g. picnics, pleasure walks, etc.)


THINGS I'M NOT SURE OF

Ending sabbath day at sundown

How to best transition from sabbath sundown back to "ordinary"



The Lord's Day is my favorite day of the week, and I look forward to it. We try to keep it when we travel, and when we have guests.

Isaiah 58

13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

 

[MarieP]

1. Prepare the night before, optimally starting at 9:30ish and going to bed around 11:30. I pray, sing hymns, read my Bible.
2. Wake up, get ready for church (if I take a shower, I sing hymns in the shower- which I do other days too- I've also been known to pray in the shower too!)
3. Sing some hymns, pray, read my Bible (generally the text for that morning).
4. Converse with my generous and wise-beyond-his-years brother in Christ on the way to church
5. Sunday School (or teach the 2-year-olds SS)
6. fellowship, eat the best banana chocolate chip muffins in the world and hard boiled eggs
7. morning worship- read and sing a Psalm, sing hymns, hear a chapter from the NT, pray, sing another hymn, sermon, baptism if there is one (praying for more!!)
8. I usually stay at the church for lunch, or I will go to someone's house- I fellowship and then help put out the food for lunch
9. Fellowship with those who stay at the church, listen to the adult SS if I teach the 2-year-olds
10. Read a book to one of my best friends at church, who is blind- we have the best conversations too!!
11. Sometimes a few of us go on a "Sunday drive" to take home an elderly woman who attends (not as much recently)- we sit outside on a warm day and fellowship under the shade trees!
12. Definitely take a walk on nice days down the road behind the church building
13. Sometimes take a nap in one of the comfy reclining chairs in the ladies lounge (which is where I read to my friend)
14. Go to the nursing home ministry we have once a month (if I am not taking a nap)
15. Go out to the fellowship hall about an hour before evening service for some leftovers from lunch and a nice mug of hot tea, and then fellowship
17. Evening worship- sing hymns, rbcbob reads a chapter from the OT, pray, sing another hymn, sermon, Lord's Supper 1st Sunday of the month
18. Greet MarrowMan and ScottishLass if they are there
19. Fellowship until a group of us ladies meet for prayer about a half an hour after evening worship
20. Pray over the ministries of the day, for missions work, local concerns, conversions in our midst, for a woman who was absent for nearly 2 years who CAME LAST LORD"S DAY!!!!)
21. Fellowship with these ladies, listen to some folks in the fellowship hall play their guitars
22. Ride home with my pastor and his wonderfully kind and hospitable family who are a joy to be around!
23. Check Puritanboard, Facebook (most of my friends have really edifying statuses on the Lord's Day, and I try to put up lyrics to a hymn on Sat. night or Sun. morning and then generally link to one of the messages in the evening), email.
24. Pray and go to bed.

I wake up at 8 and go to bed at 11.

 

[jawyman]

My family and I observe the Sabbath as follows:

1. AM worship
2. Sunday school
3. Drive home
4. Have lunch
5. OT & NT story for the kids and catechism questions
6. Read the text for PM worship
7. Have some sort of quick dinner
8. PM worship
9. Home (or college group I lead, then home)
10. Read
11. Bed

 

[MarieP]

Oh, I forgot!!!

Bible Outburst!!

 

[jawyman]

My family and I observe the Sabbath as follows:

1. AM worship
2. Sunday school
3. Drive home
4. Have lunch
5. OT & NT story for the kids and catechism questions
6. Read the text for PM worship
7. Have some sort of quick dinner
8. PM worship
9. Home (or college group I lead, then home)
10. Read
11. Bed

I would also like to add that we watch no television or use computers. I will not study on a Sabbath and we do not conduct commerce. This is what we do as a family. What I believe to be right for my family might not be for another.

 

[Michael]

-Special prayer the night before that we would glorify God on his day.
-Usually sleep in a bit...that means about 8am.
-Rise, quick breakfast, and gather the family for service.
-No stopping on the way if we can help it.
-Sunday School at 10am.
-Worship at 11am.
-Fellowship Lunch at church around 1pm.
-2pm depends...sometimes psalm singing, further study, or elder Q&A/discussion.
-Return home mid-late afternoon and take a nap.
-Dinner around 6pm.
-Children's Catechisms and prayer.
-Bath and children's bedtime at 8pm.
-Wife and I continue our own study, then sometimes quiet reading.
-Lights out and prayer around 10pm.

-----Added 11/4/2009 at 07:37:33 EST-----

*We will sometimes also watch a little TV, put on a children's movie, or browse the computer--like the PB!

 

[JonathanHunt]

11pm (aimed-for bed-time on Saturday)
8-8.30am get up, prepare for preaching, usually read aloud all passages to be read in the service. Especially read one of Spurgeon's public prayers before leading in worship. Never eat before preaching.
9.45 family devotions
10-10.30 go out, pick some folk up on the way
10.40 at Church
11.00 Service
13.00 home for lunch, usually with guests
15.30 take guests home
16.00-17.30 quiet time in the house, reading, sometimes my wife watches a little TV. I am preparing for the evening service. My son is usually reading or drawing. No tea as I never eat before preaching.
18.30 service.
20.15 back home
20.30 supper
21.00-23.00 pb and reading, very occasionally a film depending on what is/has been happening.

One thing I am quite clear about and always have been is that not one ounce of leisure that I might enjoy on the Lord's Day is not there to be sacrificed if any opportunities arise to serve Him more.