Why are the leaders of the church so committed to instilling the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy right now? They teach principles that the Lord inspires them to teach. LDS.org is full of talks on the Sabbath Day; last month every time I turned to that site, it seemed like there was a new article or talk posted on the subject on their home page. Local leaders have been asked to focus on teaching and instilling the importance of this commandment. I want to share some points from a few of those talks that touched me, some points that inspired me to make some changes in my Sabbath Day worship.
There are many ways to improve our relationship with Christ. Our level of spirituality is determined by our attitudes and doing the things that will bring us closer to Him. I gain spiritual strength by attending the temple each week. Serving others, regular scripture study and thoughtful, regular prayers are other ways to improve our relationship with God. My husband has helped us tremendously by leading us in the habit of having Family prayer each morning before he leaves for work and every night before our daughter goes to bed. I have been leading us in the habit of Family Home Evenings every week and have seen the difference that this is making for our daughter. She remembers the things that we teach her, soaking all of it in like a sponge. It helps me in my daily teaching moments with her.
But of all the things that we can do to increase the spirituality in our homes, keeping the Sabbath Day holy is the most rewarding. I believe that this is where our connection with God begins; our spiritual growth is determined by how we honor the Sabbath Day. Blessings come in making an effort and the quality of our relationship with God depends on it.
One of the talks that I found on lds.org last month was from Neill F. Marriott, from the Young Women’s General Presidency. It was entitled Reverencing the Sabbath. After reading this article, I committed to doing better. The following is an excerpt from that article. “We deepen our discipleship as we prepare to keep the Sabbath holy and offer up our vows in righteousness (see D&C 59:11); we then receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost, even personal revelation, in our daily life.” When we commence each Sunday prepared and reverent, our depth of Sabbath understanding will be as spiritual food to all members of our family. Faith in the Lord will grow in our homes as we bring our Sabbath day reverence into our living places.”
“Personal revelation in our daily lives...” I love that! I could use more! “Commencing each Sabbath prepared and reverent”, means preparing before the Sabbath arrives. Be ready by bedtime on Saturday night; clothes washed and ironed, Sunday bag packed and meals prepared if necessary. My daughter and I have been known to take hours to get ready. Starting on Saturday will save a lot of headache on Sunday morning. I also realized recently that Sunday morning, one hour before church starts, is too late to instill in our daughter, a sense of excitement and honor for the Sabbath, church and the Sacrament. It takes more than forcing excitement to go to church and more than anything we’ve ever tried, to instill a sense of honor in her for the entire Sabbath Day. It takes having it instilled in us first. Being better examples of sincere reverence and honor is the only way.
There are many families with more children than we have who make it to church on time every week. I know how it feels to be on time and what it tells others about my attitude towards the host and the event that I am attending. What am I telling the Savior every time I’m late to the most important meeting of the week according to Him? Those who are usually on time know that it is a sign of respect to show up 15 minutes early. It says; “I am happy to be here”, “I am ready and willing to participate” and “You and your meeting matter to me”. In my efforts to improve my Sabbath experience, I am committing to doing what it takes for me and my family to be on time every week, which for me means being ready one hour before church starts.
I love Sundays! That is one day that I get to rest from my weekly labors. It’s the best day of the week for me to focus on Family History work. I take extra time to write in my journal, write for my blogs, and visit the sick and afflicted. When we can be together as a family, it’s when we take our walks and visit family and friends. I get to immerse myself in the scriptures and gospel studies. I get to renew my covenants with my Savior during the sacrament and recommit my life to Him. I get to learn from others’ experiences and testimonies and I get to share mine. Even though we do all of these things, we also do things that defile the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is between us and the Lord; we don’t need someone to tell us what we can and cannot do on Sunday to honor the Sabbath. Some people believe that going to the beach on Sunday is inappropriate, for them it might be. But when I lived in San Diego, I found that a quiet, secluded place on the beach, a place where the Spirit of the Lord can dwell, was great for Sabbath worship of reading, writing and praying. Exodus 31:13 says Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. You can just ask yourself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” See Russell M. Nelson’s talk on LDS.org entitled; The Sabbath Is A Delight.
How do you feel when you take the sacrament? I thought about that question recently during one of my studies. When I am annoyed with my adorable, active, and sometimes irreverent daughter during the administering of the sacrament, we are both missing out on the blessings of the Sacrament. In Sister Marriott’s words; “The effect of partaking of the sanctified bread and water gratefully and humbly is to make of us new creatures, spiritually reborn, as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Week after week as we strive to live the sacramental covenant, we change.” Another way that I am committing to improve my Sabbath experience is to approach the sacrament ordinance differently.
Our children are expected to live the letter of a law that they don’t completely understand when they are asked to be quiet during the sacrament. There’s nothing wrong with that, but more than the habit of being quiet, I want to instill a reverence for our Savior in our daughter. It takes more than being quiet to feel reverence. “As the sacrament is passed, we allow the Atonement of Jesus Christ to enter into our being, individually and personally… With our symbolic action we are saying to God and man that we reach out to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, take it into our souls, and desire His atoning blood to be applied in our lives. In this holy moment we acknowledge our constant need of the Redeemer, our desire for His forgiveness and blessing, and our commitment to live our covenants.” Sister Marriott.
The Lord has given us the most important invitation of our lives: a chance to spend a day with Him. How are you going to prepare spiritually and physically for that day and what blessings are you hoping will come from your time with Him? That thought provoking question comes from another article on LDS.org, entitled “Blessings of the Sabbath Day”. The answers that you come up with tell you the blessings that you will receive from spending the day honoring and remembering our Savior and renewing your covenants with Him each week on His Holy Day.
