Rhythms of Rest

I love the principle of Sabbath. 

Since I was a little girl, dressed in frilly dresses and patent leather shoes, Sabbath has meant going to church with my family.   I was raised in Southern Baptist congregations, which meant Sunday School first, followed by worship service where the choir and congregation sang good old protestant hymns like, Just as I Am  and Amazing Grace.  The preacher then gave a sermon (which lasted about twenty minutes and felt like an eternity).  Afterwards, everyone stood around and visited with one another before loading into cars and heading home.  Opening the front door, we were engulfed with the smell of pot roast that had been cooking while we were gone.  Lunch was delicious.  Always, so delicious.  Something about being at church made you extra hungry.

I liked church then and I like it now.  For me, Sabbath will always include public worship.  Being with like minded people who encourage and support me, and love me with all my faults, is important. That community of believers has changed over the years.  Right before I was married, I converted to the Mormon faith and subsequently, my husband and I raised our children in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The Sabbath continued to be a day of going to church (much longer meetings), where we sang hymns, partook of the Sacrament and listened to inspiring talks.  I've served in the youth, children's and women's ministries, which have kept me busy.  Sunday isn't a day of rest.  There's visiting afterwards and then going home to a good meal (which now has been prepared by me, instead of my mother).  Some things change, some things stay the same.

As a Latter- Day Saint, we believe the Sabbath is a holy day and the meeting where we partake of the Sacrament is the most important one we can attend.  We covenant each week to remember our Savior, to honor the covenants we have made with Him and to serve Him to the best of our ability as we partake of the emblems that represent his body that he willingly sacrificed for us.  Sometimes when you do something often, you tend to take it for granted.  I've been guilty of going through the motions without thinking about the holiness of the sacrament.   Lately though, I've been trying to be much more intentional about preparing myself before I arrive at the meeting and keeping my mind and heart focused on my Savior during the ordinance of the Sacrament.  

I've been reading lots of books on the Sabbath , as I'm so interested in how people of other faiths keep it.  The Jewish sabbath is especially beautiful, and faithful Jews are serious about their sabbath observance.  Lighting candles, special meals and prayers are some of the things that set this day apart from the other six.  I like the idea of starting and ending sabbath at sundown.  I've been trying to prepare my home, food and church responsibilities so I can be ready to begin my sabbath at sundown on Saturday (Jews begin theirs on Friday).  It feels really good to know that I won't be scurrying around trying to gather things up to go to church or cooking big meals on Sunday.  

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  The book that has motivated me to think about how I keep the Sabbath is Shelly Miller's Rhythm of Rest.  I've read it twice in the last month.  It's so good.  And even though we are of different faith communities, we both agree on the importance of keeping Sabbath and that it is ordained by God to be a holy day.  Shelly teaches that Sabbath is for worship, but also for rest.  Americans in general have a hard time stopping to rest, and practicing Mormons have a hard time resting on Sunday, because of all their responsibilities.  It's just not part of the culture.  I'm ready to change that for myself.

 "The Sabbath is not for the sake of the weekdays; the 

weekdays are for the sake of the Sabbath.  It is not the

interlude, but the climax of living."

Abraham Joshua Heschel

Taking some ideas from Rhythm of Rest and other places, I've come up with a plan to help set the Sabbath apart in a special way.  It doesn't always work out, but here are some of the things that I've been practicing in the past few months.

I start thinking about the Sabbath about the middle of the week, realizing that I can start then to prepare myself and my surroundings for a restful Sabbath.  What will we be eating over the weekend?  Have I shopped for the items we need?  Will we be having guests at our table, or will it just be the two of us? Is the house clean?  Do I have gas in the car?  Have I planned and prepared my church responsibilities?    I'm serving in the primary organization right now, and that means preparing lessons, making sure the teachers are in place and prepared, etc.  

"Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday."  This children's song teaches an important lesson about Sabbath preparation, but waiting until Saturday to try to prep myself and my home for Sabbath is a recipe for complete exhaustion.  It takes more than one day for me to have my home ready for the Sabbath.  I like to take a long hot bath with candles and bubbles on Saturday evening.  This is my signal that Sabbath has begun.

We have afternoon church this year, which means our services begin at 1:00, leaving me time in the morning to enjoy a nice breakfast with my husband, take a long walk or sit in my favorite chair and read.   I'm looking forward to fires in the fireplace and snowy days. These activities are nourishing to my spirit and help me feel rested.  I make the bed and wash whatever dishes won't fit in the dishwasher and other than that, I don't do any house work.   I light candles and we eat in the dining room.  I make special food, that we don't eat the rest of the week and maybe even dessert! 

The Lord knew we needed a day to rest from our work and to focus our thoughts on Him.  Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy is a commandment, after all.  The to-do list will still be there on Monday.  For me, learning to "keep the Sabbath" more intentionally is coming from a place of love, rather than obligation.  He loves me and wants to give me this beautiful gift of Sabbath.  I love Him and want to accept it with open hands and heart. 

It's my favorite day of the week.