Yeshua Explored

3rd July 2023

How to rest

How to do a Sabbath

Laying aside the daily calendar we need to be convinced that this is to be a 24 hours period and that it should ideally start and end at sunset (… there was evening and there was morning …). What happens between those two markers is up to you … prayerfully, of course. But, even then, we must consider seasonal variations. In the UK, sunset can vary from 4pm (height of winter) to past 9pm (height of summer). If we were to stick to the form (Sabbath starts at sunset) then we are either going to have a very late supper, which could be problematic for the kiddies or a very early supper, not so good for those who commute to work. So, let’s stick to the function (a time of peace and rest) and declare the start of the Sabbath at a time that is convenient for you. Let’s not get too religious about this!

Here are some pointers you may want to consider:

You will need to develop a specific liturgy, that which works best for your family. This may already be something that you have developed together or perhaps this is a new thing. The idea is to spend a short time now in worship to the Lord, but doing so by using your own ‘order of service’. You may wish to skip this step at first, but it would certainly be a good thing if this can be developed over time, with the agreement and involvement of all members of the family and, if possible, including every member of the family in the service itself, rather than the father doing all of the work. Here are some possible elements:

• Songs – either accompanied by guitar/piano, or unaccompanied, or singing along to a recording.
• Bible reading – perhaps a chapter from a Gospel or just a short passage or verse chosen by a nominated person (any member of the family)
• Short talk – just a few words – perhaps by the person nominated above, as a commentary on the Bible reading
• Prayer – either a general prayer by the father or nominated person, or an open prayer time. Whatever works for your family.
• Confession/reflection – a quiet time when everyone considers their behaviour over the past week, particularly concerning attitudes to other family members. This could involve public proclamation, as long as this is not too awkward, so as to bring fear or resentment.
• A connection to the Sabbath heritage. Perhaps a group prayer based on Psalm 122:1 (‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem’) with a sincere and open-hearted plea for God’s mercy towards Jewish people worldwide, particularly in the Land of Israel? It is strongly advised that this option should be considered. Apart from everything else it would be a wonderful witness to any Jewish people you know, that you are embracing their tradition (even if they are not doing so themselves) but with acknowledgement of its origins. On the flip side, running a Sabbath with no acknowledgement could be seen as one of the worst forms of cultural appropriation, theft from another culture!

These elements are optional and totally up to you, but it would be advisable to incorporate at least some of them, to build a spiritual foundation for the Sabbath as well as a show of unity and togetherness that will be carried through to the Sabbath itself. (Of course, you may, through a variety of circumstances, be ‘running solo’ but there’s no reason why one couldn’t enjoy the Sabbath as a single individual. With God on your side, you’re never going to be really alone).

There is now an evening to look forward to, followed by a morning and afternoon. How do we fill this up in the spirit of Sabbath? What will we be doing that we don’t normally do in the rest of the week? What will we, or won’t we be doing?

Again, all I can give is pointers, but it is important to avoid any pitfalls that may invalidate the whole experience. And here’s the biggest of them all:

The Mobile phone / cell phone / ‘second brain’ / ‘ever-present friend’

In recent surveys 94% of millennials go online daily, mostly through their phone, spending around 7 hours a day consuming media! Yes there was a day when these gadgets weren’t glued to our hands and ears, but most of us can’t remember this, although it was only a few years ago! How can your average family, let alone the addicted ‘millenials’ survive 24 hours without one? Because …

Sabbath HAS TO BE a mobile-free zone, if it is going to work by encouraging us to rest and cut ourselves off from the distractions of the world outside the ring-fence. Phone calls / text messages / WhatsApp notifications / tweets / Facebook posts / Instagrams (and whatever’s the ‘new kid on the block’ since going to press) are a constant source of anxiety, whether through receiving them, not receiving them or anticipating receiving them / not receiving them!

How are you going to cope? Here are two possible strategies:

1. Everyone in the family must relinquish control of their phone, placing it in a locked drawer and telling the outside world that the family can only be reached in the old-fashioned way, the land line, if there is an emergency.
2. If there is no land line or the first option doesn’t appeal, then all the family must promise to operate as we all did in the early days of mobile phone technology, through ‘pull’ notifications rather than ‘push’. In other words, we interact with the phone on our terms, rather than receiving (‘pushing’) a continuous stream of notifications. What this means is that all phones are placed in a single accessible location and, at set times, family members switch on their phone to check for emergency communications, which they can see at a glance. Just two minutes, then back to the day …

Other distractions …

They all seem to involve electricity and so perhaps we should envy the ultra-orthodox Jews who do not permit the use of electric devices at all on the Sabbath (unless they were switched on before-hand).

Computers

As the PC is the central focus of most work environments, it really has no place within a Sabbath, where a ‘time of rest’ has been specifically set aside to escape from work! Perhaps they can be covered by a cloth, so that they do not entice any family members into ‘their world’.

Televisions

The average amount of time the average person spends in front of ‘the box’ (or ‘the panel’ as they are no longer box-shaped!) is far too large and is even worse if you add to it the hours people spend consuming TV/videos on their mobile phones. Yet there can be a place for it on a Sabbath, if there is a communal experience watching a suitable tasteful film or TV show. It doesn’t necessarily have to have a worthy theme, or even a Christian one, sometimes we all need a bit of good clean mindless fun together as a bonding experience!

Christian TV is not always a good idea, unless a specific suitable show is targeted. There is a lot of dross and inappropriate programming that can do more harm than good with indiscriminate viewing. Prosperity preachers loom large, particularly with the USA channels and should be avoided at all cost.

Radio/CDs

Good worship CDs are to be welcomed, as are worship channels on the radio. Christian Talk radio is best avoided, as it is unlikely that material would be appropriate for the whole family as we have to remind ourselves that, ideally on the Sabbath, we are looking for activities that all members of the family can feel comfortable with and that would serve to create a peaceful and restful environment. ‘Hell and brimstone’ preaching is not conducive to this, or even solid Bible teaching if it is pitched at a higher level than your kids’ levels of comprehension.

So, what shall we do on the Sabbath?

Let’s think, first, of the objectives for this day. Look at it as a little cushioned ‘time’ compartment, separated from the hours leading in and the hours leading out. It is a holy time, in fact it is the first thing ‘made holy’ in God’s Creation (Genesis 2:3). It is as if time stands still within this compartment, kept apart from the hurly burly and distractions outside. And the purpose of this is to give a group of people, whether a biological family or ‘spiritual’ family, room to breathe in a safe secure environment, free to enjoy each other and to connect individually and corporately with God.

One of the most contentious issues regarding Sabbath is the definition of “work”, as in “on this day you shall not do any work”. This is a clear example of form and function in action, where we discover that God is particularly interested in function over form. What this means is that we should concentrate on ceasing activities that fit the definition “that which I do in order to earn a crust of bread” rather than all activities per se. Does God really want us go through logistical nightmares on a day of rest just to use electricity, or driving the elderly, or cooking? I very much doubt it. What He doesn’t want us doing is monitoring emails, writing reports, taking business calls or discussing work-related topics with all and sundry. What He does want us to do is to enjoy Him and our close family without worrying over any possible infractions of man-made laws that surround the Sabbath.

For it to work, there needs to be a ‘Sabbath’ state of mind for every family member, where:

• What’s happened in your working week has to stay in your working week. All issues relating to work needs to be parked and re-joined after the Sabbath.
• Any issues your family members may have with each other are dealt with during the evening ‘service time’.
• You enter the Sabbath with eager anticipation that God is going to meet with you all.
• You feel ready for a good rest, with fun and silliness and a real sense of ‘letting your hair down’.
• Endeavour to make it an open house for family and friends, but only if they appreciate what this day means to you i.e. avoid disruptions and misunderstandings. By all means invite non-believers, if they have an open heart and mind, as we trust that this special period should allow God to touch them in some way.

A RECIPE

Here are some suggestions of things you may want to do during the Sabbath:

• Talk about everything or anything (non work-related of course).
• Worship the Lord in the best way that fits with your family – pray, read the Bible together, listen to music, sing choruses etc.
• Eat in a leisurely manner – why rush on a day of rest?
• Peer over family photo albums.
• Give testimonies of what God has done for you over the last week.
• Thank Him publicly for the blessings of the previous week.
• Little afternoon snoozes (and why not, you can’t get more restful than that!)
• How about an ongoing family Sabbath jigsaw?

Of course it all depends on your particular family distinctive. We are all different in character and approach to life, and so it is too with family groups. You may be a family that likes discussion and (healthy) argument. If so, here’s a suggestion for you:

• Saltshakers (our parent ministry) emails out a weekly list of key news items and interesting and provocative videos. Why not use these lists to provoke a discussion among you – you can democratically vote on which one to use. You can sign up for these on www.saltshakers.com.

Or you may be a fun family that likes to keep things light. If so, how about this?

• Create a ‘games box’ filled with a collection of ‘old fashioned’ board games that people like me will fondly remember from our youth. Games like ludo, snakes and ladders, draughts, dominos, card games or perhaps get serious with Monopoly, Cluedo or Risk. You never know, you may get your kids drawn into this safe retro fare and help to wean them off their devices. (Some hope!)

Or, if you are both fun and serious, here’s another suggestion:

• A treasure hunt. Take turns to run it every week. Someone hides the ‘treasure’ (a small object, such as a bell) within the house in a very obscure place. They provide a clue (perhaps a short verse) to kick things off, that points to a separate location. When someone solves that clue, there will be a second clue found at this location. Solving this will take them to a third location, and so on. Do this for as many times as you like until the final clue actually leads to the treasure. Perhaps there could be a prize attached to it, such as a bar of chocolate!

Here are some suggestions of things that you may not want to do during the

Sabbath:

• Leave the home – apart from a brisk walk perhaps, or a visit to another family who are also enjoying a Sabbath rest.
• Go to church – let “church” come to you!
• Indulge in anything that is an overflow from a “working week” – it’s not a time for catching up with writing reports etc.

The end of the Sabbath

So the afternoon draws to an end and sundown approaches. It is time to say good-bye, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen to your family Sabbath and prepare for a return to the general hub-bub.

This is an extract from the book, Sinner’s Charter: Are the ten commandments for today?, available for £10 at https://www.sppublishing.com/the-sinners-charter-260-p.asp