Sabbath
First UMC Carroll 4/28/19
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You can see us on the CAAT youtube page when it is uploaded
We will soon be broadcasting live on our own Youtube channel. Watch for details.
How
strange! I mean what does God do on
God’s off day? Bake cookies? Do a little gardening? Play a round of Golf?
The
word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew verb for STOP. God knows that in this hamster wheel we call
life we would never stop if it were possible. The truth is if we don’t stop we
will be stopped by exhaustion, illness, or ultimately death. God knows that
people need to take time to STOP.
This series of sermons is called “Building
blocks for Christian families.” Is there anyone here who was born without a
family? Not likely. And even if your family is far away or you never knew them,
you had a family and you have a family of some configuration today. The principles I will be teaching over the
next two months apply to all families, of all configurations, of all ages.
Grandparents, we have a chance to do even better with your grandchildren than
you did with your children. Single folks
still have all the dynamics of parental and sibling relationships. Knowing a
lot of single parents, you have a very challenging family configuration. Of course, there are families with 2 parents,
or no children, or sandwich families caught between parents and kids and so
many more. And if you think that you
don’t have any kind of family out there… you have us. The family of God. And
many of the things I am talking about apply to the church family as well. I will try to use all kinds of families in my
illustrations, but if it doesn’t seem like I’m talking your family, please take
out your google translator and translate my illustrations to fit your “family.”
The message of Sabbath is that time is a gift
from God. In the beginning, there was only eternity, which is unimaginable to
us. Genesis 1:3 says, “God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” Time was born. Six
days later ‘God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God
rested from all the work that he had done in creation.” To “hallow” something
is to set it aside as special; to make it holy. God gave the gift of time and
particularly the Sabbath as a holy gift to be used for our joy and God’s glory.
After
freeing the people from slavery where they worked long hours 7 days a week, God
reminded them, “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy… the LORD blessed
the Sabbath day and consecrated it.”
Notice, this does not come from the 10 suggestions. This is a commandment.
In other words, “STOP.”
One
more biblical passage Exodus 34:21 is intriguing. The first part is familiar:
“You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest.” However, we
often overlook the second part: “Even during plowing time and harvest you shall
rest.” In other words, no matter how busy we are or how long the “to do” list
is, we need a regular break.
God
takes Sabbath so seriously that Exodus 31:14 says “You shall keep the Sabbath,
because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it (OR DISRESPECTS IT) shall
be put to death.” While it is unlikely
this happened often, Numbers chapter 15 tells of a man stoned to death for
carrying sticks on the Sabbath.
Apparently, to God, Sabbath is serious business! Serious enough that God
created a stop sign called the Sabbath.
The
consequence of running God’s stop sign is high blood pressure, heart attacks,
sleep deprivation, poor eating habits, and broken relationships. Is that what you want to be for your family?
Of course not. But I’ll confess that I have been there from time to time and
maybe you have too.
Working
80 hours a week… been there done that. 7 days a week… been there done
that. Running from meeting to ball game
to the grocery store… oops forgot to pick up the grandkids better go back. When
you get home, you collapse and fall asleep or worse you take your exhaustion
out on the family. Been there done that too. Wish I hadn’t because I want more
for my family. I’m guessing that you want more for your family too.
So,
what is the answer? You know as well as
I do, but we have to be told don’t we.
The
first building block for Christian families is presence… just taking time to be
present for one another. I’m calling that family Sabbath.
Our
children and spouses need a lot of things, but time and presence are at the
very top of the list.
Singles,
your and siblings want you to be successful and happy, but more than anything
they would love a gift of your time.
Instead
of sticking a little money in the birthday card, what if you add a gift of time
by taking your grandchild out to spend the money together?
Let
me tell you, the last thing I want to do is another “ought” our “should” to
squeeze into your schedule. I don’t want family Sabbath to be just an item on
your to-do list. But I do want to impress two things on you.
Time
is a gift from God to be used wisely.
One
of the greatest needs of families is the gift of time.
So, how do we do it? That is simple. Commit to
it, set a time, and do it faithfully regularly, ideally weekly. If you wait
until you have time, you will not do it. If you wait until the kids are older
you will never get these years back. If you wait until you are more stable in
your job, you are losing precious years with your mom or Grandma and time is a
cruel thing. If you wait for your adult
kids to have time, you may sit at home forever.
If you are separated from your family by miles, Skype, Facebook, or even
a phone call might be the best you can do.
It is important to you and to them, set time and do it faithfully every
week. That is the only way family
Sabbath will happen.
Let
me suggest three things.
Make the time HOLY- if you are going to
practice family Sabbath, find a way to make it HOLY. I think regular worship attendance is
essential for family health, but maybe you Sabbath time is Tuesday night,
though. You can find a way to make any
time HOLY.
Share
what you are thankful for
Share
something about each person that you really like.
Spend
some time (appropriate to the ages of your family) in silence just together.
You might pray, you might have each person look into the eyes of every other
person.
Maybe
you could sing a favorite hymn together.
The
family Sabbath sheet I provided has more ideas for you. Make it simple but let
your Sabbath be a holy reminder that this time and these people are a gift from
God and by having family Sabbath time, you are not wasting time, but actually
making holy the time God has given us.
Make it RESTFUL – second make it restful. This
will mean something different for each family and maybe for each person. One
thing we do is we don’t cook. Robyn sometimes makes something on Saturday.
Sunday after church we picked up the picnic she prepared on Saturday and went
to Swan Lake Park. Many weeks we plan to
eat out on Sunday noon. Sunday evening is every person for themselves; popcorn,
cereal, a sandwich something easy. As
the summer gets going it might be cooking brats over the firepit or
something. Maybe you take a family nap.
Maybe you read a book. Maybe you go for a slow walk with grandma. Last 4th of July
we picked up Casey’s subs, took our chairs to a park and sat and read. Whatever
it takes to provide some rest and rejuvenation to everyone. There are more
ideas on the 40 ideas sheet I gave you.
Finally, make it SPECIAL – Maybe you shut off
the electronics and put the phones away and play an old-fashioned board game.
Maybe you have grandma show you how she bakes those special cookies or grandpa
show you how to catch the really big fish.
When our kids were small everyone, including the kids, took turns deciding what to do on what we
called “family night” you never knew what we would be doing, more than once
Richie chose to play hungryh-hungry hippo… but everyone did what that person
wanted. The possibilities are endless and again you will find more ideas on the
family Sabbath sheet.
Once again, I am not suggesting that you make
your life harder or more complicated. I am suggesting that the family that
doesn’t spend time together has very little reason to stay together. They can become strangers that live in the
same house.
And
frankly you are all smart people and maybe you already do this. AJ Swoboda
Suggests in Subversive Sabbath that we try renaming something we already do as
Sabbath and see how that changes our attitude. Calling family time Sabbath
reminds us why we do it and makes the whole thing holy.
Fundamentally
Sabbath is Being truly present with each other. That is the first building
block of a Christian family whether you are a single person and your family is
your siblings and parents, or a single parent, or partnered, or couple with
children or teens, or a family with grandkids who may live a far away, or a
widow or widower with one sibling left, or maybe you consider the church your
family. We need to make a habit of giving our families priority time in our
week. The first building block if family
Sabbath, simply being present.
God
bless your family in your Sabbath.
40
IDEAS FOR FAMILY SABBATH
(Bulletin insert)
HOLY:
Attend
church or stream it. (Even if your Sabbath is not Saturday or Sunday)
Connect
with family: in face, facetime , a meal together
Invite
someone who has been on a mission trip, been in the service, faced a difficult
time, or is a respected elder to share stories.
Sponsor
a child and use Sabbath to connect with a sponsored child.
Pray
together.
Use
meal times to really talk. Maybe have some intentional questions like what was
the most significant part of your week? What are you most looking forward to in
the week ahead? How is God growing in you right now?)
Do
a “random act of kindness” together or help someone you know.
Read
the story about Jesus washing feet and have a “foot washing ceremony.” Kids
really enjoy this!
Have
a special time of encouragement. Share why you are thankful for one another.
Play
a Bible memory game.
Make
a family story book. Everyone picks a memory, draws a picture and writes a
short story.
Write
a list of everyone’s fears and pray about them.
SPECIAL:
Have
the kids make special placemats to be used ONLY use on Sabbath. Break out the
good dishes.
Eat
dessert first!
Spend
time in nature or pick flowers to reflect on the beauty God created.
Go
for a walk and pick up litter.
Write
a thank you note to the mail carrier or garbage collector and leave it where
they will find it.
Have
a set apart time to have or even make a favorite snack even if it isn’t on
mom’s diet.
Read
aloud or listen to an audio book together.
Make
a craft together or color adult coloring pages.
Have
a special baking time! And enjoy the fruits of your labors with a neighbor.
Have
a bonfire! Roast hot dogs, make s’mores, and talk around the fire.
Eat
by candlelight! Talk about the Jesus being the light of the world!
Shut
off the electronics and play a board game.
Make
handmade personalized birthday cards.
Make
a family mailbox to fill with sweet notes to each other.
Invite
another family to come over for ice cream sundaes.
Write
a group story. Everyone adds a sentence.
RESTFUL
Put
sweats or pjs at noon to remind you to relax. If you have small children, it is
also one less step in the bedtime.
Take
a nap together
Pre-prep
your food!
Do
a big clean sweep the night before so the house is neat and comfortable for the
Sabbath.
No
regular chores. Don’t even make your bed.
Decline
outside activities and especially meetings. Really protect this time.
Either
eliminate screens or use screen time in a special way like to watch a family
movie.
Don’t
watch the news.
A special soak in the tub is a very restful
activity – for kids or adults!
Paint
your elderly mother’s fingernails if it is hard for her.
Pull
out the photo albums and share wedding pictures, baby pictures, or vacation
pictures.
Turn
on REAL 102.1 to listen to music.
ADULT
AND OLDER CHILDREN’S NOTES PAGE
What
does the root of the word Sabbath mean in Hebrew?
________________________________________________________
Where
does Sabbath come from? (read Genesis 2:1-3)
________________________________________________________
Do
we have to practice Sabbath? (Read Exodus 20:8-11)
Yes
No
Can
we skip Sabbath if we are busy? (Read Exodus 34:21)
Yes
No
What
does your family want from you more than anything?
________________________________________________________
Why
not call it family time? ___________________
________________________________________________________
Name
one way you can make Family Sabbath HOLY
________________________________________________________
Name
one way you can make Family Sabbath SPECIAL
________________________________________________________
Name
one way you can make Family Sabbath RESTFUL
________________________________________________________
What
is your plan for celebrating family Sabbath
________________________________________________________
________________________________________
KIDS
NOTES PAGE
DRAW
GOD RESTING
What
does Sabbath mean?
Who
started Sabbath?
What
does the word HOLY mean?
UNSCRAMBLE
THE WORDS:
FSERTLU LHOY LSECAIP
_____________ _____________ _____________
What
would you like to do with your family?
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