Christians and the Sabbath - Part 3

So, should Christians honor the Sabbath? This is only my opinion from the research that I have done. I believe Christians, should in fact, honor the Sabbath. The Sabbath honors something that wasn't simply Jewish Law, it honors something that happened before there was a such thing a Jews - it honors God as the Creator of the universe. In fact, I am actually perplexed that many Christians find the concept of the Sabbath so offensive. To me, the Sabbath represents the realization that all Power is in the hands of God and what will happen in our lives will be the will of the Father. We cannot toil long enough, hard enough, or good enough - we are living under the grace and mercy of a Loving God and has all power in His hands.
Now, when should one celebrate the Sabbath? Well, on the Sabbath! The Sabbath was about rest, not about church. The Sabbath was designed before the church on a pattern that took place before the church began. There is nothing stopping a Christian from honoring the Sabbath on the Sabbath and worshiping in church with other believers on the Lord's Day - on Sunday. I think the debate on this is a bit ill conceived, one can do both. I am not okay with man thinking he can change the Commandments on God to suit his own needs or correlate with man made tradition. Many people worshiped in the temple on more than one day - not just the Sabbath. So, going to church on Sunday is also not a violation of God's Law. There is nothing that says one should only get involved in corporate worship on day a week or one particular day a week. The Sabbath isn't a "church day", it is a rest day.
How should a Christian celebrate the Sabbath? I believe this is personal. We have traditional Jewish and Adventist practices as a model. However, the stipulation that God gave was simply that one should cease from their labor. Labor was a way in which people earned their living and provided for their home. What is labor to me may not be labor to you. For instance, a woodworker earns their living from working with wood - they should probably not do work for profit on the Sabbath. However, a family may enjoy woodworking as a family activity - I don't think they should be forbidden from having family time doing wood crafts. However, if the focus of the craft is finishing a "honey do" list - then it probably shouldn't be done. For some women, cooking is their labor. They don't really enjoy it, but do it simply because it must be done. They should probably put on a crock pot, buy a meal, or fix something that doesn't involve cooking so they can have a Sabbath rest. For others, it may be they enjoy cooking and spend time together as a family preparing a meal together. The consistent thing from all Sabbath traditions is being with ones family and being reminded of "why" they are resting. Not because they are tired, not because God was tired. They should remind themselves that on the seventh day God rested because what He had set in motion was completed for all eternity - we should be reminded of this each and every Sabbath.
Some people don't go to parties or do anything out of the house on the Sabbath. That is fine for them and I don't think it is bad. However, if there is a party that wouldn't be "work" that the entire family could enjoy - I would think it would be fair game. Again, honoring the Sabbath isn't about what you "can't do", its about being reminded in our entire being as to what God DID, and finished (meaning the end of days was completed, it is all in the Hands of God).  Let's keep the Sabbath what is was intended for, a time for man to cease from laboring and striving for what God has already determined, provided, and accomplished.
However, lets not get into legalism (yes, I said it - LOL). Yes, going to the hospital and praying for someone might be work, and hard work - that doesn't mean you say "no, its the Sabbath". Your neighbor needing a hand, someone getting a flat tire in front of your house, the boy down the street losing his dog and seeking someone to help him find it, and even your child attending a birthday party for someone that doesn't have a lot of friends and has been feeling depressed, sad, and unloved - do it. Remember, Jesus said the highest Commandment was to love God with all your heart and the second was to love our neighbor - show love, even if it means doing some work on the Sabbath!
How my family plans to celebrate the Sabbath is to be together as a family. No mommy grading papers, no daddy putting up shutters on the house. The kids love cutting the grass with daddy - so you might see everyone outside cutting the grass. For us, that isn't work (okay, for my husband and kids - I am not a big nature girl!) This Sabbath, my husband will be taking my eldest to watch a robotics competition. Yes, I said we do things as a family; however, there is life involved. Even in biblical times women with babies were not expected to participate in some things. We also know that a baby was considered a child 5 and under. My twins are 4, they are still babies. This means some things we need to be exempted from so that I can tend to my babies. My babies (thankfully) still nap daily (God is SO GOOD). They need a nap for their health as babies need more sleep than others. If, in trying to be a Sabbath family - I neglected my duties as parent, that wouldn't be showing love nor honoring God. So, we will not all be together for part of the day. However, I think we are still honoring the Sabbath as I will allow the twins to take their nap in my bed while I read a book. I LOVE reading - it is restful! They love sleeping in our bed. My husband and my eldest love robots - its works. However, once my twins have passed the baby stage, everything will be entire family based for the day.
I look at the Sabbath as a wonderful gift from God. Its beautiful and lovely - and so needed in this time where is seems we are all going a million miles a minute!To have a day when we can just stop! Stop striving, stop climbing, stop trying to navigate our way and remind ourselves that God is in control - how wonderful! A day when I don't have to be superwoman - yippee! Yes, superwoman homeschooling the kids, teaching college courses, cooking, cleaning, etc., etc., etc. It's exhausting! Being able to say - thank you Lord, I can sit down. I can't sit down because "I" am finished, but because "He" is finished. It reminds me that if I don't get to that math lesson - its okay, God will make sure my children learn it in due time - whether it be from me or School House Rock it will get done.
Of course, there is preparation for the Sabbath! Remember when the children of Israel were in the wilderness - God had them gather a double portion of manna on the six day. This was to ensure they could rest on the Sabbath. That means I probably need to do an extra load of laundry on my six day, or get those papers graded NOW, or get the roast defrosted and in the oven pronto! So, another thing the Sabbath does is keep us from procrastinating! Isn't God so smart! I don't get to say "hey, I didn't get that done and since its the Sabbath you have to wait!" That isn't right and it isn't showing love to the people I promised I would get things to. It means I need to get moving to honor my commitments. It also means I should NOT over commit! We are working seven days a week because we are committing all of our time and being too busy. I need to be cognizant of the time I am allowed to give others - six days. I need to make sure I am not committing to seven, not promising seven, and I shouldn't even try to sneak seven days of work into six days. In neglecting the Sabbath we have been exhausting ourselves and this was never the plan of God. This isn't legalism, its sanity! How many Christians today have illness because they are tired and overworked? How many are so stressed it is taking a toll on their marriage? How many so tired from laboring they are taking it out on their kids? Even children today are busy seven days a week - enough already. Lets get back into God's plan by first reminding ourselves whom is really in control - God!