Sabbath Day Observance

I am giving a talk on Sunday and wanted to record it so I don't forget just how very important it is.

A few weeks ago David got a phone call asking if we would give talks in Sacrament meeting.  We were given the choice of Patriarchal blessings or Sabbath day observance.  I knew immediately which one was for me.  Though seeing how David got off with only giving maybe a 5 minute talk last week, I may have chosen the wrong one! (I said this because he was the last speaker and by the time it was his turn there was only 5 minutes left of the meeting....lucky duck!  But seriously, he is such a good speaker.  I would never have been able to quickly pick here and there, out of my talk, what needed to be said and cram it in 5 minutes without it sounding terribly choppy but he did wonderful, as usual.)

Exodus 20:8-11

I find it interesting that out of the 10 commandments that Moses brought down from Sinai, only the commandment of keeping the Sabbath Day holy is mentioned for 4 verses.  Except for the verses of having other Gods than Him, the Sabbath Day observance is the most focused on.  When I realized that it hit me hard because of my personal struggle with fully keeping the Sabbath day holy, lately.

Earlier I said that I knew I was to give the talk on Sabbath Day observance, because of a goal that I am trying to meet this month.  Just as the new year of 2013 was beginning David and I talked to our boys about New Years resolutions.  After I explained to them what they were, I told them about how I had heard of church members turning their New Years resolutions around to giving something back to Heavenly Father instead.  After each of us spoke of what we could do, well, I felt as if I HAD to stick with my idea.  I have never been good at New Years resolutions and after maybe trying a couple of years, I have never even attempted News Years resolutions anymore.  I know it is pointless for me.  But Levi said that he was going to read his scriptures every night in his way of giving back to the Lord.  I was absolutely amazed.  If any of you know Levi, he does exactly what he says he is going to do and so every night since that declaration, I have witnessed Levi keep his word.  I don’t know how many times I have walked in to check on him before I go to sleep just to find him asleep with the scriptures wide open next to him.  He will have read the Book of Mormon at 10 years old.  I don’t know how old I was when I read the whole Book of Mormon but I know I was an adult! 

So yeah, he put the fire under me but I knew I could still possibly fail and I really didn’t want to this time.  So each month I have picked a new thing to work on for my Heavenly Father.  The month of March just happened to be me keeping the Sabbath Day more holy.  I love how the Lord works like this.  He finds ways of strengthening me through things like this.  Just a little side note.  The reason I chose this months goal to be Sabbath Day observance was because of Brigham.  David and I are not perfect on how we observe the Sabbath Day but we are pretty picky about what the boys are allowed to do.  There are no electronics played in our house on this day but we do allow them to watch what we call “Jesus Movies.”  So things like Veggie Tales and The Living Scriptures are some things that are played often on Sundays in our home. 

So a few Sundays ago, we put the kids to bed.  David and I go downstairs to watch movie.  We are laughing real loud….ok, I’m the one laughing real loud.  Like really loud…as you get to know me you will find that I have a hackle instead of a laugh…when we hear Brigham yelling from his bedroom, “IS THAT A JESUS MOVIE?!!!!  YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING A JESUS MOVIE!” 

You know, I don’t know how many times I heard my Dad telling us kids growing up how we made him better.  I remember my Mom telling us that when we were really young and we were not active, that the only reason we got back into church was because we begged our Mom to take us almost every Sunday.  I never knew that those influences that we were on my parents would be so similar to the way my children are to me.  They definitely make me better. 

So, while I am on the subject of children, I want to share a quote I have from Mark E. Petersen talking about the importance of helping our youth understand how keeping the Sabbath Day holy will teach them how they can be unspotted from worldly enticements.

“We constantly talk about the worldliness of the present day and speak of the fact that our young people face more serious temptations than did those of a generation ago, and this is probably true.  Also, more parents seem to be caught up in the worldliness of today than was the case a generation ago.  What can we do to protect ourselves under these hazardous circumstances?  How can we better help our young people to remain unspotted from the world?  The Lord gives us the answer, and says that it can be done by sincerely observing the Sabbath day.  Most people have never thought of it in this way, but note the words of the Lord in this regard; “That thou mayest more fully keep they self unspotted from the world” –note these words- “that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, though shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up they sacraments upon my holy day.”  Think about that for a moment.  Do we really believe in God-sincerely?  Are we convinced that he knows what He is talking about?  If we are, then will we take him and his word seriously?  Or will we further trifle with divine revelation?  The Lord knows what he is talking about.  Sabbath observance will help us to more fully remain unspotted from the world.”  Mark E. Petersen

Brother Petersen gets this idea of being unspotted from the world when we fully keep the Sabbath Day holy from D&C 59:9.

I love those words of reminding us to take the Sacrament seriously, that is will help us to keep unspotted from the world.  I know that probably seems obvious to most of you.  I know that taking the Sacrament properly is like being rebaptized but I also know that I struggle with thinking of it that way while I am trying to get my boys to be quite during those few minutes as the Sacrament prayer is being said and the minutes that follow as it is being passed.  Our family struggles with getting to church on time and sadly when we walk in late, have almost always missed the announcements and sometimes even the first sacrament prayer I think, well at least we made it for the water.  This scripture has opened my eyes once again to how important it is that I am fully focused on the blessings of the sacrament.

So we know the importance of taking the sacrament on Sunday and I think most of us would say that we also know how important it is to be here for our meetings, not only for the fellowship but for the reminders of things we already know but have either forgotten or put on the back burner.  But what about appropriate activities after church?  I know there are a lot of opinions on what should or shouldn’t be done on Sundays but a lot of times they are just that….opinions.  So, I am just going to read some quotes and weather or not we want to accept those is up to us.

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said, “The purpose for this day of Sabbath rest many members of the Church, apparently, fail to see, and they make excuses for not observing it as the Lord has directed in revelation….It was not made for the purpose of giving pleasure to the Lord, but for our own spiritual uplift and preparation for the things which are to come.  The spiritual side of man needs attention, to be fed the things of spiritual life, to be mellowed by thought, humility and prayer, and instructed in the things of the Kingdom of God.  This Sabbath day has been set apart that mankind may spend their time in worship and have their minds centered on the things of God free from the influences and distractions of the business and work-a-day world.  A little reflection will reveal to us the reasonableness of this demand made on us and our time by our Father in heaven, and that it is given for our own good.”   Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

I loved the part where he said that this is for our spiritual uplift and that is was for preparation of things which are to come.  Think about that for a moment.  We are here to prove ourselves to our Lord…to return to him.  We know that but hpow better to prepare ourselves than to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  His quote can’t help but make me wonder if our future Heavenly experiences will be mirrored as to the way we SHOULD be spending our Sabbath days.

Another quote to guide us on what we should be doing is by Elder Ezra Taft Bensen, “Now, what about those activities that do not fit the spirit or purpose of the Sabbath?  It seems to me that the following should be avoided on the Sabbath: Overworking and staying up late Saturday so that you are exhausted the next day.  Filling the Sabbath so full of extra meetings that there in no time for prayer, meditation, family fellowship and counseling.”  Elder Ezra Taft Benson

Again, a quote that made me uncomfortable as I realized that I do exactly what I shouldn’t be doing on Saturday night.  I try to get as much out of my weekend with my husband and stay up way to late only to be cranky with my children come Sabbath morning.

Dallin H. Oaks said, “An owner who keeps his business open on Sunday prevents his employees from attending worship services and being with their families on the Sabbath.  Modern-day prophets have encouraged us not to shop on Sunday…Those of us who shop on the Sabbath cannot escapes responsibility for encouraging business to remain open on that day.  Essential services mush be provided, but most Sabbath transactions could be avoided if merchants and customers were determined to avoid doing business on the Lord’s day.” 

I really liked that because sometimes when we are taught in church of Sabbath activities we almost always talk about not buying stuff but fail to acknowledge that the real problem is that when we do this we are making others work on Sunday.

I know I have a ton of quotes but I really wanted to make sure that all who are listening today know that this comes from the Lord’s disciples.  This next quote comes from a published letter given in 1992 from the first presidency of Ezra Taft Bensen, “We should refrain from shopping on the Sabbath and participating in other commercial and sporting activities that now commonly desecrate the Sabbath.”  From published letter in 1992 from the First Presidency (Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson)

And to further make us realize how serious this is President Kimball compared supporting things on the Sabbath day that would break it, to be as rebellious as the children of Israel.  Wow!  Leave it to President Kimball to put it so bluntly.  Are we really that blind that we can be compared to the children of Israel.  Those same people who wondered for 40 years in a desert when all the Lord wanted of them was obedience.  All they had to do was obey and blessings would flow. 

John H. Groberg goes on to testify of these possible blessings.  “There is power in keeping the Sabbath day holy….As we keep the Sabbath day holy he will bless us, and we will achieve a quiet power for good as individuals, as families, and as nations, that we cannot obtain in any other way.”   John H. Groberg