Hi Ladies! I hope you had a good day. We had the funeral service for my father-in-law today. It was really a beautiful service. He was buried at the VA Hospital cemetery in Johnson City, TN. They gave him a 21 gun salute for serving in World War 2. It was a beautiful day… the sun was shining and it was so warm.
Anyway, I didn’t have time to get to the Spring Clean Challenge today. But it’ll be back tomorrow!
From Chaos to Calm: Day Thirty-Two
The Sabbath Day
Scripture Memory: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11
Today, I want you to reflect again on what God’s holy day means to you. Is it just another day for catching up on chores or do you set aside that time solely for worshiping your Creator?
The Sabbath is not just a day for holy convocation. (1) It is a real 24 hour period in which we are called to put aside worldly cares and spend time with God. The fourth commandment begins saying, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.”
The fourth commandment in all its beauty is still relevant today! One of the most famous evangelists of all time, D.L. Moody said:
“The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word ‘remember,’ showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?” (2)
By not setting aside the Sabbath as holy, we as Christians lose a tremendous blessing! There are many ways to keep the Sabbath holy and still enjoy the day. The Sabbath is a perfect day to enjoy being with your family while at the same time helping your children to learn more about God.
Some of our favorite activities for Sabbath include:
Afternoon walks
Going door to door witnessing
Visiting a park to enjoy God’s creation
Playing games such as Bibleopoly or Bible Trivia
Have a picnic and feed the ducks
The Sabbath should bring you joy! Make a list of things you would like to do with your family this Sabbath.
“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13-14
Footnotes:
1. Leviticus 23:3 tells us: “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”
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So, have you been inspired to make the Sabbath a delight?
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Scripture Memory: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” Psalms 51:10-12
Last time I talked about the Preparation Day. I focused mostly on preparing our homes so that we can rest and so that our family is blessed by the specialness of the Sabbath. Today, I want to focus on preparing our hearts for the Sabbath.
When God created this world, he saw a need, even in the perfection of the Garden of Eden, to give us the Sabbath. It was more than just a day of rest. It was to be a sign – a memorial, or in other words a weekly reminder of how great, a powerful, and majestic our God, our Creator is! (Exdodus 31:17)
Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” (Mark 2:27). It was a gift for us. Has the day of worship come to be a regular day of the week, or is it truly a sacred day when the world is left behind and our hearts and our minds are solely focused on HIM? Too often families find themselves catching up on regular weekday activities after church. Lawns need to be mowed. Cars need to be washed. Laundry needs to be done. What happened to the Sabbath being sacred and holy? Is life so busy that we cannot take one day for our Savior?
On the Preparation Day, spend time reflecting on what God’s day means to you. Ask God to renew a right spirit within your heart. It is a time of renewal, it is a time to walk away from the cares and the burdens of this sinful world and bask in the light of His face.
By creating a mood of celebration in your home on the Sabbath, you will find an even greater blessing on your day of worship.
Instead of making the Sabbath a time of B-O-R-I-N-G, make it a joy! We have a basket of special toys, games, and activities that only come out on Sabbath. I keep a special Sabbath bag full of quiet activities my children can do while sitting in church. Things like lace-up boards with nature scenes or of farm animals, a box a special crayons and Bible coloring pages, Bible story books. I periodically change the items for a fresh experience!
Have the head of your household prepare a special prayer for the evening Sabbath meal. Light candles, and read a chapter from the Bible. Sing quiet songs of praise together with your children. Little ones especially enjoy this.
The Preparation Day is about making your time of worship, extra special, meaningful, and sacred. Let your week revolve around your worship. You will feel very blessed!
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How do you prepare for the Sabbath?
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Scripture Memory: “And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.” Exodus 16:23
Since the beginning of time, Friday was the Preparation Day. Women would spend Friday preparing for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was to be celebrated and “called a delight.” (Isaiah 58:13) The only way to truly be able to enjoy the Sabbath day is to have our hearts and our homes prepared for a Sabbath day’s blessing.
Each week, from Sabbath to Sabbath we should be preparing for God’s holy day. The Sabbath, or the day we set aside to worship our Father in heaven, should be the center of all of our activities – not because we are bound by the law, but because Jesus is the center of who we are.
“As Sabbath has become less of a special day, we have grown up with less guidance for how to prepare for it. Role models in this area are few. Whom can we turn to for instruction? … I’m sure the Lord doesn’t want us to miss the blessing we can have from the Sabbath. He knows how desperately we need this important time – especially in such a complicated age! In love, He has given us a weekly reminder of His sovereign power in our lives. Each week we receive one more opportunity to draw closer to Him, one more opportunity to glorify Him. The Lord intended the Sabbath to be a time of celebration, but too many of us are not having fun anymore!”
So, how are we to make the best use of our time in preparation for the Day God has set aside just to be with us? The key is getting organized. That is what this challenge is all about! By taking steps to get our lives in order, we will in essence allow more time to prepare our hearts and homes for the Sabbath.
In my own home, Friday is the day I do a good portion of my Sabbath preparation. The children and I ensure that all the chores are completed by Friday afternoon. I prepare a meal for the Sabbath to be eaten after church (or for potluck). This way, I do not have to slave over the stove and waste the beautiful hours of God’s holy day.
We enjoy having a special dinner on Friday evening to welcome the Sabbath. I put fresh linens on the table and use my best dishes. I even have special Sabbath plates that my little ones love.
I love looking at the Jewish traditions to find new ways to ensure my family finds the Sabbath a true delight. As keeper of my home, it is my responsibility to see that everything is prepared and ready for my family. The children do help. I oversee their activities so that they do have a part. The Proverbs 31 woman “looked well the ways of her household.” She was a good manager which means she knew how to delegate the jobs at hand!
If your home is in order throughout the week, you will have less to do on Friday. I hate it when we welcome the Sabbath with chores undone. I find it harder to rest! This Friday, see what you can do to prepare for the coming Sabbath.
Here are some ways to make the Sabbath evening even more special:
Light candles on the table and around the house.
Sing a beautiful song together as a family such as “Day is Dying in the West”.
Have special nightgowns for your daughters and special pajama’s for your sons.
Learn more about the way Jewish people celebrate the Sabbath and incorporate some of those traditionsinto your own Sabbath routine.
I had the recent pleasure of learning to make traditional Jewish Challah bread. It was much simpler that I had believed possible! So I want to share the recipe here:
Jewish Challah Bread
In a small bowl: Add 1/2 cup warm water, 3 tsp. active dry yeast, and a pinch of sugar – set aside. Mix until all the yeast is dissolved.
In a large bowl:Mix: 1 cup water or milk, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, 4 tbs. + 2 tsp. sugar and oil, one egg and 3 cups unsifted bread flour (- 1 cup at a time). Whisk the mixture until smooth. Add the yeast mixture. Add 1 cup flour and switch from a whish to a spatula or wooden spoon. Gradually beat until you make a stiff but soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface or knead in bowl until smooth and satiny. It should feel smooth and soft like a baby’s bottom – not sticky. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Divide dough into two sections. Divide each section into four equal parts. Roll each section between hands to form a strand about 18 – 20 inches long. Place four strips on a greased baking sheet or parchment paper, pinch tops together, and braid. Repeat with remaining four strands.
How to Braid: Sprinkle or rub a small amount of flour on each strand to keep braid from coming together. Begin with right hand strand, place it over second strand, under third, over fourth. Repeat always starting on the right side. When you get to the end, fold ends under pinching together.
Rise: Allow bread to rise in a warm area until doubled in size. Tip: place near stove and boil a pot of water to prevent it from drying out. After bread has risen, use a soft pastry brush to brush a beaten egg over the top. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Bake: Bake in a 350 degree over for 30 – 35 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
This bread is wonderful served warm with sweet butter. I like to make my bread on Wednesday to allow the yeast to become inactive before eating which I find to be more healthful. I wrap the loaf in foil and warm it in the over before serving. The two loaves represent the double portion of manna that God provided on the Preparation day. God is always faithful to provide what we need when we are faithful to serve him!
Your assignment today is to plan for the Sabbath and incorporate it into your schedule.
How do you prepare for the Sabbath? How can you make the Sabbath more meaningful for your family?
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