Sabbath Mindset Throughout the Week

I love having a Sabbath mindset that prepares for worship on Saturday evening.  This morning I started thinking about the rest of the week ahead and how much smoother things would run if I kept that mindset of evening to morning being the day rather than morning to evening.  When our daughter was small, we ran our household with that in mind, but as she grew older and life became easier, we backslid.  Now, I frequently find myself disorganized or harried because I have been caught off guard by something that would have been foreseen if only I had looked at my calendar in the evening before or made sure everything was in order for the next day.
So much of my little stresses are due to poor planning on my part.  So tonight (after dinner because if I wait too late, I'll have no brain left), I will look at the day and week ahead.  What appointments do I and other members of my family have?  What will our meals be and who will be there for each one?  What clothes will we need to wear tomorrow.....oh this one is critical....there is nothing like your husband being late for work and suddenly realizing that an article of clothing he needs is still in the laundry basket! 
I know this all seems so simple and it's something so many already do, almost instinctively, but I find myself needing to be reminded of this periodically.

For the remainder of this week, I will be taking a break from reading blogs and posting in order to spiritually regroup and cloister. I found being without the interference of TV very soothing to my soul, and I now feel the need to contemplate how much time I spend with blogs and whether or not that time is beneficial to the Kingdom. I may take this time to weed out a few posts. During this time, I will still be able to read any comments you might have, but I will not be responding until May 8th. See you then. 

Am I Ready For Worship?

Hebrews 10:19-22

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Saturdays should be typically spent in preparation for the Sabbath, but I wonder if we really prepare rightly - or even at all. It has been said that we only prepare for what is truly important, so I often wonder how much we truly value our Sundays. Sure, most of us show up for church on Sunday with the assumption that we are ready for worship, but somehow I doubt that most of us are truly prepared.

I chose to post the above passage because it covers both the inward and outward aspects of readying ourselves to approach God aright. I have always been taught that it was important to put on our best clothes on Sunday, always having our shoes polished and our hair neatly arranged out of respect and reverence for a holy God, but what about our hearts?

Heart preparation is so much harder. Yes, most of us would agree that having a quiet time before church is a good idea, but there is so much more to it than that. Do I have one holy passion when I enter God's presence? Am I resting in His sovereignty, or is my mind wandering to the many duties of the week that lie before me, or am I noticing what someone else is wearing (or not wearing, as the case may be)? Am I harboring some small sin in my heart, unwilling to give it up just yet? Or have I strayed so far that attending church is just another thing to check off of my list of duties and I do not even think of preparation?

Perhaps our lives seem so frazzled that we believe we do not have time to prepare for worship and that God should just be happy that we made it to Sunday morning services. If we are honest with ourselves and with God, there is time, and God's plan of the Sabbath rhythm for our lives is restful and joyful. Yes, it does require sacrifice - the sacrifice of sin in our lives. Am I so far gone that I do not want to present myself holy and blameless before God? God forbid! I know in my heart that I have much to answer for before God where my heart is concerned; how about you?

Saturday's Jobs

 


As far back as I can remember, Saturday was (and still is) the day for changing sheets. It's one of the rhythms of my childhood that has stayed with me. To some, living life with a schedule is boring, but for me it is most often a source of stability and rest. I don't have to wonder what is first on my chore list on Saturday mornings because changing the sheets on that day is part of my natural rhythm just as trash day is Thursday and watering the plants is on Wednesday. Most household chores such as dishes and laundry need to be done daily, but there are those things which need to be done only weekly. One thing that needs to be done weekly but is not a chore at all is the Sabbath rest.

Proper rest on Sunday must always begin the day before. Are your clothes ready for tomorrow? Does anything need to be ironed or polished? Is your table set for breakfast and do you have a plan for dinner? Is your home neat and picked up to free your mind of the worries of household duties? It is very hard to prepare to worship God if we are scurrying about with things that should have been done the night before. I have begun Sundays both prepared and unprepared, so I know which is most conducive to worship. :) If you do not have preparing for Sunday on your Saturday schedule, give it a whirl and discover what a delight Sunday can become.

Silent Preparation

"In the period before the service we commend the keeping of silence. In the midst of our busy lives we have all too little time for silence. 'It is seldom.' writes one Christian, 'that God finds a soul quiet enough to speak to.' The silence before the service can be used as a time for quiet preparation. Read thoughtfully the words of the opening hymn, so that when you join in the singing of it, it may mean more to you. Think of the holiness and power of God into whose presence we should only with humility and reverence. 'Be still, and know that I am God.'"

All too often we have entered into worship lightly. We glibly slide into our favorite pew and chat about Sunday School with our family members. A friend comes over and asks how we are or whether or not we caught such and such on TV. And so it goes. We call it fellowshiping, but, in reality, it is our disrespect for the God of the universe whom we claim to have come to worship. Sometimes we attempt to properly prepare for worship, but, more often than not, our minds wander to the events of the week, things we forgot to do, and people we need to call. We have not entered a Sabbath rest. We have not prepared as we ought.

Sabbath preparation does not begin on Sunday morning or even Saturday evening. Traditional Sabbath begins on Saturday evening just as the Jewish day goes from evening to evening rather than morning to morning - meaning we need to have all preparations made beforehand. Our clothes and tithe should be ready before we retire for bed at a reasonable hour. We should allow enough time on Sunday morning for getting our hearts ready rather than just our bodies (preaching to self here) lest we be "whitened sepulchers." The Sabbath and the worship therein is a joyous occasion and a great gift from God that we should embrace. To not prepare for worship at home and in the sanctuary is to turn one's nose up at the gift of God. This weekend, take time to prepare for worship and receive what God has for you. If we do not quiet our hearts, how can we hear Him?

I can't do it all

One of the things I like about the Sabbath rest is that it forces me to admit something about myself that everyone else already knows about me: I can't do it all. The Sabbath is a time for ceasing from striving and for worship, and that is a welcome rest for me. It's a time for me to admit that I am not God.

This week promises to be very busy for me, and I do not see how it will be possible to do everything on my housekeeping list. Practicing the Sabbath reminds me that it is not my job to do everything. God only calls me to faithful obedience to Him, so it's O.K. that my house doesn't always reflect my "Donna Reed" ideals. The Sabbath helps to remind me that people and relationships are more important than things - always. So, if my floor hasn't been mopped once in a while (I am not advocating neglecting one's household duties as a rule) but I took time to take an lonely, elderly woman shopping and to lunch, I believe God is pleased. Little details in life will always be there but opportunities for Kingdom service will not. If I am stressed out from striving, perhaps it is because I am paying too much attention to my "to do" list and not enough to God's. I can't do it all, and that's O.K. I only need to do what God calls me to do.

Whims

My dear husband tells me our biggest problem in our use of time and money is giving in to whims. When we are hungry, thirsty, bored, or see something we want (like a new book!) we give in to those desires immediately rather than considering the ramifications of our acts and using our better judgment. Oy! That might cause a little bit of suffering in our lives! I believe one reason we give in to our whims is that we do not truly believe (heart knowledge) that God will provide for our every need or that we will be genuinely happy with what God provides. I believe to this ultimately relates to our inability to experience a true Sabbath rest where we cease to strive to take care of number one (self) and enjoy God and allow Him to provide. As Marva Dawn pointed out in Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, embracing the true Sabbath rest is not running away from the world or our whims but rather ceasing to let them have a hold on our lives. Whims are such little thoughts, but we are allowing them to rule our lives. We are, as Saint Augustine said, restless ... "O, Lord, thou has made us, and our spirits are restless until we rest in Thee."