Nearly every Saturday we begin dinner with special prayers, including lighting a candle, passing a glass of wine or juice, and sharing a plate of bread. The meal is extra special and is followed by dessert. Between the time we begin the Sabbath prayers and Sunday evening when we conclude dinner with another short set of prayers, we try to avoid work, chores, and the ordinary cares of the week. We take time to thank God for specific blessings. We often have guests over or enjoy the hospitality of friends or family members. We focus on prayer, blessings, thanksgiving, relaxation, relationships, peace, rest. We turn off our computer, leave work phone calls for Sunday night, avoid distractions as much as we can.
I only did this occasionally while growing up and now I wonder why. It is such a blessing, well worth the extra effort Saturday morning. Sometimes we get so caught up in setting aside the old for the new that "new" can fulfill "old". It can be very good to update rather than replace; to renovate rather than remove and rebuild. Jesus didn't command anyone to stop Keeping the Sabbath Holy; He only rebuked those who were so distracted by the rules of the day that they forgot the original purpose. We don't celebrate the Lord's Day in our home as a way to increase our work load and corresponding stress. We celebrate it to readjust our perspective on Christ's will and what's truly important for us as individuals and as a family.
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