Over the years I have strived to learn how to truly experience what a sabbath rest could look like in our home. I always knew the Lord was good to provide us such a day (and for some of you, it might not be Sunday, but another day of the week) where our weary souls could rest and refocus ourselves on the Lord.
Here are a few tips to help make Sundays truly a day of rest:
1. Prepare all your clothes the day before. Everything down to shoes, hairbands, tights and socks--this helps so much for large families. Do all the ironing the day before too.
2. Fill the bags. Make sure your diaper bag is stocked with extra clothes and snacks. Did you remember to put your tithe in your purse (if you tend to forget, pay online if your church has that option)? Did you pack a bag for coloring books and crayons for the wee ones while they sit in church?
3. Prepare the food---use a crockpot for a hot dinner when you get home.
4. Forget the dishes---and buy paper plates, paper cups and silverware just for this day so everyone can truly have a rest. If you want to use real dishes, you can hold off for cleaning and just soak the dishes until Monday morning.
5. Plan to really rest. Be intentional. Don't fill up the time doing WORK!! Turn you mind away from busyness and meditate on scripture or the preaching you are listening to. Try to fellowship with other families or spend meaningful time as a family.
Our church likes to have a potluck after the end of every service. All of the families bring a dish or two and we enjoy good fellowship for lunch. Sometimes we stay as late as 8pm just hanging out and talking with eachother! I know of other churches who do this too and the fellowship is sweet.
Now I would like to hear how you celebrate/rest on Sundays.
What tips would you add or idea would you include?
19 comments:
I do pretty much all the tips you wrote but the paper plate sounds like a great idea! never taught of that!!!
WE have 2 service and the evening one have a supper after the service, in between we try to go to my in laws for lunch with all the kids (6 of them married and witch children and 6 still living at home) Always a sweet time with the family all together :-)
Excellent post! Making Sunday a true sabbath takes effort and planning, it doesn't just happen.
I needed to be reminded of this, thanks for the tips.
Kelly
I wrote a post not too long ago about the difference between Sundays in the 1950's to today.
From the way we dress for church to all the activities people do on Sundays - times have changed!
Here's the post:
http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-sundays-were-like-in-1950s.html
One thing I am practicing is a Sabbath rest from my computer till sun down! As a blogger - it's tempting to get on and see what's happening in blogdom...but my family needs me to be fully theirs all day long! Plus it gives me time to read and fill my heart and mind with good things to share with my readers!
Thanks for a great post! Enjoy your day tomorrow!!
Much Love,
Courtney
This is what we did every Sunday for years when I was a child, but we always washed the dishes after the meal, it was a family activity -time to chat. My mum would never dream of leaving dirty dishes or using paper plates. We often visited friends for afternoon tea or go for a drive in the countryside.
Our church has fellowship meals twice a month...the other weeks we get together after church - usually at our home! It is such blessing to us all...
Thank You so much for the helpful advice. As a family we usually go to church service and then the rest of the day we try to just hang out as a family. Maybe catch a kid friendly movie, go bowling, or sit at home and enjoy each other's company.
-Sarah L.
I have made Sunday a day of limited computer and NO TV (unless there is sickness in the house)in order to allow for more quality family time. I like the idea of preparing for Sunday the night before, I just need to put it into practise.
Great tips, June. I need to be more consistent with the night before - especially with my husband now in the choir - we have to be at church extremely early. If I don't prepare the night before, it makes for a very chaotic morning.
We do paper plates - a blessing and timesaver. We also have a fellowship dinner after service. It's very sweet.
I echo Courtney's words - I try and stay off the computer on Sundays.
P.S. June, I've been learning more about blog design and finished revamping my blog. If you have time, go take a look. Also, I can't wait for Phase 2 of your consulting business to begin. Again, thank you.
Have a blessed week. God bless.
As I sit here working on the Sabbath, this serves as a timely reminder. Thank you.
Cxx
We enjoy to actually "rest" on the Sabbath in our house. We usually have a Sunday afternoon nap following morning church and lunch! It is so refreshing to rest for an hour or two and then enjoy time as a family playing games, visiting, or having Bible study. Sunday is definately our favorite day of the week! :-)
An excellent post, June! Thank you for this gentle reminder of how we need to remember the Lord's day!
Blessings,
Lindsey
This is a great idea !
My days off are Sunday and another day during the week and we get a few Sat and Sundays off.
I must learn to do everything on sat. night so sunday is truly rest as most sundays after church is laundry , cleaning etc .
nect week I am using this guide to be a true day of rest !!!
Blessings to you
So funny you wrote on this. We were just reading "Little house in the big woods" with our 8 year old daughter last night, and discussing how bizarre they're sabbath rituals sounded. No smiling no laughing, no talking. I can't imagine how children back then must have dreaded sundays. I'm glad Sunday is at least a day our children look forward to now.
We do a lot of those things, too. What I add is we buy a few groceries on Saturday for Sunday dinner. We eat sandwiches for lunch, then for dinner, we not only eat simple, but healthy. Mostly raw fruits and veggies. We eat sandwich ham rolled with provolone, and add various fruits, veggies, and crackers, washed down with a glass of water. Simple for eating after church, healthy, and very little clean up, especially if we use the paper plates.
Hi - I tried to send you a message but the sender wouldn't allow me - is there another way I can contact you? Best Wishes
Kirsty
What a beautiful blog you have. Pictures, words, inspiration...fabulous! I was just thinking about this yesterday as well. Here is what I wrote http://kitchenrecovery.blogspot.com/2010/10/sabbath-day-let-thy-food-be-prepared.html
I struggle with what "rest" looks like. If we're to serve in church and attend on Sundays, isn't that "work"? I took the time a couple years ago to write out the 4th Commandment and look up the words that we take for granted and then rewrote it with the defintions in place of those words. From that exercise, I decided that our duty on the Sabbath is to focus on God and what He'd have us do.
We do similar things as well. We have a morning and evening service so have our main meal in the middle of the afternoon, and often have friends or those on their own round to share it.
I don't think I could keep the dishes until Monday, but we do have a dishwasher that everyone helps to load, so it doesn't take long.
I make the pudding and do the food preparation on Saturday evening. The meal is usually a roast dinner that cooks slowly in the oven while we are out at the morning service.
We keep a 'Sunday basket' of toys and books, and a few Sunday board games (a good one is the Pilgrim's Progress board game) that encourage our children to think on Biblical things.
Loved these ideas. Another thing we try to do is not buy anything or do anything that requires exchange of money on the sabbath day. That isn't much about resting but keeping the day sacred.
I really enjoyed your blog post!
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