During our Give Me Strength sermon series, pastor Paul Clark encouraged us to make Sabbath the highlight of our week. To help you make that a reality, here are a list of creative suggestions for you and your friends and family, as well as some resources for further reading about the Sabbath.
Creative suggestions for your Sabbath
• Take a long walk.
• Play an instrument for no other reason than enjoyment.
• Eat different foods than you might eat during the week.
• Head to the lake or the swimming pool.
• Play in the park with friends.
• Read a good book that is nothing but fluff (it won’t make you smarter).
• Light candles and craft a Sabbath blessing to mark time.
• Plan the meal and some specially planned table conversation.
• “How did you experience God this week?”
• “Has God answered any of our prayers?”
• Excuse younger children to play with toys from the Sabbath basket.
• Prepare for Sabbath by ceasing work and putting all work materials away.
• Use pink candles at the dinner table (since pink is the liturgical color for Joy).
• Use the special china or tableware for Sabbath meals.
• Put extra meat in the pot on Sundays and invite any worshipers who don’t have a place to go to come home with your family and share dinner.
• Play the most relaxing music you have.
• Use spices, candles or oils to create an aroma that is soothing and inviting.
• Prepare communion using your favorite bread and wine.
• Meditate on a passage of Scripture that is hopeful.
• Read a book that focuses on praising God—C. S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles, the novels of George MacDonald.
• Write some poetry, knowing it will never be seen by anyone.
• Invite special friends or family to a Sabbath dinner.
• Go for a nice, slow bicycle ride.
• Use a rocking chair, a lawn chair in the sun, or a cozy couch as a place to just shut your eyes.
• Cook a big breakfast before church and eat joyfully around the table.
• Go to the last worship service and use the morning for an unhurried startup.
• Spend some time looking at family pictures and recalling special times.
• Pick a movie and make some popcorn.
• Choose some things to give away (good things, not junk).
• Remove your watch, silence your phone, turn off your computer.
• Play the “high/low” game to help kids know what to pray about.
Resources
The Rest of God – by Mark Buchanan
Making Sunday Special – by Karen Burton Mains
Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in Rhythms of Rest – by Lynne M. Baab
The Rest of God – by Mark Buchanan
The Common Rule – by Justin Whitmel Earley
Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in Rhythms of Rest – by Lynne M. Baab
Sabbath in the Suburbs: A Family’s Experiment with Holy Time – by MaryAnn McKibben-Dana
Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest – by Ruth Haley Barton
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly – by Marva Dawn
The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man – by Abraham Joshua Heschel