Sabbath Day Playdates

"Gather it six days, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there is none. "  And it came to be that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.  And YHWH said to Mosheh, 'How long shall you refuse to guard My commands and My Torot?  See, because YHWH has given you the Sabbath, therefore He is giving you bread for two days on the sixth day.  Let each one stay in his place, do not let anyone go out of his place on the seventh day.'  So the people rested on the seventh day. - Exodous 16:26-30 

The New Year is upon us and this year I've been quite reflective of Sabbath Day activities.  Our local leaders have fallen suit in encouraging us to keep the Sabbath Day holy, per the recommendations and encouragement from the First Presidency.  All good things, right?

Several years ago, we had lived in Utah, and as taught and encouraged then too, we sought to spend the Sabbath together as a family.  This translated in my brain to mean that "friend" activities would be excluded, although home teaching/visiting teaching was questionable.  Depending on the ward or how they remembered (or forgot) the First Presidency letter from years ago (encouraging us NOT to do this on Sunday), I may or may not feel it appropriate to allow my kids to play with their friends on Sunday.

(photo source)

Well in this ward, during this time, I felt it my duty to keep our family tightly knit together, alllll day.  I hoped we could read scriptures and watch church videos and all those wonderful things.  Except that in large measure, we didn't do these things, and my kids began to resent that I didn't let them play with their friends.  After all, what were we doing that was any different than any other day, with exception of not going shopping?

On more than one occasion, I declined a friend to play with my son.  At the time the main boys coming to play were dealing with things at home.  One did not have a father in the home.  Not my business, really.  The other two would come over and inevitably my son would end up with bumps and bruises, due to their fist fights or hill rolls or some other battles with Light Sabres or plastic swords.  I didn't appreciate them as much as I should have, and would send them home, saying we were doing things as a family that day.

Shortly after (or perhaps even during) this time, those latter two boys had their father leave their mother for another woman.  And the boys jointly got diagnosed with varying Autism spectrum disorders, making a lot of their behavior more understandable.  I was so judgmental.

Since moving out of that area, these boys have also wound up in the care of the state or other agencies.  I don't know all the details, but their mother (and my friend) frequently posts on Facebook, asking for prayers or help dealing with the hurt of her situation.  How she wishes the boys could come home to live with her.  How she longs to find a suitable husband (and father) for her boys, and she wishes that their own dad would pay them just the slightest bit of attention.  They just wanted love.

I look back on this period with quite a bit of regret.  At present, where we live, there are also boys with which my son can play, however at this point, the roles are reversed.  The parents of these new local boys are largely disinterested in having their sons play with mine.  My son is seen as a little more "rough" or in some ways, distasteful (thank you autocorrect for turning the word "fine" into "fag" in that text).

So now my son looks forward to seeing his friends at Church on Sunday.  Only the friends from Church are likewise ardent believers that to keep the Sabbath Day holy, they must retain their time together as a family, not sending their boys out on playdate trades.  I miss those years when I was a kid when my mom sent me to another family's home half an hour away, because they were good people she trusted me to be with.  And I look back on those years when I too wouldn't let my boy play on Sunday, and realize that the law of restoration is real.  What we give out is returned to us again, sometimes in this life and sometimes in the next.  But inevitably it is returned, in some way.

More than once have I wondered if those boys were coming to my home because they sensed something there beyond my son, perhaps something that they were longing for in their own home?  Or perhaps they just wanted to play, and a boy up the street = fun!  But I sent them away, in lieu of keeping the Sabbath holier than playing somehow allowed.

Repentance is a wonderful thing – I am thankful to the Lord that I have another day to seek His forgiveness, and theirs and their mother's, for my piousness and unrighteous judgment.  I wish I could do more.   

Rest from thy Labors

Dear Josten, 

Well, you're witnessing it live and in the flesh.  Your mom's experienced a quick case of burnout, and it only took about 5 weeks.  Today after church, I slept for about four hours.  It's been a rough week.  On top of it, Sundays are at very least not a morning of rest.  

We arise, shower, eat, dress in our best, gather books, bags, gadgets, and load into the car.  We drive to church, and you and your siblings wiggle through the sacrament.  If we let you play video games, you are calm.  If we don't, you are wiggly and need drinks, bathroom trips, and more.  

After sacrament meeting, we go to Primary.  We all go to Primary, except for Dad.  I go from wrangling four young kids between the ages of 3 and 10, to up to nine 3- and 4-year olds.  The other teacher and I are to help keep all 7-9 (usually it's just 7 that show up on any given week) reverent through Opening Exercises, Singing Time and Sharing Time.  If my calculations are right, this is asking a young child to sit still for about 2 hours and 10 minutes, minus the walk from the chapel to the Primary room.  I wouldn't take my child to a movie theater for a movie that long, cartoon or no.  Then we go to class, where we squish in the almost-largest of the classrooms (which is still only about 9' x 8' or so.  The class could be divided.  That would mean two more teachers would need to be called from an ever-growing list of adults who hang in the hall, since I would not want to be left alone with even 3-4 of the children.  You never know what needs will arise.  

9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;
10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;
12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.
13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.
14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer. (D.&.C. 59: 9-14)

Oblantions, defined on link above, describes "oblations" as "offerings, whether of time, talents, or means, in service of God and fellowman".  Google defines it as a thing presented or offered to God or a god.  I find the difference a little startling.  Oblations on lds.org appears to be more of sacrifice of time, talents, etc. in service.  Oblations on Google appears more strictly as an offering directly to God.  I know King Benjamin says when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God.  But this is not service.  This is oblations - an "offering".  How would church look like if we took this literally?  How would our Sabbath days play out?

Could you imagine going to church, offering oblations and sacraments, confessing our sins to our brethren, and resting from our labors?  What would it look like to publicly humble ourselves before our brethren, confessing out sins?  Would we be more apt to help one another through true struggles, rather than hiding them under blankets and rugs?

How would it look like if the bishopric got to sit with their families and multiple children, so the wives would be more inclined to rest, rather than struggle for reverence through talks and recitations of conference talks?  How about meetings before and after church?  How about three hours of meetings, period?  What if our worship looked more like worship than a funeral?

What about rejoicing and prayer?

What about vows being offered on all days?

What about fasting?  Should it be every Sunday?  Or just one?

I love going to church, don't get me wrong.  Sunday used to be my favorite day of the week before I had kids, and it still kind of is.  But now it has turned into a struggle, and I ponder why God would give these counsels to Joseph if He intended for us to struggle to maintain the image of quiet, seen and not heard children for three hours of what we call worship.  And in case anyone disagrees, why do we need to take our children out of the sacrament room when they're noisy?  Sure, it's not a rule.  But the fact that it is expected as a courtesy tells me that what we are doing is certainly worth considering, in relation to the commandment above.  It's not worship, it's really not.  How do we overcome what we have become?

I hope by the time you really get to read this that things have changed.  We shifted from a multi-meetings-a-week routing to this three hour block, and yet we still have mid-week meetings, for some of us multiple times a week.  I yearn for a day of more simplicity, truth, and wholeness in worship.

Love you,
~Mom<3

The First Vision, Part 3

Joseph Smith History 1:18-19:

18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

In drawing near unto God with our lips, are our hearts near to Him too?  This was what was pointed out to Joseph as a reason not to unite with the churches of his day.  Many religions and individuals go to great lengths to dispute that Joseph was a prophet.  Regardless of technicalities of what people believe, it's important not to overlook the heart of the message.

Ignoring the reasons which I have found broadly on websites to dispute Joseph's veracity, let's look again at the main thing which was emphasized in the lips/hearts relationship.  Often in the scriptures, prophets will quote other prophets as an addition to their testimony.  Here Joseph is quoting the message he was given, yet also citing scripture.  Whether or not we believe Joseph, it was already referenced in Isaiah, citing the Lord.

Isaiah 29:13:  "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"

and also in Ezekiel

Ezekiel 33:31:  And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."

and again in Christ's mortal ministry

Luke 6:46:  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

This idea has really sat with me this week.  A good friend posted on her Nerdbook wall that when we find people disputing over politics, we should consider kneeling down and begging God for mercy, to save us from the challenges we face, rather than trusting in the arm of the flesh.  Amen!  It feels as though so many people claim to worship God, but when it comes down to it, we do very little that He asks.  We trust in our own strength, rather than asking Him to give us of His.

For example,

One friend told me how she is Catholic, and is very devout even though her parents aren't, but because her parents "really bothered [her]" she yelled the Lord's name in a very profane way to tell her mother to leave her alone.  Why would someone who revered God do this?  Screaming the Savior's name as a manner of profanity to express anger, by a Catholic?  Why???  Are we not commanded not to take the Lord's name in vain?  Do Catholics not believe the Bible?  I hear people of countless denominations do this.  It is very clear in Exodous that this is not something to be taken lightly, but so many "followers" do it, and quite flippantly I would add.  This is probably one of the easiest of the "Big 10" to keep, but why is it so disregarded?

We draw near unto Him with our lips, but our hearts of far from Him.

Some of my friends who read this blog are of a faith that believes that because the Law of Moses was fulfilled when Christ came, that there is no need to revere the Old Testament.  With that, there appears to be less heed given to keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Why?  We don't de-value the commandment not to take life, just because Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses, but commandments like this one which is one I believe is intended to offer us great blessings by it's observance are disregarded.  How about not requiring our manservant or maidservant to work?  How many of us so quickly and easily make a habit out of making people serve us food, sell us unnecessary goods and services, or even do our own unnecessary work on the Sabbath?  Laundry?  Lawn mowing?  Excessive baking or large meals for company?  It was given to us as a day of rest – as a blessing.  Why don't we revere it?  Would we be less stressed during the week if we honored this one?

I suppose some don't revere it because we draw near unto Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him.  I don't care what religion we each are.  This message given to Joseph and previous prophets is one that should not be overlooked with the gloriousness of the vision he experienced.  The message is important, and while Joseph was given more in that vision which he was not permitted to share, it doesn't negate the importance of what brevity we were given.  We're not just to think (for those that are Latter-day Saints) that this is a reason we can get puffed up in pride, thinking how lucky we are to not have to affiliate with such a church.  Perhaps we should use it as an added measure of caution, so that we don't puff up ourselves, drawing near unto God with our lips, but allowing our hearts to drift far, far, far from Him.

Joseph Smith History 1:20:  He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy?

Simple Testimony: Sabbath Days

I LOVE the Sabbath.  It's one of those 10 commandments that often gets overlooked, or perhaps marginalized.  I don't know why, but it seems a shame to me.  Attempting to honor it has been one of the greatest blessings in my life.

On Sundays, I go to church, but I'm starting to wonder if it would be better to have church on another day of the week, as it doesn't seem that "restful".  But I appreciate having the words of the Lord through the prophet Moses:

"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)

I love the implications for this.  Does it mean that it's only us and our "maidservant" that gets a break on the Sabbath?  Who is our servant, or our cattle, nowadays that very few of us have personal servants?  What's the underlying principle?  

This is one of those commandments that seems more difficult to keep for some, but I have found the greatest blessings from observing it.  

What do you do on the Sabbath day, to help keep it hallowed?