This Sabbath was like no other for my family. We had planned to spend
the day with my husband's family on Thanksgiving day and then have a
nice, quiet Sabbath filled with leftovers! That all changed Wednesday
evening when my husband got a call about a job interview out of town.
He had put in his application a few weeks ago with a Sabbath keeping
ministry. He came in on the tail-end of the applicants and
interviews, so they wanted him to come in right away. Then we found
out that they wanted the whole family to come. To get there before Sabbath started, we left Thanksgiving afternoon.
We got a few hours with family to have a Thanksgiving meal before we
left. Then we were on the road for a very long trip. My
eight-month-old does not like to be confined, so we learned a lot of
patience and practiced some prayer! We also drove into the early
hours of the morning while the girls were sleeping so we wouldn't have
to travel anymore the next day. We kicked off the Sabbath by joining a group from this ministry to eat
at one of their homes. Everyone was so warm and friendly. My oldest
daughter loved playing with the six other little girls! It was a nice
experience to sit down with a group of Sabbath keepers for a great
dinner. We got to visit for awhile before we had to get back to the
hotel for some much needed rest. We slept in the next morning and enjoyed a late breakfast. Then we
had the opportunity to go to my aunt's house for the rest of the
afternoon. We were able to visit with her while the girls took turns
taking long naps. That evening we all went to church. The service was different from any other service I have attended. The
worship time was about an hour long and the preaching was close to an
hour and a half. I enjoyed the part that I was able to attend or
listen to (with no childcare for children under two, I had to be out
of the sanctuary most of the time taking care of my youngest
daughter). Overall, we came home appreciating the whole experience. We always
want to be led by God in our decision making, so we are praying hard
for His guidance concerning this job opportunity. It would be a huge
change for us in more ways than one. We would appreciate your prayers
that we would be willing to do whatever God asks. I have to say that I missed Sabbath rest so much! It wasn't that we
didn't make the best of our situation, but it didn't compare at all
with how we normally get to spend time with God and rest our bodies.
We just got home Monday night and found that we can't wait for this
coming Sabbath! This led my husband and I back to some questions we had about
attending church services on Sabbath. I'm not trying to open a can of
worms- I'm truly seeking wisdom from those who have gone to church on
Sabbath for years. Keep in mind that we are coming from a background
of being on staff at a church for many years. Where is the balance of rest and total focus on God for a day when so
many preparations and tasks have to be carried out for a church
service to happen? I'm not saying that fellowships and services are
bad things to do on Sabbath, but I am wondering if they can act as a
hindrance to our rest. We read in the Bible that God's followers got together on Sabbath
primarily to read and hear God's Word. Commentary and preaching would
usually take place when they met again on Sunday. I'm not saying we don't want to meet with a group of Sabbath-keeping
believers on Sabbath. But coming from the fact that our Sundays are
usually so packed with services, activities, fellowships and
obligations . . . keeping Sabbath free from all of that sounds more of
what God had in mind for a day of rest. Please share your thoughts about this with me this week. I am
interested in hearing your experiences. Thank you again for going on
this journey with me! Until next week,
Lisa G.
the day with my husband's family on Thanksgiving day and then have a
nice, quiet Sabbath filled with leftovers! That all changed Wednesday
evening when my husband got a call about a job interview out of town.
He had put in his application a few weeks ago with a Sabbath keeping
ministry. He came in on the tail-end of the applicants and
interviews, so they wanted him to come in right away. Then we found
out that they wanted the whole family to come. To get there before Sabbath started, we left Thanksgiving afternoon.
We got a few hours with family to have a Thanksgiving meal before we
left. Then we were on the road for a very long trip. My
eight-month-old does not like to be confined, so we learned a lot of
patience and practiced some prayer! We also drove into the early
hours of the morning while the girls were sleeping so we wouldn't have
to travel anymore the next day. We kicked off the Sabbath by joining a group from this ministry to eat
at one of their homes. Everyone was so warm and friendly. My oldest
daughter loved playing with the six other little girls! It was a nice
experience to sit down with a group of Sabbath keepers for a great
dinner. We got to visit for awhile before we had to get back to the
hotel for some much needed rest. We slept in the next morning and enjoyed a late breakfast. Then we
had the opportunity to go to my aunt's house for the rest of the
afternoon. We were able to visit with her while the girls took turns
taking long naps. That evening we all went to church. The service was different from any other service I have attended. The
worship time was about an hour long and the preaching was close to an
hour and a half. I enjoyed the part that I was able to attend or
listen to (with no childcare for children under two, I had to be out
of the sanctuary most of the time taking care of my youngest
daughter). Overall, we came home appreciating the whole experience. We always
want to be led by God in our decision making, so we are praying hard
for His guidance concerning this job opportunity. It would be a huge
change for us in more ways than one. We would appreciate your prayers
that we would be willing to do whatever God asks. I have to say that I missed Sabbath rest so much! It wasn't that we
didn't make the best of our situation, but it didn't compare at all
with how we normally get to spend time with God and rest our bodies.
We just got home Monday night and found that we can't wait for this
coming Sabbath! This led my husband and I back to some questions we had about
attending church services on Sabbath. I'm not trying to open a can of
worms- I'm truly seeking wisdom from those who have gone to church on
Sabbath for years. Keep in mind that we are coming from a background
of being on staff at a church for many years. Where is the balance of rest and total focus on God for a day when so
many preparations and tasks have to be carried out for a church
service to happen? I'm not saying that fellowships and services are
bad things to do on Sabbath, but I am wondering if they can act as a
hindrance to our rest. We read in the Bible that God's followers got together on Sabbath
primarily to read and hear God's Word. Commentary and preaching would
usually take place when they met again on Sunday. I'm not saying we don't want to meet with a group of Sabbath-keeping
believers on Sabbath. But coming from the fact that our Sundays are
usually so packed with services, activities, fellowships and
obligations . . . keeping Sabbath free from all of that sounds more of
what God had in mind for a day of rest. Please share your thoughts about this with me this week. I am
interested in hearing your experiences. Thank you again for going on
this journey with me! Until next week,
Lisa G.
