How do you hallow the Sabbath day?

[telnetd]

I saw the following teaching by Elder Russell M. Nelson back in the 2015 general conference. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-sabbath-is-a-delight?lang=eng

He says, "How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the 
work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the 
Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct 
and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. 
With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to 
make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply 
asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?”  That question made my choices 
about the Sabbath day crystal clear.

If he no longer needs a list of dos and don't and leaves the matter between himself and
Heavenly Father, then is it time for the church to remove the list of “not to do” things 
from Gospel Principles?   “Our prophets have told us that we should not shop, hunt, fish, 
attend sports events, or participate in similar activities on that day”.

[ksfisher]

9 minutes ago, telnetd said:

I saw the following teaching by Elder Russell M. Nelson back in the 2015 general conference. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-sabbath-is-a-delight?lang=eng

He says, "How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the 
work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the 
Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct 
and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. 
With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to 
make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply 
asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?”  That question made my choices 
about the Sabbath day crystal clear.

If he no longer needs a list of dos and don't and leaves the matter between himself and
Heavenly Father, then is it time for the church to remove the list of “not to do” things 
from Gospel Principles?   “Our prophets have told us that we should not shop, hunt, fish, 
attend sports events, or participate in similar activities on that day”.

President Nelson says that as he grew in understanding that he no longer needed a list.  Perhaps there are others who, having not gained that wisdom yet, find prophetic counsel as to what constitutes proper sabbath day observance helpful.

[bluebell]

43 minutes ago, telnetd said:

I saw the following teaching by Elder Russell M. Nelson back in the 2015 general conference. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-sabbath-is-a-delight?lang=eng

He says, "How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the 
work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the 
Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct 
and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. 
With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to 
make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply 
asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?”  That question made my choices 
about the Sabbath day crystal clear.

If he no longer needs a list of dos and don't and leaves the matter between himself and
Heavenly Father, then is it time for the church to remove the list of “not to do” things 
from Gospel Principles?   “Our prophets have told us that we should not shop, hunt, fish, 
attend sports events, or participate in similar activities on that day”.

The church hasn't used the Gospel Principles manual for years, so that's probably a good indication that they have also moved away from the lists.  

Plus, the new For the Strength of Youth pamphlet also doesn't provide any lists for keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  It says:

"Show love for God by keeping His commandments. For example, by keeping the Sabbath day holy, including by faithfully preparing for and partaking of the sacrament, you show God that you are willing to dedicate one day a week to Him. As you fast and pay tithes and offerings, you show God that His work is more important to you than material things. When you use the names of God and Christ with reverence, never in a vain or casual way, you show you are grateful for all They have done for you."

[Pyreaux]

Sabbath is Saturday, I sleep in and eat cereal. Do all my churchy things on Sunday.

[2BizE]

The Sabbath or better called Shabbat is a Jewish festive day where believers honor the completion of the creation of the world and rest on the 7th day.  The Jewish calendar counts days from sunset to sunset, this Shabbat begins on our Gregorian calendar Friday night at sunset and goes through Saturday night at sunset.  On Shabbat, believers rest from the labors of the week.

 

[Pyreaux]

Then there is Lord's Day or Shemini was the Jewish day when the High Priest emerged from the temple to decree God's judgments and ideally acceptance, the final initiation day of priests, circumcision, purification rites. Because The 8th day transforms into the 1st, it symbolizes rebirth, transformation, and resurrection. A good day for initiation rites like a baptism and such revival ordinances. Christians assemble expecting for the ultimate Judgment Day, when the Christ-Priest will emerge from his Heavenly Temple. The Jewish Calander penned to paper in the fourth century, came from the Babylonian Luner Calander. So, among the Qumran community is proof positive the Jews from Babylon were apostates who were worshipping on the wrong days. It was supposedly originally a Solar Calander like the one in the Book of Enoch and Book of Jubilees, the calculations were supposedly written on the High Priest's staff thar was kept in the lost Ark of the Covenant. So, the prophecy has come to pass, Hosea 2:11 “I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.”

[MustardSeed]

I attend church, do CFM and I don’t shop.  I have family dinner most Sundays with my adult kids or our best friends.  I watch tv in the daytime with my husband.  These things all recharge me and make Sunday special.  

[Dario_M]

On Sunday i know that the sabbathday is holy. That means for me no shopping no tv (not that i watch tv anyway) and also i like to stay home and think about God and Jesus Christ. A lot. ✝️ 

After that i listen to the psalm music. And eat a nice little meal in the evening. And then i go to bed. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Dario_M

[JAHS]

Back when I was in seminary in Utah as a teen I remember my seminary teacher told us that for him watching a good football game on Sunday was relaxing to him. He said he taught and discussed the church and gospel all day 5 days a week and he needed a break from it. But that was him and his special circumstance.

[bluebell]

52 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

I attend church, do CFM and I don’t shop.  I have family dinner most Sundays with my adult kids or our best friends.  I watch tv in the daytime with my husband.  These things all recharge me and make Sunday special.  

I do something similar.  Church and then just hanging out with my three kids still at home and hubby.  It's the only day when we are all in the house together because my second oldest is 18 and never home and my. husband owns two businesses and never sits still until after 8 at night .  We watch tv, nap together on the couch, do FHE, usually play some kind of game after dinner (hide and seek in the dark is a favorite), and then I call my parents and chat with them for a bit.

[Tacenda]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

I do something similar.  Church and then just hanging out with my three kids still at home and hubby.  It's the only day when we are all in the house together because my second oldest is 18 and never home and my. husband owns two businesses and never sits still until after 8 at night .  We watch tv, nap together on the couch, do FHE, usually play some kind of game after dinner (hide and seek in the dark is a favorite), and then I call my parents and chat with them for a bit.

Empty nester now, I miss those days! 😢

[Tacenda]

2 hours ago, Dario_M said:

On Sunday i know that the sabbathday is holy. That means for me no shopping no tv (not that i watch tv anyway) and also i like to stay home and think about God and Jesus Christ. A lot. ✝️ 

After that i listen to the psalm music. And eat a nice little meal in the evening. And then i go to bed. 

For nearly my entire life I was a full believer and would feel guilt for vacuuming or do any kind of cleaning on Sundays. Today I did some cleaning and I have for the most part not done it all these years, but chose not to yesterday and it was getting bad so I went full on and cleaned today. And during vacuuming I wondered why I can't think of Jesus doing this just as easily as on the couch or prayer. And then wondered if all these rules in the church, any church, are just a system to control humans, haha. I know that's bad to think. 

[Dario_M]

37 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

For nearly my entire life I was a full believer and would feel guilt for vacuuming or do any kind of cleaning on Sundays. Today I did some cleaning and I have for the most part not done it all these years, but chose not to yesterday and it was getting bad so I went full on and cleaned today. And during vacuuming I wondered why I can't think of Jesus doing this just as easily as on the couch or prayer. And then wondered if all these rules in the church, any church, are just a system to control humans, haha. I know that's bad to think. 

Oh my.... you are soooo right. There is nothing wrong with cleaning the house. Nobody should judge about that. NOBODY!!! Also not the church.

It is your house and you can do what you want there. And if you wanna watch tv i also don't see the problem of that. You can watch tv and think about God on the same time. Right? 🥀😌

Don't worrie to much about those rules. The church rules are just way to strict. Whe all know this. Do you think i follow all those rules myself??? Heaven no. 

It is also just important to breath and live. To injoy your life. 

And cleaning the house is also something that needs to be done right? 

I think God would even improve that. Also on a sunday. ✝️

[Rain]

1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

For nearly my entire life I was a full believer and would feel guilt for vacuuming or do any kind of cleaning on Sundays. Today I did some cleaning and I have for the most part not done it all these years, but chose not to yesterday and it was getting bad so I went full on and cleaned today. And during vacuuming I wondered why I can't think of Jesus doing this just as easily as on the couch or prayer. And then wondered if all these rules in the church, any church, are just a system to control humans, haha. I know that's bad to think. 

I think, rather than control, we sometimes assume our applications of the gospel are right and should be everyone else's applications when really it is going to depend on the person and the season.

A long time ago I heard something about rather than lists we should think about what brings us closer to Heavenly Father. 

My night stand and drawer tends to get messy and cluttered. I tell myself over and over again that I should take care of it, but I never seem to have time for it.  Occasionally on Sundays I just can't stand it any longer and I find myself sitting beside it and decluttering.  I don't know what it is about that spot in the house, but there is something soothing when I do it on a Sunday afternoon.  Like I'm letting light in.  

Now you can have the vacuuming! 🙂 That's always going to feel like work to me, but I can see for some people it might be a time for meditating or some other soothing thing. 

[Rain]

What do I do?  It varies.  A nap sometimes.  My husband loves to bake on Sundays so sometimes we sit around and eat his bread, croissants or some kind of pastry. Sometimes we will watch a show together - sometimes spiritual, sometimes not. Sometimes we will do something for refugees especially if there is a longer drive where we can talk on the way there and back.  Sometimes it is a good day to relax with art.  Sometimes we will gather the family and maybe a few friends for dinner. 

Most days it isn't a whole lot different than other days if you watch my actions.  It's more of an internal way of how I approach them all.  Not so much a "I need to do this". More of a "my soul desires this."

[Tacenda]

39 minutes ago, Rain said:

I think, rather than control, we sometimes assume our applications of the gospel are right and should be everyone else's applications when really it is going to depend on the person and the season.

A long time ago I heard something about rather than lists we should think about what brings us closer to Heavenly Father. 

My night stand and drawer tends to get messy and cluttered. I tell myself over and over again that I should take care of it, but I never seem to have time for it.  Occasionally on Sundays I just can't stand it any longer and I find myself sitting beside it and decluttering.  I don't know what it is about that spot in the house, but there is something soothing when I do it on a Sunday afternoon.  Like I'm letting light in.  

Now you can have the vacuuming! 🙂 That's always going to feel like work to me, but I can see for some people it might be a time for meditating or some other soothing thing. 

You caught my meaning exactly, thanks Rain!

[Tacenda]

To go along with the topic, I saw this one:

https://www.ldsliving.com/the-scripture-that-helped-president-nelson-keep-the-sabbath-day-holy-as-a-surgeon/s/90646

[Rain]

39 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

To go along with the topic, I saw this one:

https://www.ldsliving.com/the-scripture-that-helped-president-nelson-keep-the-sabbath-day-holy-as-a-surgeon/s/90646

It's interesting how we all get different things out of scriptures, quotes etc.  Reading that scripture really does nothing for me, but somehow he felt something different that made it a great guide for him.  Other scriptures I come across he might think "that's nice", but it might just open a a window of light for me.

[telnetd]

On 2/3/2023 at 4:37 PM, bluebell said:

The church hasn't used the Gospel Principles manual for years,

What does that say of the counsel of the LDS prophets during all the years when Gospel Principles
existed and was used for teaching?

[Thinking]

I sleep in.

[ksfisher]

8 hours ago, telnetd said:

What does that say of the counsel of the LDS prophets during all the years when Gospel Principles
existed and was used for teaching?

20 years from now every book that the church uses today will have been replaced by something newer.  That doesn't cancel the teaching that is given today.  Likewise, what is taught today doesn't cancel counsel that was given in the past.  The church believes in continuing revelation and in constant progression.  One should expect change.

[bluebell]

10 hours ago, telnetd said:

What does that say of the counsel of the LDS prophets during all the years when Gospel Principles
existed and was used for teaching?

I don't think it says anything about them.  The counsel is still basically the same.  It's just presented in different ways than it used to be.

[telnetd]

18 hours ago, ksfisher said:

20 years from now every book that the church uses today will have been replaced by something newer.  That doesn't cancel the teaching that is given today.  Likewise, what is taught today doesn't cancel counsel that was given in the past.  The church believes in continuing revelation and in constant progression.  One should expect change.

As long as old light is not false light.

[JAHS]

2 hours ago, telnetd said:

As long as old light is not false light.

Old light may be false now, but perhaps was not false at the time it was given.

[bluebell]

3 hours ago, JAHS said:

Old light may be false now, but perhaps was not false at the time it was given.

Or, what was useful in the past in different generations is not always useful today.