The New Sabbath

It's Sunday today. 
The Sabbath.  A day of rest, of reflection, of restoration. 


Yet, today, I hurried the kids to church in order to catch the donuts at the Orchard Cafe, I was anything but relaxed as  we located lost shoes, mismatched socks and too small crocs.  After church, I managed to lose one child because I didn't hear whether my daughter said she was going to the library or not.  I then proceeded to  exasperate my other children when she wasn't at the library because I wouldn't let them checkout any books because we already had $11 in overdue fines for the video The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe.


Instead of going home, I hurried into Panera, feeling better about myself becasue we had a gift card and I wasn't cooking on the Sabbath, but what about making the Panera people work.  Dos that count?  And what does it mean to really "count?"  Who is keeping track?  Jesus? My mom?  Me?


"And on the seventh day, God rested."  


What do we really know about this "rest."  We know that God does not sleep or slumber so it was not like he all of a sudden took a two hour nap, which is actually sometimes a delightful part of my Sabbath routine.


So what does it mean to rest?


John Piper puts it very well when he states in his book, Desiring God, 


"We just want very much to say that you need the rest one day a week, and you need to find a way to say to the Lord, "I love you, and I reverence you, and I'll honor you in a special way on this day."


He also goes on to say that he made the Sabbath different by keeping it for the Lord.  A couple examples:  


Not going to movies: citing that most movies are not God honoring, so why would you go to it on the Sabbath, a day that you are trying to keep set apart, special, holy?


Not participating in ball games on that day.  His explanation included what goes on at the games and whether it is God honoring.  Now he also goes on to say that he did not draw boundary lines that his children could not go see a ball game at a friend's house, but it is what makes the day different from other days.


Feel free to pursue the rest of his article on keeping the Sabbath here:


http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/ask-pastor-john/what-does-it-mean-practically-to-keep-the-sabbath-holy


My challenge to you is not a list of dos and don't because I don't have those answers or even requirements from God.


One friend doesn't use her dishwasher on Sunday because it is work.  Another friend only eats snack food.  One friend refuses to go shopping, yet another friend works on Sunday and takes her "Sabbath" during the week.  What is right?  What is holy?  What is your Sabbath?


How do you honor God in a special way?
And how are you teaching your children to honor God?


We are trying to have a silent reading time of God's word and other books.  Just a time of cracking fire in the fireplace with al of us scattered n our family room on bean bags, the couch and the floor reading and coloring about Jesus.