How to Keep the Sabbath

Christians typically view the Sabbath day as a day of rest. It's also a day to worship, pray and commune with God. Most Christian denominations recognize Sunday as the Sabbath but some religious traditions view Saturday as the Sabbath instead. Various religious traditions have differing ideas about the best way to keep the Sabbath or even whether or not it's important to keep the Sabbath at all. Many agree on a few basics, however.

Plan ahead to make the Sabbath a day of rest. Do chores like housecleaning, shopping and running errands the day before if necessary. Some traditions also advise cooking or preparing food the day before the Sabbath.

Do only necessary work on the Sabbath. Take the day off work if at all possible.

Gather with likeminded people on the Sabbath to worship. Often this involves attending church services, but if you cannot attend church for some reason, you can worship at home with family or friends.

Devote some time to reading the Bible or other religious texts. Devote some time to prayer, as well.

Visit the sick, the elderly, the homebound or others in need. Talk with them, comfort them, offer to pray with them. If they need help with things like cooking, cleaning or shopping, however, do those things on another day.

Engage in activities that you find restful. Choose activities in keeping with your faith, though not all activities must be overtly religious activities like reading the Bible or praying. For instance, visiting family or friends can be a way to honor your mother and father or love your neighbor as directed in the Bible. Playing board games with your children helps them learn Christian values and develop character traits in keeping with the Christian faith, such as taking turns, sharing with others and remaining humble if they win the game.

Avoid activities that distract you from your faith or do not support your faith. Specific activities to avoid may vary from person to person, but people that keep the Sabbath may choose to avoid things like reading books other than religious texts or devotional material, watching television shows without a religious theme and listening to secular music.

Avoid causing others to work on the Sabbath as much as possible. That means not going shopping on the Sabbath, not dining in restaurants, not employing babysitters on that day, not making any business calls and not visiting attractions like amusement parks or zoos. You should not judge or criticize others that choose not to keep the Sabbath, however.

Sources:

Michael Andrews, Pastor, Mansfield, Ohio.