Jake and I were asked to speak together in stake conference for the Saturday session. They had told us to make it interactive, so we did our best. Jake always teaches so well, and he did not disappoint this time either. Many people afterwards told us how much they enjoyed it and some said best stake conference talk they had heard...it is all Jake. His purpose is to teach.
Keeping the
Sabbath Holy has blessed our family
15 April 2022 (Saturday
Stake Conference)
Introduction
The streets are lined with hundreds
of people as the parade marches in, filled with music, laughter, and joy. Yet
for one, the feeling of joy has been stripped. Quasimodo, crowned the ugliest man in the city at
Festival of Fools in Paris in 1482 was raised up, mocked,
and paraded through the crowd to be ridiculed for his looks. The next day, an attempt to free the man of
his disability was attempted as he endured a few hours of torture, as other men
stretched his body to try to straighten his body. In my mind I picture an old wood contraption
that one was tied to and then pulled from end to end…ouch! You see, Quasimodo was a born a hunchback. In
parallel, imagine life for Quasimodo or another in a similar situation. There
was once a woman whom for eighteen years was bent over and could not straighten
as told by the apostle Luke. Undoubtedly, she too had most likely been
ridiculed and mocked. Sitting in the
synagogue one Sabbath day, the scriptures teach she was set free from her
“infirmity” as Jesus took note and looked over and called Woman you are free
from your sickness. (Luke 10:13-17) The Pharisees were beside themselves once
again as the Savior taught a new way of approaching the Sabbath, one that
differed from their law. Through his example we learn of a sabbath made for
healing souls and being there for others.
The Sabbath, a day described as a
day of rest and one can find millions of opinions of what that looks like, even
within in families there are differences.
What is okay, what is not? The stake presidency must have realized that
our family could improve in this area, as you know, often when given a topic to
speak on, it is exactly what is needed.
You may recall in conference a little while back a story was shared
about a young boy, who was very involved in soccer, snuck away to participate
in his soccer tournament. It was not
made clear to my recollection if his parents ever knew, but his young man’s
leader saw him sneaking through the bushes outside the building instead of
attending class to the soccer fields (we can assume he was an involved leader
in the lives to know the young man’s passion was soccer) and showed up later
that evening at the young boy’s home. I am sure the young boy was like “oh no!”
but the inspired leader did nothing more than ask the boy to teach the lesson
the following week and had it marked.
Later the young boy realized that the lesson was on “keeping the sabbath
holy” and it forever changed his view on the Sabbath day, maybe the stake
presidency has the same intention for our family. We are the Farrell’s, married for a little
over 20 years, parents of 4, each siblings to 5, both middle school science
teachers, and residents of Bartlett.
Open
Discussion of what Savior did on the Sabbath (Jake)
Shabbot (Sabbath in Hebrew) = stop, rest, delight, worship
Old Testament Sabbath:
Exodus 20: 8-11 --- “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”
Ezekiel 20:18-21 "But
I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of
your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their
idols. I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments,
and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you,
that you may know that I am the LORD your God.' "Notwithstanding,
the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were
not careful to observe My judgments, 'which, if a man does, he shall
live by them'; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My
fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.
Isaiah 58:13 The prophet Isaiah suggested that we should
turn away from doing our own pleasure and should “call the sabbath a delight,
the holy of the Lord, honourable”
Christ’s example on Sabbath:
Matthew 12: 1-2, Mark 2:23, Luke
6:1-4 Jesus plucked corn to feed the hungered on
the Sabbath Day.
Matthew 12: 10-12 Rescuing sheep from pit and is it lawful to
heal on the Sabbath (See Mark 2:27)
Luke 6: 6,8 Jesus healed man with withered hand on the Sabbath
John 5:5-9 Jesus heals on the Sabbath, a man given ability
the walk
John 9:14 Jesus made clay and opened his eyes on the Sabbath
Luke 6:9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to
do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?
New Testament Apostles Sabbath:
Acts 13:13-14 and 44 Paul teaches on the Sabbath
Acts 16:13-15 Paul prays and baptizes on Sunday
Sabbath
today:
D&C 59:9-10 In our day the Lord not given us many rules
about the Sabbath. He has told us that on Sunday we are to “go to the house of
prayer and offer up [our] sacraments” and that we are to “rest from [our]
labors”
Mark 2:27 Jesus taught “the Sabbath was made for man”
*** Not for relaxation but rest. Real rest comes from communion/connection
with Christ.
*** Renew yourself and then go lift others.
Scriptural
Lessons about Sabbath from modern counsel:
Elder Jeffrey R Holland has taught the Sabbath Day is not a
day about all the things we can’t do, that would be pathetic. He teaches if you visualize the star of David, it is the convergence of triangles
making a six-pointed star. The convergence at the top is quite narrow and there
are some things, we are limited in doing. We do not do some things on Sundays
that we might have done appropriately through the week. But the flip side of
that Star of David is that those are open ended and expansiveness. Those triangles go out and out. The blessing of the Sabbath is that in some
areas we restrict ourselves that the resulting freedom is tremendous
expansivess. It is a day of dos and
blessings.
President Russell M. Nelson gave some suggestions for
keeping the Sabbath day holy. He said, “Make the Sabbath a delight by rendering
service to others, especially those who are not feeling well or those who are
lonely or in need. Lifting their spirits will lift yours as well. . . . Study
of the gospel makes the Sabbath a delight. This promise pertains regardless of
family size, composition, or location” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a
Delight,” Ensign, May 2015, 131; paragraphing altered) Am I living in a way that the Lord can
have confidence in me? Am I living in a way that I can be an instrument in the
Lord’s hands? Are you?
1.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated that Sabbath observance is an eternal
principle, and he noted five occurrences in the scriptures when observance of
the Sabbath day was required by the Lord:
- “From the
day of Adam to the Exodus from Egypt, the Sabbath commemorated the fact
that Christ rested from his creative labors on the 7th day (Ex. 20:8–11).”
- “From the
Exodus to the day of [Christ’s] resurrection, the Sabbath commemorated the
deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:12–15).”
- “From the
days of the early apostles to the present, the Sabbath has been the first
day of the week, the Lord’s Day, in commemoration of the fact that
Christ came forth from the grave on Sunday (Acts 20:7).”
- “The
Latter-day Saints keep the first day of the week as their Sabbath …
because the Lord so commanded them by direct revelation (D&C 59).” This revelation was given on
Sunday, 7 August 1831.
- “Sabbath
observance was a sign between ancient Israel and their God whereby the
chosen people might be known (Neh. 13:15–22; Isa. 56:1–8; Jer. 17:19–27; Ezek. 46:1–7)” (Mormon Doctrine, 658;
emphasis in original).
2.
Elder Earl C Tingey (200) Two
scriptures in particular teach us what we should do on the Sabbath and the
promises that come from keeping the Sabbath.
1: The first scripture is found in
the Old Testament:
“Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and
reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep
my commandments, and do them;
“Then I will give you rain in due
season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall
yield their fruit.
“And your threshing shall reach unto
the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat
your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
“And I will give peace in the land,
and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil
beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. …
“For I will have respect unto you,
and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you” (Lev. 26:2–6, 9).
2. The second scripture is found in the
Doctrine and Covenants: “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;
“For verily this is a day appointed
unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
“Nevertheless thy vows shall be
offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;
“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.
“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” (D&C 59:9–13).
3.
Elder Ezra Taft Benson counsel:
“—Engage in activities that
contribute to greater spirituality.
“—Attend essential Church meetings
in the house of prayer.
“—Acquire spiritual knowledge by
reading the scriptures, Church history and biographies, and the inspired words
of our Church leaders.
“—Rest physically, get acquainted
with your family, relate scriptural stories to your children, and bear your
testimony to build family unity.
“—Visit the sick and aged shut-ins.
“—Sing the songs of Zion and listen
to inspiring music.
“—Pay devotions to the Most High
through prayer (personal and family), fasting, administration, and father’s
blessings.
“—Prepare food with a singleness of
heart: simple meals prepared largely on Saturday.
“—Remember that Sunday is the Lord’s
day, a day to do his work.”
Randoms
by Jake and Renee’
The Sabbath is so much more than just not working one day a
week, it is a day to bring Jesus back into our lives.
“The Sabbath is a sacred and Divine institution, a privilege
and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us,
therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. The Sabbath was instituted for
the good of mankind, as living in society, having many wants and troubles,
preparing for a state of happiness or misery. Man was not made for the Sabbath,
as if his keeping it could be of service to God, nor was he commanded to keep
it outward observances to his real hurt. Every observance respecting it, is to
be interpreted by the rule of mercy.” -Matthew Henry
We do not need to focus on the sin but the healing and the
Sabbath has been created for us to do that. A day to focus solely on the Savior
to become healed. King Lamoni’s story. King
Lamoni’s heart touched and when taught about gospel of Christ says, I will give
all these things (my entire kingdom) to know this Christ. What things are
willing to sacrifice for that? It then becomes a question of not what we cannot
do but what we want to do to draw closer to him.
Break board into 5 areas: Only put up scriptures
and allow audience to come up with headers)
1.
Jesus healed on the Sabbath (Jake
share fungus on finger story about thinking about it does not fix it but taking
action—the Lord heals our souls).
Matthew
12:10-13
Luke
6:6,8
John
5: 5-9
John
9:14
2.
Jesus fed the hungry
Matthew
12:1-2
3.
Jesus attended church and taught
(Jake shared story of in Utah when he did not attend because was not feeling/recognizing
the Saviors love and Renee’ took kids alone most Sundays to church)
Mark
1:21
4.
Do Good- Look for compassionate detours
Luke
6:9
5.
Sabbath made for man
Mark
2:27 (final scripture shared)
