Describe your Sabbath with young children

[aaronsk]

What does your Sabbath Day look like for those with young children?

We have a 1 and 4 year old and don't have many friends that keep the day in any sense nor did either my wife or I grow up in families that did. What activities do you use to occupy them? Are there certain activities you have learned to avoid because they draw too much away from the day for yourself or your wife?

 

[Dan1]

You will probably get a varied response on here as to the particulars, but as Sabbatarians we still recognize the need to be somewhat accommodating to little ones. We have a morning and evening public worship service, and in between we come home most Lord's Days. Those afternoon hours are, yes, a time for additional reflection on the sermon, reading, etc, but little kids often need to get their energy out if they are going to be asked to sit in the pew again for PM service. Or youngest is now 5, and I'm comfortable letting him run around, play in the woods, etc. We do not consider that recreation in the strict sense.

 

[aaronsk]

Thanks Dan! Currently we do breakfast, go to church, lunch, and then allow our kids to play either indoor or outdoors. We live on a cul-de-sac so anything outside does require quite a bit of supervision. Our church doesn't have an evening service but we have tried to make it to one at a local OPC church in the past. The trouble has been they fall asleep on the car ride in the evening. So right now after the couple hours of play we listen to Dr. McMahon's sermon online, read a chapter of Pilgrims Progress and then eat supper, then read a chapter of Little Pilgrim's Big Journey (Part 1 or 2), then sing a psalm or 2 and put the children to bed. My wife and I then discuss things related to the sermons or things we read or do a chapter of "The Reformed Apprentice Part 1".

At times we visit my parents who live in the countryside. There is a stream a short walk from my parents house and I have taken my 4 year old fishing (or a walk in the woods which I attend with him of course)- although I wonder if most would find an activity like this out of bounds? The play in the cul-de-sac often looks like playing with neighborhood kids, riding bikes around the cul-de-sac, playing with a soccer ball, etc. I am typically involved in some way with such activities as well.

 

[Jake]

The book The Lord's Day by Joey Pipa has some good practical advise for keeping the Sabbath as families, including with kids.

 

[Andres]

Wake up, have kids get ready for morning worship. My wife usually leaves our house around 9:40am
Morning worship is at 10:30 and usually ends around 12:15pm give or take a few mins. My oldest children are 10, 6, and 4 and they are all expected to sit in morning worship during the entire service. Our little guy is 20 months and stays in for as long as he can until he gets loud.
After morning worship our congregation always has lunch together. After lunch the older kids will usually go hang out and chat with friends or run around outside the building for a bit. At 1:30pm all our young people have catechism recitation time where I ask all the youth of the congregation their weekly catechism questions. My 10 yoa is currently memorizing the WLC, my 6 year old is memorizing the WSC, and my 4 year old is memorizing the Children's Catechism. They all began with the Children's around age 2-3 and have progressed as they complete each one.
Afternoon worship begins at 2:15 and usually lasts until about 3:15pm. Afterwards the children help clean up (we rent a facility and have to put up each week). Some Lord's Days we have evening fellowship at our Pastor's home, which the whole family attends but on the Lord's Day we go home, change clothes relax and maybe eat a snack. We watch some appropriate Lord's Day videos and/or i will read them stories from different age appropriate Christian books, including biographies. We eat dinner together and have time of sermon discussion and review. We do family worship in the evening and then the kids bathe and get ready for bed.

The kids don't get on the electronic devices on the Lord's Day and don't watch any television that isn't Sabbath approved by parents. They have plenty of books to read and we spend the majority of the day at church together (the entire day on days we have fellowship at our Pastor's home).

 

[Andres]

If you need solid children's books, I buy most of them from Reformation Heritage Books. I've never had an issue with any 2nd C. violations from RHB.
My approved list for Sabbath tv viewing is: Owlegories, Torchlighters Series, Adventures In Odyssey, Pilgrims Progress film, Moody Bible Stories, and The Prince of Egypt film although we haven't watched this one in a while because last time it was playing the scene with the burning bush my conscience was bothered.

 

[aaronsk]

Thanks Andrew, currently we do no-tv on the Lord's Day but during the week this list will be helpful (or in a pinch on the Sabbath)! I have not concluded my thoughts on the burning bush imagery as far as 2C. I have a notebook from Ligonier with the bush on the cover and I stopped using it for now as I ponder it (this same image is also embossed on the front of of the reformation study bibles). I do spend way to much money at RHB haha. Right now we use the Children's Catechism updated by Dr. McMahon for our 4 year old. RHB has been very good for us too though. I did get Jonty Rhodes book on Covenant Theology from them and that seems to have a questionable looking guy with a mark on his side on the front but other than that one book, I haven't notice any 2A violations. We also use Beeke's Family Worship Bible Guide nearly everyday.

 

[aaronsk]

The book The Lord's Day by Joey Pipa has some good practical advise for keeping the Sabbath as families, including with kids.

I have ordered the book and will read it in addition to the other works I have lined up for the topic (The Market Day of the Soul & Nicholas Bownd's work).

 

[JennyGeddes]

Thanks Andrew, currently we do no-tv on the Lord's Day but during the week this list will be helpful (or in a pinch on the Sabbath)! I have not concluded my thoughts on the burning bush imagery as far as 2C. I have a notebook from Ligonier with the bush on the cover and I stopped using it for now as I ponder it (this same image is also embossed on the front of of the reformation study bibles). I do spend way to much money at RHB haha. Right now we use the Children's Catechism updated by Dr. McMahon for our 4 year old. RHB has been very good for us too though. I did get Jonty Rhodes book on Covenant Theology from them and that seems to have a questionable looking guy with a mark on his side on the front but other than that one book, I haven't notice any 2A violations. We also use Beeke's Family Worship Bible Guide nearly everyday.

Now you have me wondering about that cover. I have never paid it any attention before, but I just took a peek and now I am very curious. I was thinking of possibly giving out copies of these books to those new to covenant theology, but…

Please excuse my bursting in.

 

[Polanus1561]

Now you have me wondering about that cover. I have never paid it any attention before, but I just took a peek and now I am very curious. I was thinking of possibly giving out copies of these books to those new to covenant theology, but…

Please excuse my bursting in.

now I am going to burst in by recommending.. https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/god-to-us-covenant-theology-in-scripture-myers.html

 

[aaronsk]

I will also bust in (to my own thread ) to say Dr. McMahon's introductory works to covenant theology have been massively helpful to me! I am currently reading Rhodes book so I cannot say yet how it compares (I set it down after noticing the cover and haven't really picked it up again - as I started digging into the Sabbath more) nor have I read the one recommended by @John Yap.

A Simple Overview of Covenant Theology – by C. Matthew McMahon – Puritan Publications

www.puritanpublications.com

Covenant Theology Made Easy – by C. Matthew McMahon – Puritan Publications

www.puritanpublications.com

 

[aaronsk]

If you need solid children's books, I buy most of them from Reformation Heritage Books. I've never had an issue with any 2nd C. violations from RHB.
My approved list for Sabbath tv viewing is: Owlegories, Torchlighters Series, Adventures In Odyssey, Pilgrims Progress film, Moody Bible Stories, and The Prince of Egypt film although we haven't watched this one in a while because last time it was playing the scene with the burning bush my conscience was bothered.

I pulled Matthew Poole's commentary up on Ex 3:2 and he says the bush is the church in affliction yet not consumed. Maybe the "voice" coming from the bush in the film is still a concern though?

From Poole on Ex. 3:2:
The bush was not consumed; which doubtless represented the
condition of the church and people of Israel, who were now in the
fire of affliction, yet so as that God was present with them, and
that they should not be consumed in it, whereof this vision was a
pledge.

Looks like this was discussed in the past too - the question in my mind is still "was this a theophany?".
https://www.puritanboard.com/thread...of-the-second-commandment.101010/post-1231589

Deuteronomy 33:16 helps here. But I’m not totally clear on it.

 

[JTB.SDG]

I'm sure I'll get a lot of push-back with this, but I do think recreation with kids is not only allowable but important. As one of my friends put it, kids spell LOVE p-l-a-y. Along with other things, play with your kids on Sundays. Especially if you're busy the rest of the week.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Moderating. Depending on what you mean or contend it may well be an exception to the WCF and advocating for that is not allowed on PB. The FAQ PB has for rejecting applications has this note:

6. Exceptions to WCF 21.8's "recreation clause."​

The teaching of the Reformed confessions is not that the Lord's day is merely a day of rest, but that it is a day of rest from our normal labors and recreations in order to worship. An exception taken, however small (tossing a ball, playing with children)—for instance, if one is justifying that exception as being lawful because it is restful—has missed this key underlying principle.

The fourth commandment commands the same degree of perfection in keeping as the other nine, which is why we need Christ’s active obedience as much in keeping it as we need it for the others. We should ask ourselves if activity XYZ is affording a means to keep the Lord’s Day, which He commands to be devoted to His worship; or is it rather a distracting activity that doesn’t help the keeping of the Lord’s Day at all? Obviously, children need some accommodation and patience. However, the goal is to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to better and better keep the Lord’s Day, and not to think we must observe the Lord's Day as children because children are incapable of observing the Sabbath as adults(!). So, if your application was rejected due to an exception to the “recreation clause” of WCF 21.8, and you were directed to this point in the rejection FAQ, you may request reconsideration of your application by replying with an acknowledgement that you (a) understand our concern about the stating of your exception; (b) that even though the activity you may have stated be minor, the reasoning undermines the confession’s sabbatarian principles; and (c) you agree you will not agitate against biblical Sabbath teaching on this point. As long as you have already affirmed you will not advocate for exceptions in your prior application, administrators will reconsider and approve your application for PB membership.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of push-back with this, but I do think recreation with kids is not only allowable but important. As one of my friends put it, kids spell LOVE p-l-a-y. Along with other things, play with your kids on Sundays. Especially if you're busy the rest of the week.

 

[JTB.SDG]

Chris,

I did take exception to the recreation clause. I do understand the concern, and forgot about the rules of PB here, I'm sorry about that.

Would love to still be a member but you decide what you'd like. Thanks.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

What was the nature of the exception; wholesale or nuanced? Major or minor?

Chris,

I did take exception to the recreation clause. I do understand the concern, and forgot about the rules of PB here, I'm sorry about that.

Would love to still be a member but you decide what you'd like. Thanks.

 

[JTB.SDG]

"Though I certainly agree the Sabbath is still to be set aside for resting, and that no work or labor ought to be done on that day, yet I would argue that there are certain forms of recreation that can be restful, both for the body, mind and spirit." This was what I wrote at ordination.

To further clarify, I don't think my view is any different than RC Sproul. The "pleasure" of Isaiah 58 is not recreation but commerce. Thus recreation is a legitimate form of rest on the Sabbath. But again forgot the rules of PB, do apologize and will submit to board rules going forward.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

"Though I certainly agree the Sabbath is still to be set aside for resting, and that no work or labor ought to be done on that day, yet I would argue that there are certain forms of recreation that can be restful, both for the body, mind and spirit." This was what I wrote at ordination.

To further clarify, I don't think my view is any different than RC Sproul. The "pleasure" of Isaiah 58 is not recreation but commerce. Thus recreation is a legitimate form of rest on the Sabbath. But again forgot the rules of PB, do apologize and will submit to board rules going forward.

That pretty much undercuts the Sabbatarian principle of the Westminster Standards and is a major exception that is part of the moral decay going on in the PCA. The Admins will review your membership in light of the tolerances we set with the rejection FAQ and determine if you can stay or have to go.

Edit. My commentary that significant exception to the WCF's "recreation clause" is part of the moral decay affection the PCA is my opinion. I apologize that in the course of moderating on violation of the board rules that a personal opinion comes off as some sort of formal opinion of the board admins.

 

[Eyedoc84]

"Though I certainly agree the Sabbath is still to be set aside for resting, and that no work or labor ought to be done on that day, yet I would argue that there are certain forms of recreation that can be restful, both for the body, mind and spirit." This was what I wrote at ordination.

To further clarify, I don't think my view is any different than RC Sproul. The "pleasure" of Isaiah 58 is not recreation but commerce. Thus recreation is a legitimate form of rest on the Sabbath. But again forgot the rules of PB, do apologize and will submit to board rules going forward.

Pastor Jon, isn’t the issue not so much the precise nature of the “pleasure” but rather whether it is mine own or his? After all, it’s not as if as long I’m not engaging in commerce I can do whatever I want.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Pastor Jon, isn’t the issue not so much the precise nature of the “pleasure” but rather whether it is mine own or his? After all, it’s not as if as long I’m not engaging in commerce I can do whatever I want.

Denver, we are not discussing it under these circumstances which is essentially board moderating at this point.