Keeping the Sabbath

In a book that I have graciously been given by our communities Episcopalian priest Gretchen, 'Practicing Our Faith,' there is a delightful chapter by one of the books editors - Dorothy C.Bass - about keeping the Sabbath. She is very resourceful in pointing out the benefits of keeping the Sabbath not only for the Jewish faith but for all of society. As both the Pope and Queen Elizabeth of Britain have recently began to engage a conversation on the societal advantages of the Sabbath I thought I would comment on this subject, especially from the perspective gained from reading Ms.Bass's chapter. I can remember 'keeping the Sabbath.' Dad, coming from a strong Mennonite heritage thought it not proper to eat out or get gas on the Sabbath, at least in my earlier years of growing up. [I should note that in my latter high school years when dad saw the fellowship advantages in meeting a group of people for something to eat in a resturant after Sunday night service he changed some of his rigid Sabbath regulations, we even got two tv's in our home] It was always amazing to me, how on vacation we would have to get enough gas on Saturday to carry us through Sunday, but somehow we could still eat at resturants. Although come to think of it it probably didn't have as much to do with breaking his Sabbath rules as it did mom refused to stop at a roadside park and fix a meal she had had to prepare on Saturday night, anyway it was always difficult for my young mind to figure it out. I remember that dad was quite a sports fan, and even though we couldn't have a tv, on sunday afternoons he was at one of mom's brothers houses watching either the Detroit Tigers or the Cleveland Browns [having to always find a place to go and watch the games I think had a major influence in dad's finally getting us those tv's]. Of course that would give mom and opportunity to drop the in-law label and visit with her sisters and/or parents, and usually a number of us cousins, and neighborhood kids would play games. Remember those days, when we didn't have to be entertained by computer games or tv, we created our own games, full of imagination and adventure ... playing cowboys and indians, thankfully no one got massacred, burned at the stake or scapled; or cops and robbers, there were a few minor bicycle accidents in fleeing from the law, but no broken bones, and we loved to bring our plastic soldiers and tanks and have big battles on sand piles ... and also football and baseball games. There was a large woods not far from where we lived, and the hours we would spend back there, wadding through the ankle deep dangerous ponds full of mosquito's, and frops and turtles, hacking our way through, and ocassionally the snakes that would send us splashing to the other side. The trees we would climb to make sure there were adults following us. The Sabbath was a day of great fun, family and fellowship. The Friday night high school games were signals to the community that the weekend had started, and Saturday would be doing jobs around the house, shopping and family grill outs, then Sunday most people would put on their best clothes to go to church and worship. I suspect the number of authentic believers was far less than the number that attended but there was social value and, as Ms.Bass noted, social justice, in those Sabbath meetings. It was a time where political leaders, business owners, farmers, etc. came together. Tragically we're experiencing less and less of that nowdays. Its too bad that its taken social/religious prejudices to bring us to remember what once was, but if it brings us closer together socially, and religiously then I guess it was worth it.
ENJOY