Scripture
29 And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Remember the Sabbath day,
To always keep it holy.
The Lord blessed and hallowed it,
That we might worship him.
On This Day of Joy and Gladness
1. On this day of joy and gladness,
Lord, we praise thy holy name;
In this sacred place of worship,
We thy glories loud proclaim!
[Chorus]
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Bright and clear our voices ring,
Singing songs of exultation
To our Maker, Lord, and King!
2. Open wide the fount of Zion;
Let her richest blessings flow
To the Saints who nobly serve thee
In the gospel here below.
3. May we labor in the kingdom—
By the prophets long foretold—
Where the children of the promise
Shall be gathered in the fold.
Lesson
*For Younger Children* Discuss ways we can keep the Sabbath day holy. Draw pictures, guess the activity, and determine if it is appropriate for Sunday. Testify of the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy.
Ask your family to suggest ways to observe the Sabbath day.
Help them understand that a balance of rest, worship, and service is necessary to keep the Sabbath day holy. To determine whether a specific activity is appropriate, ask, “Does it bring me closer to my Heavenly Father?”
In order to demonstrate and determine which activities are appropriate on Sunday, draw a picture of an activity on a white board or piece of paper. Family members will guess what the activity is. Then, together, determine whether this activity would be appropriate for the Sabbath.
You might include the following:
- Eat light meals
- Cook on Saturday
- Clean on Saturday
- Take a nap
- Write letters to loved ones and missionaries
- Visit family members
- Visit a sick friend
- Ponder the sacrament prayer more reverently
- Ponder the mighty power and works of God
- Read the scriptures
Discuss with young children the difference between holy days and holidays, and list appropriate activities for each. Ask them to choose a holiday activity the whole family can participate in during the coming week. Then decide how the family can keep Sunday a holy day, not a holiday.
Testify of the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy.
Ask your family to suggest ways to observe the Sabbath day.
Help them understand that a balance of rest, worship, and service is necessary to keep the Sabbath day holy. To determine whether a specific activity is appropriate, ask, “Does it bring me closer to my Heavenly Father?”
Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:12–13. Note the footnote on the word oblations in verse 12; oblations means “offerings, whether of time, talents, or means, in service of God and fellowman.”
Read the following quotation by President Spencer W. Kimball:
“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected.” (“The Sabbath—A Delight,” Ensign, Jan. 1978, p. 4.)
List the three aspects of keeping the Sabbath day holy defined in these passages:
1. Rest from labors
2. Offerings of service
3. Worship
Considering the activities family members mentioned earlier as being appropriate for the Sabbath, have them list those and other Sabbath activities under each category—rest, service, and worship. You might include the following:
- Eat light meals
- Cook on Saturday
- Clean on Saturday
- Take a nap
- Write letters to loved ones and missionaries
- Visit family members
- Visit a sick friend
- Ponder the sacrament prayer more reverently
- Ponder the mighty power and works of God
- Read the scriptures
Try in every way to feel closer to Heavenly Father
Discuss how a wise Heavenly Father showed his love for us by giving us a day we could devote to rest, service, and worship.
Invite each family member to choose one activity from each category to concentrate on during the next Sabbath.
Testify of the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.
Treat
Ice Cream Crunch Bars or Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ice Cream Crunch Bars
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
1 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
3/4 cups brown sugar
optional: a few shakes of cinnamon
8 tablespoons real butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (or one ‘carton’ since they keep shrinking), softened to the consistency of soft serve
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil, extending a little over the edges of pan.
Place Rice Krispies, pecans, coconut, and brown sugar in a 9×13 inch pan. Drizzle butter over mixture and combine well (a fork, or clean hands work well.) If desired, sprinkle in a few shakes of ground cinnamon and mix in. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking time. Remove from oven when toasted and golden brown and let mixture cool completely.
Remove half of crispy mixture and spread remaining half in an even layer on the bottom of pan. Gently spoon softened ice cream on top of mixture. Use a spoon and very gently spread mixture, being careful to not lift up crisp from bottom of pan. Spread ice cream out evenly and then top with remaining crisp mixture. Gently press top crisp into ice cream with hands. Cover pan with plastic or foil and chill until firm (preferably overnight.) When ready to serve, use foil to completely remove ice cream from pan. Slice into squares and serve.
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast (I used rapid rise yeast)
22 oz all-purpose flour, about 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
optional: additional melted butter and cinnamon-sugar
optional: powdered sugar, milk, melted butter for dipping
Instructions:
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour (tip: don’t add all the flour at once, just in case you don’t need it all. Reserve a small amount and add as needed for a soft dough) and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, scrape the bowl clean and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. If you’re making pretzel “bites” put in as many as will fit without crowding. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula (a metal spider works great). Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with pretzel salt or kosher salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Cinnamon Sugar Version: Prepare as directed but don’t sprinkle with salt before baking. Immediately after removing pretzels from oven, brush with melted butter and toss in a bowl of cinnamon-sugar.
(Recipes taken from www.OurBestBites.com)
Activity
1- Sabbath Charades – On pieces of paper, write down different things to do and not to do on the Sabbath. Cut out the different activities, place them in a hat and take turns acting them out. (add more of your own if you like). After someone guesses one, have them say whether or not it is a good Sunday activity. See who can guess the most.
2- Enjoy the summer evening outside. Draw with sidewalk chalk, take a walk barefoot, or lay out on a blanket and look at the stars!
Often times family reunions are scheduled on the Sabbath in areas where LDS members are a minority. How would you not attend without offending other family members of different beliefs?
Thanks………
James – Although that is a personal decision, I believe that a family reunion (depending on the activities) would be a great activity on the Sabbath. Spending time with family (members or nonmembers) is a wonderful way to spend the Sabbath. If you feel like the activities at the family reunion are not in sync with your beliefs, perhaps you could center the reason of not attending on the family reunion activities, rather than the company. I hope this was helpful! Thanks for checking out our FHE Lesson!