FHE: Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

Discussion:
Read Exodus 20:8.  Keeping the Sabbath day (or Sunday) holy is a commandment.  To keep it holy means that we do things that remind us of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ--going to church, reading the scriptures, and other reverent things.  We should avoid working on the Sabbath or doing things that would keep us from thinking of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

That's why we do things differently on Sundays.  We do different things to help make it a special day, set apart from the rest of the week.  We stay in our Sunday clothes to help us remember to keep the Sabbath day holy.  (Obviously, this isn't a requirement--just something our family does so I thought it was appropriate to re-visit why we've chosen to do this.)

One of the most important things we can do on Sunday is to attend our church meetings and partake of the sacrament to renew our baptismal covenants.  We can worship Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and learn of Them.

Activity:
Draw slips of paper from a bucket or bowl and decide whether the activity listed is appropriate for the Sabbath.  (use thumbs up/down, stand up/sit down, or simple yes/no answers.)  (This list comes from the Primary 2 manual, lesson 37.)
 
-going to church
-visiting relatives
-cleaning the house
-going shopping
-going to a movie
-reading the scriptures or other good books
-praying
-watching or participating in a game of sports
-writing letters
-going for a walk
-playing scripture games
-visiting a sick person

Discussion:
Elder L. Tom Perry talked about "The Sabbath and the Sacrament" this last General Conference.  http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/the-sabbath-and-the-sacrament?lang=eng
He said, "Parents, now is the time to teach our children to be examples of the believers by attending sacrament meeting. When Sunday morning arrives, help them to be well rested, properly dressed, and spiritually prepared to partake of the emblems of the sacrament and receive the enlightening, edifying, ennobling power of the Holy Ghost. Let your family be filled with love as you honor the Sabbath all day long and experience its spiritual blessings throughout the week."

-What are some ways we can prepare for the Sabbath day? 
(clean house, wash clothes, etc. on Saturday; be ready spiritually for taking the sacrament--spending time thinking about what we want to improve on over the next week; etc.)

Activity:
Brainstorm things that our family can do to better keep the Sabbath day holy.  (You could make a Sunday box or jar to draw ideas from when you're not sure what to do.)

For example:
-scripture charades or pictionary
-flannel board stories
-write letters or make phone calls to family members
-read histories/stories about our ancestors
-write in your journal or draw pictures about your week
-take a walk as a family
-prepare for Family Home Evening
-play quiet games or do puzzles or coloring together while listening to church music
-work on Faith in God or (some) Cub Scout requirements
-hold a family testimony meeting
-read from the Friend magazine
-read the illustrated Scripture Stories books
-have one-on-one interviews with mom or dad
-look at family pictures
-watch Sunday-appropriate videos
-learn to play Primary songs or Hymns or sing songs together

Testimony:
-Keeping the Sabbath day holy will help us to draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  It helps us to show our love for Them and invites the Spirit to be with us.

Additional Activity:
Print the coloring book at the end of this lesson.  (Primary 2, Lesson 37)  You could cut out the following word strips and figure out which page they go with after coloring them.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=a4c2767978c20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=637e1b08f338c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

• • On the Sabbath we go to church to honor Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and learn about them.
• • The Sabbath day is a good day to study the gospel with our families. We can read the scriptures and other good books.
• • The Sabbath day is a day of prayer. We pray at church, with our families, and by ourselves.
• • On the Sabbath day we can sing hymns and listen to good music.
• • On the Sabbath day we can write in our journals and write letters to or draw pictures for our relatives, friends, and the missionaries.
• • The Sabbath day is a good day to visit family members or people who are sick or lonely.