None Other Thing

Yesterday I overheard a conversation between two coworkers, one a member of the Church and the other not, as they were discussing the super bowl.  The non-religious of the two said to the other about a common acquaintance, also a member of the Church, something like this, “He told me that he doesn’t watch sports on Sunday because it is not an appropriate activity on Sunday.  So I thought all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wouldn’t watch it. Is that not the case?”  The co-worker then explained that it depended on the individual and that there is no specific teaching about watching a sporting event on Sunday.  As I’ve pondered this conversation, I’ve thought about what President Nelson might say if he were asked the same question.  His answer would likely be, “Well, what sign do you want to give God in your worship on the Sabbath?  What sign about your devotion to the Lord would watching the super bowl or any other sporting event on the Sabbath give to the Lord?”  This is what he actually said in general conference, “How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, ‘What sign do I want to give to God?’ That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear.”    

             Perhaps the most authoritative source on how we should spend our Sabbath days, how to give Him a sign of true devotion and discipleship, is the Lord’s commandment in our dispensation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  He revealed, “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.”  That we are to attend Church, partake of the Sacrament, and worship together in our Sabbath day meetings is clearly understood.  The section continues, though, with further counsel about what we are to do on the Sabbath: “For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High….  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” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-13).  So, if we use this as our guide for Sabbath activities, we are to rest from our labours, pay devotions unto God, offer oblations and sacraments unto Him, and confess our sins.  What struck me as I studied these words this morning was the phrase “thou shalt do none other thing.”  Everything we do on the Sabbath should fit into this small list: resting from labours, worshiping God, confessing sins, and offering oblations and sacraments to Him.  It seems hard to find a place for the super bowl in there. 

Of course, we can’t just sit in prayer and scripture study all day long on the Sabbath.  There are needs to be taken care of some necessary activities to take place, but I believe all of those can be part of the “oblations” we offer.  The footnote describes oblations as “Offerings, whether of time, talents, or means, in service of God and fellowman.”  Service rendered, whether to our families or neighbors or others can certainly be a part of the oblations to God that we give.  The Lord also seemed to recognize that there are some regular necessities that we do need to take care of on the Sabbath—we still need to prepare food, for example.  But that too can be a service and oblation for others, and the key is that these other daily chores or mundane activities of caring for physical needs should be done with “singleness of heart.”  No matter what we are doing, it should be with a single focus of worshiping the Lord and serving others on the Sabbath day.  Then, if we can have that focus and worshipful attitude in all we do on the Sabbath, the promise is clear: our “joy may be full” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:13).