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Ecclesia At Homica: How To Make Any Sunday a Sabbath
by Father Amadeus
Nobody loves going to church more than I do! I'll go to just about any church for just about any reason just about any time you want me to go. I love church!
I especially love "different" churches, by which, of course, I mean different from the church experiences with which I'm most familiar. On some weekends, my wife and I have been known to take in two or three services. On a triple service weekend, we start with Catholic Mass on Saturday evening followed by a Methodist early service and then a Baptist 11 AM service.
I love those weekends!
Sometimes, however, I just want to stay home and chill on Sunday morning. So, today we're skipping services and staying home just as we did last Sunday. Call it spiritual cocooning or maybe Ecclesia At Homica!
The trick to keeping Sunday sacred even if you don't make it out of your PJ's before Noon rests in insuring you stay present to a Sabbath mindset in all that you do. Here's a few Stay Home Sunday Sacraments that can put a little Spirit into you're "day of rest".
A Special Breakfast Dish
At the Maddox Compound, we have a couple of delicious dishes that are not only sure to please, but are also sure signs that it's Sunday -- Nanny's Sausage & Egg Bake and the dish which is my specialty, Kimbley Valley French Toast. The key to these dishes being perfect Sabbath sensations are that they can both be prepared the night before for Sunday morning enjoyment. You make 'em on Saturday night, stick 'em in the fridge overnight and then pop 'em in the oven when you stumble out of bed on Sunday morning. Thirty minutes later everyone's spirits will be transported to a heavenly place with the smells and tastes most certainly of a divine origin!
Sunday Morning Meditation Enhancements
Nothing heals the soul like just the right Sunday morning music playing, candles burning and if it's a spring morning like today, maybe a gentle breeze blowing in from an open window or an open screen door. The wild onions are making their rebirth known here at our tiny country cottage, so there's the unmistakable scent of wild green onions wafting over everything. You might think this doesn't sound pleasant, but you'd be wrong. The effect is to bring about a mindful meditation on the rhythms of our seasons -- of death and rebirth -- of the continuity and timeliness of creation's cycles regardless of our readiness for them. As you can see, almost anything can become a worship experience if we can approach a Sunday morning at home with an intentional mindset!
An Attitude of Gratitude
Like so much of life, converting a lazy Sunday into a Sabbath experience depends mostly on our attitude toward the day. An attitude of gratitude strikes the perfect posture if you want your Sunday sanctuary flooded with heavenly Light. The worries of the week will soon enough be upon us, so resolve to make Sunday a day of thanksgiving.
I'm reminded of the beauty of the Catholic liturgy as the Priest encourages the gathered worshipers, "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God" and the congregation answers, "It is right to give Him thanks and praise."
Goodwill Toward Humankind
One of the oddities that I've experienced as a parent and that I remember from my own youth, is that things can get a little dicey on a Sunday morning when folks are tired and rushed to get out the door to make Sunday morning services on time. God may desire our backsides in our pews on Sunday, but the Universe sometimes seems to work against our best intentions. Tempers can flare and our words can become sharp toward each other with the result being the opposite kind of transformation we hope for from our Sunday efforts.
On these mornings when we decided to attend the Slacker's Sanctuary, we really have no excuse not to practice patience, good will and kindness both with our family members and with ourselves because Stay Home Church has no start time and the preacher never makes you late for Sunday dinner. We can just go with the flow and let the day happen.
Just Being Present
For me, the most rewarding sacrament we can perform on any Sunday is the act of simply BEING PRESENT. Present to life, present to God and present to the people I care about and who care about me. Being present requires that I pay attention, that I not immerse myself into the television or the laptop for extended periods of time and that I take the time to carefully listen to others just to hear them. I promise you that the voice of child, a spouse or a loved one takes on all the qualities of a hymn of worship when you allow their words to ring within your heart without the distraction of just listening to formulate your own response.
Sunday Silence
Perhaps more than any other single element, our Sunday needs some silence. So, figure out a way to steal as many moments as possible in a favorite chair, taking a walk along a favorite route or going to a special place where you can be alone. Just you, your quietness and the small still voice of transcendent God always willing to gently invade us like a butterfly invades the spring flower.
If you have a moment, please share with us what makes your Sunday a spiritual experience even if you don't make it to church!
