Preparing to Make the Sabbath a Delight
Friday evenings always bring fond memories of Sabbaths at home when I was a kid. We always had our Friday rituals even though they changed from time to time. We would play family games, or go on drives when I was little.
Later, I remember we would get all the chores and baths done and groceries bought for the week and then would get a pizza, and bring it home to enjoy with the family, as the sun went down. In the summer we could get in an episode of “Benson” along with our pizza, before the Sabbath began. Tulsa Adventist Academy, the school I attended, let out early on Fridays so we could go home and prepare for the Sabbath. This was in accordance with the counsel we had been given from the Spirit of Prophecy.
“On Friday let the preparation for the Sabbath be completed. See that all the clothing is in readiness and that all the cooking is done. Let the boots be blacked and the baths be taken. It is possible to do this. If you make it a rule you can do it. The Sabbath is not to be given to the repairing of garments, to the cooking of food, to pleasure seeking, or to any other worldly employment. Before the setting of the sun let all secular work be laid aside and all secular papers be put out of sight. Parents, explain your work and its purpose to your children, and let them share in your preparation to keep the Sabbath according to the commandment.
We should jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath. Remember that every moment is consecrated, holy time. Whenever it is possible, employers should give their workers the hours from Friday noon until the beginning of the Sabbath. Give them time for preparation, that they may welcome the Lord’s day with quietness of mind. By such a course you will suffer no loss even in temporal things.
There is another work that should receive attention on the preparation day. On this day all differences between brethren, whether in the family or in the church, should be put away. Let all bitterness and wrath and malice be expelled from the soul. In a humble spirit, “confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” James 5:16.
Before the Sabbath begins, the mind as well as the body should be withdrawn from worldly business. God has set His Sabbath at the end of the six working days, that men may stop and consider what they have gained during the week in preparation for the pure kingdom which admits no transgressor. We should each Sabbath reckon with our souls to see whether the week that has ended has brought spiritual gain or loss.” (Ellen White, Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 6, p. 356.)
Later in life I decided that not all of this counsel was practical. Back in the day this was written baths were a lot of work, hauling in water and all. Today you can take a shower just at the turn of the knob, which to me could easily be done on the Sabbath, without causing too much work. Cooking on the Sabbath does not require so much work either I thought.
While that may be a justifiable argument, the fact is, that if we do not make a big deal out of preparing for the Sabbath, then the Sabbath will not be a big deal either. While it may not take as much effort to prepare for the Sabbath nowadays, I think we lose some of the specialness of the day by not preparing more. We rob ourselves of a special blessing when we forget the other forgotten day besides the Sabbath, which is the preparation day.
“We should jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath. Remember that every moment is consecrated, holy time. Whenever it is possible, employers should give their workers the hours from Friday noon until the beginning of the Sabbath. Give them time for preparation, that they may welcome the Lord’s day with quietness of mind. By such a course you will suffer no loss even in temporal things.” {6 Vol. Testimonies to the Church, P. 356.}
I remember Sabbath evenings before the sun went down Saturday night, my family would have worship as we closed the Sabbath. My mind would wander from the Bible reading to the Tulsa Roughnecks soccer game that we would be going to as soon as the sun went down. Since all secular things had been put away for the day, I was excited to get to the game. Looking back, I think it made both the Sabbath and the game more special. Each had their proper place in my routine. Sure my mind should have been all absorbed in the family worship I was in, while it was still Sabbath, and not the game I would be going to after sundown, but hey, I was just a kid.
Even so, today I log on my computer on Sabbaths to read emails or check my Facebook, and I can’t help but see the game scores on my home page. While I tell myself I can’t help but see, and it is not a sin to just glance at the scores, still, my mind goes back to my childhood when things were more black and white, and I miss those days when Sabbath was a big deal. I am not saying it is not a big deal now, it is. I mean when it was more special because we put more thought and effort into those holy hours. The point of me sharing this is this: While we live in a time where it may be easier to prepare for the Sabbath, and we may argue that maybe some of the old rules do not apply any more – i.e. taking baths before sundown – I think the Sabbath would be more special to us if we would make a big deal out of preparing for it.
The greater the preparation, the greater the blessing. I believe the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy are still relevant today. Let’s not just remember the Sabbath day. Let’s also remember the preparation day. If we do, there are some special memories still to come
Editor’s Note: This post was first published more than 10 years ago, but we thought it relevant to this week’s lesson. We retained some old comments because they add value to the discussion.
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