Getting Ready for the Sabbath

A busy homeschooling mother finds that Sabbath preparation yields trials, triumphs, and helpful insights.

I grew up in a family whose parents and grandparents had all made Sabbath preparations. My parents in turn taught me to heed the counsel to 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" (Testimonies for the Church, 6:355). What a wonderful heritage is mine in getting ready for the Sabbath!

When our family gathered for worship at sunset, there was a specialness in the air. We were all

clean, our house was all clean, the kitchen was dark and quiet, but the refrigerator was full in anticipation. All the preparation was finished, furnishing the aura of something special about to take place. And indeed, the Sabbath, slipping quietly in, was hailed with joy and singing.

But somewhere in academy and college years (the 60s and 70s), a subtle change began happening in my personal Sabbath preparation. I cleaned my room, but other little things began slipping. For instance, I no longer had a "Sabbath bath" before sunset on Friday but took a Sabbath morning bath. I figured that the bath taking in Ellen White's day was something arduous----boiling water on the stove, then lugging heavy pailfuls to the big tub in the living room next to the fire. It was a once-a-week affair. People didn't take daily baths back then! But now all one had to do is turn a faucet and enjoy a quick shower, wash hair, and jump out! I began to consider my upbringing as highly legalistic, and bathing became a symbol of the "do's" and "don't's" I now resented and threw overboard.

A friend of mine watched these subtle changes in my lifestyle and one Friday evening confronted me.

She shared with me how she had recently read in Testimonies for the Church, volume 6, pages 349-368, a classic chapter on Sabbath keeping, and how the Lord had convicted her of the need to prepare body, mind, soul, and environment. I could feel my face reddening. I argued the legalism line. I had a hundred excuses. I contrasted the ease of modern baths with those of yesteryear and insisted that my oily hair had to be washed each morning. My friend didn't argue but merely shrugged and mentioned that I might do well to go back and reread the chapter and think again.

Over the next few weeks I tried to dismiss her gentle questions, but finally I went and read the chapter for myself. What I read had nothing to do with legalism but with relationship, with joy, with coming into His very presence! The Lord began teaching me some very special things about Sabbath preparation.

The focus of the "legalism" issue seemed in my mind to be this bathtaking. I don't know why it became such a hurdle, such a symbol. I told God that if He really meant this business about baths before Sabbath even in our day, He would have to keep my hair from getting oily on Sabbath. I figured that if He could keep the manna from spoiling on Sabbath the way it normally did on other days back in Bible times, He could conceivably do a miracle with my hair. One Friday I reluctantly tried showering and shampooing before sunset. I fully expected my hair to be stringy and oily by morning. But my faithless "fleece" was easy for the Lord to deal with. In the morning my hair was just fine, lots of body, no greasiness at all! I could hardly believe it!

Back in my college days the Lord began teaching me some very precious things about preparation for the Sabbath and about worship, and generally, about taking Jesus at His Word. God never asks for impossible things. He asks for simple little things that allow us to venture out on His terms. My life was easy in those days. I was single, with no house or yard to get ready, no children to complicate things, no clothes to iron and mend for a husband and children. There was just me. And I learned the most essential lesson back then. Sabbath-keeping is about putting away self in the different departments of life and desiring more than anything else to worship God in Spirit and in truth. Perhaps that is the most important part of Sabbath observance, and probably the most difficult.

Some of the things God has taught me from the Testimonies chapter are taking me years to mature into. Back in college the parts about children didn't interest me, but they certainly do now! It is one of those chapters I do well to reread from time to time. I have learned, or am learning, quite a few things from it.

Preparing the Environment for Jesus. "Friday is to be the special preparation day. Through Moses the Lord said to the children of Israel: 'Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: Bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.'... There was something to be done in preparing the heaven-sent bread for the children of Israel. The Lord told them that this work must be done on Friday, the preparation day. This was a test to them" (6T 354-355).

Preparation is a part of life. We prepare for everything we wish to do well. We prepare for exams, for music lessons, for term papers; we make elaborate preparations for our weddings, spend nine months preparing for the birth of a child. In the workplace, responsibilities require preparation of bids, plans, projections, meetings, and a myriad other details. We do not fare well without preparation. We come to regret bitterly any lack of preparation and bemoan lost possibilities for betterment.

Preparation is a part of life. We prepare for everything we wish to do well.

All of spirituality is preparation. Preparing for Sabbath only deepens opportunities for quality time with God. In order to rest, we need to have done necessary work ahead of time; in order to enjoy the Sabbath fully and be delighted, we need to anticipate and plan ahead whole-heartedly.

God gave the manna experience to the Israelites to teach them the specialness of Sabbath keeping. He wanted them to realize that nothing was to be merely regular on His day. He gave extra manna on Friday, to be prepared the same day, so the tiresome, daily manna-searching would not have to take place on Sabbath, and the mamas in Israel could take a break. Isn't God kind to us home-maintenance folk! The Israelite mamas had double work on Friday, but it was glad work, looking forward to the wonderful events Sabbath would bring.

The specialness of big events or a holiday season demand extra work and extra planning and extra careful use of time. But the togetherness and joy that the big events and holidays bring make even the preparations exciting and fun.

God intends our preparations for Sabbath to be anticipatory, not mundane ("gotta get this floor mopped for the company"). All our work is to be done "as to the Lord." but Sabbath preparations are in a special sense to be done for Jesus, not for the company that may be coming for lunch, and not because the house needs to be cleaned once a week anyway.

"All through the week, we are to have the Sabbath in mind and be making preparation to keep it according to the commandment" (6T 353).

The Lord knows how I have struggled with this "all through the week" preparation! A procrastinator by nature, I tend to leave everything to Friday afternoon. Then there is no joy. There is never delight under pressure. There is only "hurrying, jostling, and impatience." I don't have time to pay attention to what the children are up to, whether or not they are doing their jobs, and, because I desperately need help, I tend to feel that my husband should be doing something different from what he feels he needs to be doing. As the sun takes its last dive, I am frantically rushing around. I have lost the delight and joy and peace that is the whole essence of Sabbath keeping.

Essentially I am learning to work ahead for Sabbath. (Why am I ever learning, Lord? Why can't I honestly say, "This I have learned?") Cleaning the environment, that is, the house, needs to be done all week and not just at the last minute. Then only a few non-hurried last-minute touches need be administered, avoiding the frantic clock-watching so characteristic of a legalistic bent.

When I do prepare all week, before the family gathers for worship, I love to sit in a rocker by our front windows and watch the sun sinking down as beautiful hymns play in the background.

When I do prepare all week, before the family gathers for worship, I love to sit in a rocker by our front windows and watch the sun sinking down as beautiful hymns play in the background. There is something so quieting about being at peace and welcoming in the day---and the Creator of the day. This is what "ceasing" is all about. It is the beginning of rest. And this is precisely why we need to guard "the edges of the Sabbath" (see 6T 356). God said this for us, not for Himself!

Hospitality and Preparation of Food. "We should not provide for the Sabbath a more liberal insupply or a greater variety of food than for other days. Instead of this the food should be more simple" (6T 357).

Simple can be beautiful. My Sabbath guests probably love haystacks as much as the more complicated lunches I sometimes labor over. Maybe haystacks aren't the most beautiful or elegant meal, but I have never been a precisely proper person. I open and heat Worthington Chili to layer over corn chips, add chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and green onions, and top all with an avocado dressing. An almost infinite supply of such ingredients can be kept on the shelf in case we need to invite extra guests at the last minute. Even picky children like haystacks, which is more than I can claim for my zucchini patties. Friday night our family enjoys fruit juice, or, in the winter, herb tea. On Saturday night we like popcorn and a banana smoothie. Each tradition is extremely simple, but saved just for its special time. "Provide something that will be regarded as a treat, something the family do not have every day” (6T 357).

Simple can be beautiful. My Sabbath guests probably love haystacks as much as the more complicated lunches I sometimes labor over.

Our family loves to have company on Sabbaths. I grew up in the mission field, where missionaries fed and housed passers-through regularly. I gave up my bed for a cot in my brothers' room routinely and loved every moment of getting better acquainted with church leaders, other missionaries, and tourists. (These days we lose great blessings by letting our brethren and sisters stay in local motels. Think of the money we cost the church, too!) It seems we had company nearly every day for breakfast, lunch or supper. Doing so wasn't overly burdensome for my mother, because we had a maid. Mother would say, “Moen, we are having four guests for lunch. Here is some extra money for market." Dear Moen would take it from there, plan the menu, do the marketing, cook, set the table, serve the dinner, clear the table, and wash all the dishes! I learned to love a houseful of people.

I am happy that my own family thoroughly enjoys having others over for Sabbath dinner. The children ask, "Who is coming for dinner?" not "Is someone coming?" Fellowship adds a special sparkle to the joyful day as we get to know others by hearing their trials and triumphs in how God has led their lives. A favorite question always is, "And how did you come to know Jesus or become an Adventist?" We hear thrilling stories of God's providence and of battles won with Jesus' help. Many Sabbath afternoons fly quickly.

But hospitality has its limits. I don't have a maid. As much as I love having people around me all the time, sometimes I find that hospitality can squeeze out personal time that I need to spend with Jesus. I get so tired, I cannot physically come into His presence. I sleep when I could be reading and studying and communing. So, as with all good things, we try to be temperate even with hospitality. I need time to be recharged and fed spiritually. And my family understands.

Preparing with Children in Mind. "Much of this [Sabbath] time parents should spend with their children. In many families the younger children are left to themselves to find entertainment as best they can. Left alone, the children soon become restless and begin to play or engage in some kind of mischief. Thus the Sabbath has to them no sacred significance" (6T 358).

One negative aspect of "over-hospitality-ing" is that children tend to congregate with children and adults with adults. Even when we tell folk to bring along walking shoes so we can get out in nature, our walks tend at times to be spent with adults, not with our children. The result? The children, left to themselves, have a hard time remembering how to keep and enjoy and love Sabbath. Left to themselves they do not keep Sabbath at all.

Sabbath can be a point of joy and delight for children, but not if they have to sit still in a boring church, are not allowed to play with their beloved everyday toys, and have to be quiet while big people discuss theological issues on and on forever and ever all afternoon. This should not be. "Parents can make the Sabbath as it should be, the most joyful day of the week" (6T 359).

In our home, evening worships are focused on the children. We sing Scripture songs they love and read Bible stories on their level. Hailing Sabbath is a delight. Sabbath toys are reserved for Sabbath hours. A great favorite is the felt board with the 3-year cycle of Bible felts. It is a sad Sabbath that passes with no time to play with felts, because it is a whole 'nother week until the children have that privilege again.

Even the adults in our home enjoy interacting with the children in charades and in making Bible scenes in nature on a walk. With a bit of forethought, remembering our children, Sabbath can be a delight for the whole family.

Preparation Is What Sanctification Is All About. "The power that created all things is the power that recreates the soul in His own likeness. To those who keep holy the Sabbath day it is the sign of sanctification" (6T 350).

Preparation is infinite. Preparing a research paper, you never have all the data; you're tempted to go on and on researching. When cleaning the house, there is always more. You could do windows, shampoo carpets, wash walls, scrub grout between tiles, and straighten drawers every week. There is always more dirt, always another fingerprint, always more that could be done. Compulsive people cannot be satisfied with half-way jobs. Busy people like you and me have to be realistic. There are some things that just can't get done.

Busy people like you and me have to be realistic. There are some things that just can't get done.

But happily, when the sun sinks we put away compulsions and rejoice in the fact that we don't have to do the not-done jobs, or even worry about them. We can glory in the rest and peace that God's gift of 24 hours bestows.

Sabbath preparation is a type of preparation for Christ's return. We don't have to be compulsive (that is, neurotic) about character development, though we do need to be growing. When Jesus brings us up to a point we have never encountered before, we realize that we cannot do anything about it of ourselves. However, we can choose to put our wills on God's side. We can say, "Lord, there is no way I can do whatever it is. I have tried to do such things on my own and have never succeeded. But You are a God who loves specializing in the impossible and whom I can trust to work in me and change my attitudes and take me to where You want me. I choose Your way.

Now, please Lord, You take over!" We can regularly be making new choices (and rechoices!) and allowing the Lord, who orders all and conquers all, to get victory in us. For a beautiful study on how Sabbath-keeping is related to salvation by faith, see chapters 21 and 29 in The Desire of Ages.

If I struggle with legalistic, up-to-the-last-second Sabbath preparation, then I have missed the whole point of preparation altogether. The Desire of Ages, page 286, reminds us that the Sabbath "was designed to bring men into communion with God; but when [in Christ's day] the mind was absorbed with wearisome rites, the object of the Sabbath was thwarted. Its mere outward observance was mockery." If I am so preoccupied with doing, I miss out on the freedom He extends when we make the choices but depend on Him to empower us. He wants to give victory for and in us. Struggle? O yes, but in a closeness and communion that is precious.

Legalism happens on both sides of salvation. Some of us are so picky about what should and shouldn't be done or worn or shown that we forget the whole spirit of the law. All of Christianity is marred by tortured consciences, critical spirits, and angry justifications. Here is no beauty! Here is no peace! Here is no joy!

Others of us are so busy exploiting God's grace that we forget that it was with great sorrow that God watched Jesus die the wrenching death caused by law breaking. Christ died because there was no way around the law. He died to make doing His will a possibility.

To say that disobedience is unavoidable is to set up our legal system in place of His and to create a legalism all our own. He wants to free us from the shackles that drag us down and that make us indifferent to His power to change us.

To say that disobedience is unavoidable is to set up our legal system in place of His and to create a legalism all our own. He wants to free us from the shackles that drag us down and that make us indifferent to His power to change us.

Somewhere in the middle God is preparing a people, a bride He loves, who has eyes only for Him and who longs to share eternity with Him more than she loves life itself. "This is the patience of the saints, these are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev 14:12). And this is what preparation is all about.

"In order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy. Through faith they must become partakers of the righteous-ness of Christ. When the command was given to Israel, 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,' the Lord said also to them, 'Ye shall be holy men unto Me.' Ex 20:8; 22:31. Only thus could the Sabbath distinguish Israel as the worshipers of God" (The Desire of Ages, p. 283).

Sabbath has the study of salvation wrapped up in it. How we prepare for and keep Sabbath demonstrates whether we live by faith, by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God," by His enabling power. Or it demonstrates that we function by works and grit power---or live presumptuously, believing that God is so loving He'll look the other way and ultimately forgive our infractions. This is why the final crisis has very much to do with how we regard the Sabbath. If we can't keep Sabbath by faith now, maybe we won't ever be able to.

Sabbath Rest Does Not Mean Merely Sleeping. "All heaven is keeping the Sabbath, but not in a listless, do-nothing way. On this day every energy of the soul should be awake, for are we not to meet with God and with Christ our Saviour? We may behold Him by faith. He is longing to refresh and bless every soul" (6T 362).

Sabbath observance does not mean daylong inactivity. Sabbath is not a day for lazing about, getting up late and sleeping all after noon. Some of us have the misunderstanding that "Sabbath rest' is a chance to recharge our batteries by sleeping all day so we can stay up late Saturday night or work intemperately the rest of the week. It is not; for we read, "Let not the precious hours of the Sabbath be wasted in bed" (6T 357).

Nor is the Sabbath a holiday during which we indulge ourselves and do whatever we want to do. This is genuine selfishness---using God's time to please ourselves. We are to turn from doing our "pleasure" on Sabbath, because we are to delight in worshiping God and in serving people in need (see Isa 58). If Sabbath becomes a day for doing whatever we like---relaxing by eating out, playing sports, watching TV---we have forgotten the total intent of rest. "We must be guarded, lest the lax practices that prevail among Sunday keepers shall be followed by those who profess to observe God's holy rest day" (6T 353).

Pastors are not the only ones who should find Sabbath the busiest day of the whole week. Are we not all a "royal priesthood" (2 Pet 2:9)?

Sabbath is a day for the highest spiritual activity. It is a day to teach others of God, a day to worship, a day to spend in spiritual growth. Pastors are not the only ones who should find Sabbath the busiest day of the whole week. Are we not all a "royal priesthood" (2 Pet 2:9)? Jesus spent His time doing good. And it was precisely this doing that got Him into trouble with the authorities. If He had slept all day Sabbath, maybe no one would have argued about His Sabbath observance. But Jesus' Sabbath keeping was totally selfless. He extended Himself, physically helping hurt humanity---though we observe that certain types of physical help He did not provide. He didn't build or paint homes for people, or buy them food. (See The Desire of Ages, pp. 285-286.)

Salvation is not inactivity. While we rest from our labor, we use our highest energies in choosing God and in allowing Him full access to our hearts. We do as He instructs us. We call it obeying. But we trust Him to empower us and give us victory. Such doing doesn't save us by any means, but our highest energies must be employed in submitting and cooperating with Him. The rest of true Sabbath-keeping is a symbol of gospel rest (see Hebrews 4).

Preparation to Meet Jesus. Just as we clean house all week so we aren't left with last minute hassles, keeping our hearts all week, or rather having Jesus keep them, means that come Sabbath we are tuned to sing His praise. I have some suggestions about ways to "keep my heart all week" that have worked for me.

1. We need cleansing from known sin. Often we are pretty lazy about following up on sin, getting it cleaned out and making things right with others. Consciously or unconsciously, we tend to live presumptuously, feeling that if we do "blow it," we'll get forgiven anyway. Little of the Puritan seriousness in dealing with sin remains with us. Often we don't even confess sin at the end of the day but go to bed resting in the loving Jesus who knows us well and (we assume) will forgive us anyway.

After a bath one feels good, clean, invigorated. Spiritual cleansing is also vitalizing. It happens at baptism and foot washing. It can also happen along with the Friday evening bath, a cleansing from sin, a putting away of grievances and other nasty baggage.

2. Fasting, that is, eating very sparingly, has proved to be a wonderfully cleansing discipline in my personal life. At times I have fasted on Fridays in preparation for the Sabbath. Doing so has cleared my mind like nothing else I have ever experienced. Sure, it makes me hungry; this is why I have not attempted to fast when pregnant, nursing, or physically exhausted. When I fast, I go to bed early Friday night and get up very early Sabbath morning, sometimes as early as 2 or 3 a.m., to spend time with Jesus. What a precious clearness of mind I have found as He has taught me beautiful new things during those hallowed hours! Sabbath breakfast, incidentally, becomes a joy in itself. After a fast, even simple store-bought cereal (that we never eat during the week) becomes a repast that angels use to revitalize me for the public worship.

When the enemy of God wished to tear down the joy and delight of Sabbath, he saw to it that early Christians were instructed to keep a Saturday fast so that Sunday could be hailed with joy. I have found that a Friday fast, far from being a legalistic "do," is a privilege precious.

I have found that a Friday fast, far from being a legalistic "do," is a privilege precious.

Worship after a fast is clean, it is sharp, it is discerning, it is non-muddled. The Holy Spirit can speak to me as at no other time.

Preparation Is Not an End in Itself. The whole purpose of advance food preparation, house cleaning, yes, and bath taking, is to afford God a temple ready and waiting for Him. Most crucial is the preparation of our minds and hearts. If we spend Sabbath mentally in a client's office on Monday morning, or in dread of a horrible exam, or lamenting the leaves that didn't get raked, even though we are not physically transgressing, our minds are anxious. We are not really remembering the Sabbath. God can sweep all that mind stuff away just as surely as we vacuum the dining room rug when the kids spill the rice.

When God sweeps He never leaves a void (see Matt 12:43-45). As we replace worry---effort with Bible study and prayer, the Spirit comes near to shine on us and guide us to real freedom.

Personal worship can be intimate, but congregational worship can be magnificent.

When, at church, the opening hymn speaks to a special need that we've been facing all week, tears start unbeckoned. Maybe the sermon is long and dry to others, but as we attentively take notes, the Holy Spirit alerts us to a passing comment that takes us off on our own spiritual rendezvous with Jesus, or we discover that the sermon uses a "new" scripture, that speaks to a dilemma we currently face.

God lays open all the treasures of His grace to those who praise Him collectively. Personal worship can be intimate, but congregational worship can be magnificent. How encouraging it is to hear an answer to prayer, a Scripture read with meaning, a choir that sings gloriously. Even a stumbling pianist can offer praise, offering her two mites to His glory. Bigness, grandeur, can evoke emotions of worship but certainly are not necessary. Jesus walked in humble places with us years ago, and He looks for humble places and longing worshipers to grace and bless today.

Worship services never need seem dry when we are personally prepared. Conversely, the most spiritual worship service constructed by a talented pastor and splendid musicians can go by unappreciated and unabsorbed when we approach worship unprepared.

When God wanted to meet the Israelites at Sinai, He gave them time to prepare environment, body, and heart. The Israelites made an effort, but when God spoke they drew back in fear, finding themselves unready for their encounter with God. They had cleansed their camp but not their hearts. They begged Moses to face God for them and promised, "All that the Lord says we will do!" with the best of intentions.

Let us not lose out on our privilege of meeting God with heart and soul because we are unprepared. Let us instead "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)" (Heb 10:22-23 KJV).