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Before the Sabbath begins, the mind as well as the body should be withdrawn from worldly business.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!

Amen!(50)

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“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27

Photo by Curtis Hall

To my fellow Seventh-day Adventists, defenders, and champions of the Ten Commandments, something seems to be wrong with our observance of the Sabbath. I know I am speaking to only a segment of our church family, so I ask your indulgence if this does not apply to you.

I’ve grown up in this faith, and many of my family members are loyal Seventh-day Adventists. I’ve attended churches of all sizes from a congregation of a handful to the thousands. I’ve lived in rural locations where life is slower and more relaxed. I also have years of urban living coupled with the bustle of church ministry, which is more likely related to what follows.

In preparing for this Sabbath, I was confronted anew with the purpose of the Sabbath. I reviewed how Christ had to push past the Sabbath traditions that had made the Sabbath a burden to the ordinary people. In their zeal to “protect” the sanctity of the Sabbath, religious leaders created an atmosphere that did the exact opposite.

Most striking about that situation was that the people who were burdened down with the stipulations of the Sabbath were unable of their own to set a new direction. It was Christ who gave light to a people sitting in darkness–people who thought they were the light.

Instead of a hard and exacting God, Christ showed the real character of the God we serve.

“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalms 86:15

Our Sabbath observance should lead to the same revelation. Nothing can be more important than knowing God better, and the Sabbath should help us do that.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3

In many of our churches this Sabbath we will proudly recite the Fourth Commandment found in Exodus 20:8-11. It begins with an admonition to remember the day and how it must be observed in holiness. It goes on to speak of the Creator of all things, leaving no ambiguity about the origin of our world. It even sets boundaries for us to aid in our observance of this special day.

From there, we’ll go on to have great music and hopefully a powerful, insightful sermon. We’ll worship and praise in our various ways. But what happens after the service ends? Here is where we are challenged to grow.

Somehow over the years, the focus of the Sabbath has shifted to exclusively what happens indoors in our various churches. The example of Christ teaching by seashores, fields, and on scenic mountain vistas is lost in this day and age. No longer is the lesson book of nature seen as vital to our spiritual growth. We have put all of our eggs into the basket of corporate worship.

There is irony in the fact that as we repeat the commandment of creation, we find so little time to commune with our God through His creation. Many lessons about God are only learned by doing so and to neglect this means of interacting with God stunts our growth.

“So through the creation we are to become acquainted with the Creator. The book of nature is a great lesson book, which in connection with the Scriptures we are to use in teaching others of His character, and guiding lost sheep back to the fold of God. As the works of God are studied, the Holy Spirit flashes conviction into the mind. It is not the conviction that logical reasoning produces; but unless the mind has become too dark to know God, the eye too dim to see Him, the ear too dull to hear His voice, a deeper meaning is grasped, and the sublime, spiritual truths of the written word are impressed on the heart.

In these lessons direct from nature, there is a simplicity and purity that makes them of the highest value. All need the teaching to be derived from this source. In itself the beauty of nature leads the soul away from sin and worldly attractions, and toward purity, peace, and God. Too often the minds of students are occupied with men’s theories and speculations, falsely called science and philosophy. They need to be brought into close contact with nature. Let them learn that creation and Christianity have one God. Let them be taught to see the harmony of the natural with the spiritual. Let everything which their eyes see or their hands handle be made a lesson in character building. Thus the mental powers will be strengthened, the character developed, the whole life ennobled.

Christ’s purpose in parable teaching was in direct line with the purpose of the Sabbath. God gave to men the memorial of His creative power, that they might discern Him in the works of His hand. The Sabbath bids us behold in His created works the glory of the Creator. And it was because He desired us to do this that Jesus bound up His precious lessons with the beauty of natural things. On the holy rest day, above all other days, we should study the messages that God has written for us in nature. We should study the Saviour’s parables where He spoke them, in the fields and groves, under the open sky, among the grass and flowers. As we come close to the heart of nature, Christ makes His presence real to us, and speaks to our hearts of His peace and love.” Ellen White, Christ Object Lessons, pages 24, 25

We need every opportunity to develop into the men and women God expects us to be. Those sacred hours, if rightly used, are designed to bring us closer to God. From Sabbath to Sabbath we see God’s love for man and in return, if we allow it, that love will lead us to love Him more. We need the Sabbath.

Here are a few Hit the Mark questions for this week’s lesson discussion:

• What does “observing the Sabbath” mean to you?
• What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy?
• Is it possible to keep a day holy if the person is not holy? Why or why not?
• Isn’t it true that the main function of the Sabbath is to come together for worship? Why or why not?
• Self-reflection question:  Is your Sabbath observance more about what you should not do or what you can do?
• What, if anything, can be learned in nature that cannot be learned from a church service?
• Is the following statement True, Mostly True, Somewhat True or Not True: The more time you spend in church on Sabbath, the better your Christian experience will be. Explain your answer.

We close this week’s lesson with familiar words from Jeremiah 9:23, 24. Proper Sabbath observance should have this end in mind:

Thus says the Lord:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

Until next week, let’s all continue to Hit the Mark in Sabbath School!

Amen!(0)

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As we have seen, Sabbath was an ingrained part of the lifecycle of the Israelite nation. But the Sabbath principle was not just about a day each week. It also included a special rest each seventh year, culminating in the year of jubilee after seven sets of seven years, meaning each 50th year.

Read Leviticus 25:1-7. What is remarkable about this kind of instruction? In what possible ways could you incorporate this kind of principle into your life and work?

Rest for the Land

The Sabbath year allowed the farm land to lie fallow for the year. It is a remarkable act of stewarding the land, and the wisdom of this as an agricultural practice has been recognized widely.

The seventh year was also significant for slaves (see Exod. 21:1-11). In the event that any of the Israelites became so indebted as to sell themselves into slavery, they were to be freed in the seventh year. Similarly, outstanding debts were to be canceled at the end of the seventh year (see Deut. 15:1-11).

Like the manna God provided to the Israelites in the wilderness, not planting crops for a season was an act of trust that God would provide enough in the previous year and from what the ground produced by itself in the Sabbath year. Similarly, to release slaves and cancel debts was an act of mercy but also an act of trust in the power of God to provide for our needs. In a sense, the people needed to learn that they didn’t have to oppress others in order to provide for themselves.

The principles and pattern of the Sabbath were to be closely tied to the structure of the Israelite society as a whole. Similarly, contemporary Sabbath keeping should be a spiritual discipline that transforms all our other days. In a practical sense, the Sabbath is one way of living out Jesus’ instructions to seek first His kingdom: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs … and he will give you everything you need” (Matt. 6:32-33, NLT).

Amen!(0)

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