"Let no remarks be made as though it were a very light thing whether we regard the special requirements of God in regard to the Sabbath or not. It is not left to any man or woman to venture to disregard any commandment of God."
The Seventh Day of the Week, referred to below as the Seventh-Day Sabbath, should be the best and happiest day of the week for all the members of the family. Preparation includes preparing our homes, clothing, food, relationships, minds, offerings, bodies and Sabbath School lessons, among other things. Lack of preparation limits God's blessings upon the day, results in a dissatisfying experience, and robs the participants of the joys that have been promised. In the next paragraphs I share quotations from Ellen White on the subject, as well as a few other suggestions, that you will find helpful in preparing for the Sabbath.
It strikes me in writing, however, that one of the most helpful things that can be done in preparing for the Sabbath on a long-term basis comes in the proper choice of a life partner. If you are still single, make sure that you only align your life with an individual who loves the Lord, has accepted the truth of the Seventh-day Sabbath, and wants to make the Sabbath a joyous and holy day. Rose and I have discovered in our travels that some Adventist believers made poor choices, connected themselves with unbelievers, and therefore find themselves in situations where it is very hard for the family to make the Sabbath a joyous and holy day.—Dan
The word "Keep" refers to obeying God and making sure His Seventh-Day Sabbath is observed in holy manner.
"Carelessness in the observance of the Sabbath has crept in among us as a people. Many have sought to please themselves rather than to honor God. If we would enjoy the blessing of the Lord, the Sabbath-day must be kept holy. All cooking should be done on Friday. On the camp-ground, when the mornings are cool, hot water or hot gruel should be provided. In winter, at our homes, the food previously cooked should be warmed before it is eaten. In warm weather this is unnecessary. Divine mercy has directed that the sick and suffering should be cared for; the labor required to do this is a work of necessity, and no violation of the Sabbath. { ST May 25, 1882, Art. B, par. 4 }
At our annual gatherings we assemble to seek the Lord, to humble ourselves before him, to search diligently our own hearts, and to learn whether we are in the faith. How inconsistent for us, on such an occasion, to make eating and drinking our chief business. The one day in seven, which God has sanctified, should be observed in accordance with the commandment. { ST May 25, 1882, Art. B, par. 5 }
If we would preserve health and clearness of mind, we should eat temperately of plain, wholesome food. Those who have been accustomed to eat three meals would experience benefit from taking only two meals of simple food, prepared in a simple manner. If we had bread and water only, we should receive it with thankfulness; but we are not yet compelled to confine ourselves to this restricted diet. I am convinced, however, that very many would find it a great advantage to partake of a much plainer diet on the Sabbath than on the working days of the week. { ST May 25, 1882, Art. B, par. 6 }
The violation of the fourth commandment is not confined to the preparation of food. Many carelessly put off blacking their boots, and shaving, until after the beginning of the Sabbath. This should not be. If any neglect to do such work on a working day, they should have respect enough for God’s holy time to let their beards remain unshaven, their boots rough and brown, until the Sabbath is past. This might help their memory, and make them more careful to do their own work on the six working days." { ST May 25, 1882, Art. B, par. 7 }
At every camp-meeting, instruction should be given on all these points [Preparing for the Sabbath)] How can we expect the special blessing of God, unless we shun with abhorrence the smallest sin. We should choose to suffer inconvenience, loss, or privation, rather than disregard the instructions of the Lord. Our lack of spirituality has been caused by our own course. We have gradually and insensibly chosen to please ourselves instead of seeking to honor God. Christian perfection consists in the complete harmony of our will with the will of our Creator. The inhabitants of Heaven find, in obeying the will of God, their joy and blessedness. { ST May 25, 1882, Art. B, par. 8 }
If you desire your children to observe the Sabbath according to the commandment, you must teach them by both precept and example. The deep engraving of truth in the heart is never wholly effaced. It may be obscured, but can never be obliterated. The impressions made in early life will be seen in after years. Circumstances may occur to separate the children from their parents and their home, but as long as they live the instruction given in childhood and youth will be a blessing. { 6T 359.3}
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. { 6T 355.3}
The Sabbath of the Lord is to be made a blessing to us and to our children. They are to look upon the Sabbath as a day of delight, a day which God has sanctified; and they will so consider it if they are properly instructed. {Ms3-1879}
All through the week we are to have the Sabbath in mind and be making preparation to keep it according to the commandment. ... {CCh 262.3} In all that pertains to the success of God’s work, the very first victories are to be won in the home life. Here the preparation for the Sabbath must begin. Throughout the week let parents remember that their home is to be a school in which their children shall be prepared for the courts above. Let their words be right words. No words which their children should not hear are to escape their lips. Let the spirit be kept free from irritation. Parents, during the week live as in the sight of a holy God, who has given you children to train for Him. Train for Him the little church in your home, that on the Sabbath all may be prepared to worship in the Lord’s sanctuary. Each morning and evening present your children to God as His blood-bought heritage. Teach them that it is their highest duty and privilege to love and serve God. {CCh 262.4} When the Sabbath is thus remembered, the temporal will not be allowed to encroach upon the spiritual. No duty pertaining to the six working days will be left for the Sabbath. During the week our energies will not be so exhausted in temporal labor that on the day when the Lord rested and was refreshed we shall be too weary to engage in His service. While preparation for the Sabbath is to be made all through the week, 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.” “And the people went about, and gathered it [the manna], and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it.” Exodus 16:23; Numbers 11:8. 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. {CCh 262.5}
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. {CCh 263.2}
Let us all allow our workers, if possible, the hours from noon on Friday until the beginning of the Sabbath. Relieve them, that they may prepare to meet the Lord’s day with quietude of mind. Let all the work of preparation, cleansing the body, blacking the boots, be finished early, and the family assemble early to read the Word, to sing and pray before the Sabbath shall begin. You will be no losers temporally. Let us study this, for we have all been remiss. We need to confess to God and to one another, and begin anew to make special arrangements, that every member of the family may be prepared to greet the Sabbath, with every preparation made, to honor the Lord’s day, that He has sanctified and blessed. {Lt4-1898.36}
Far more sacredness is attached to the Sabbath than we give it, and our neglect in this is the reason why we do not realize its sanctifying power upon our own hearts, or obtain that peace and rest that we should have. We do not realize that it is a day wherein the Lord delights to reveal Himself to His people in a marked manner. Every moment of the Sabbath is consecrated, holy time. On that day all secular, irreligious papers should be put out of sight, that the eyes may not be diverted, that the ears may not hear harsh, discordant words. The Lord would have every one respect the Sabbath. “Ye shall keep the Sabbath,” He says; “for it is holy unto you.” “Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generation, that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” {Lt22-1897}
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. { 6T 355.3}
Let Friday morning come into consideration as the last of the six days of labor and have Friday a day of binding off, not accumulating work. This day is preparation day. We would come up to the Sabbath with our work closed up in proper shape and not dragging into the Sabbath. We must commence in the morning to look after every piece of clothing if we have neglected to do this through the week, that our garments may be neat and orderly and comely to appear in the place where God’s people assemble to worship Him. There must be no garments left to be pinned together, to supply the stitches which should have been taken the day before. {Ms62-1896.41}
Let Friday morning come into consideration as the last of the six days of labor and have Friday a day of binding off, not accumulating work. This day is preparation day. We would come up to the Sabbath with our work closed up in proper shape and not dragging into the Sabbath. ... Entering upon new business should be avoided, if possible, but endeavor to close up the things already started that are half accomplished. Prepare everything connected with the household matters so that there shall be freedom from worries, and the mind be prepared to rest and to meditate upon heavenly things. {Ms62-1896.41}
Exodus 16:23 (NKJV) "Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’”
The Sabbath should be as sacredly observed on the campground as it is in our homes. We should not let the bustle and excitement around us detract from its sacred dignity. No cooking should be done on that day. The instruction which God gave to Israel should not be disregarded: “Bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe;” “for to-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord.” Exodus 16:23. God meant what He said when He gave these directions, and shall we, who are presenting to the people the claims of the divine law, break that law ourselves, merely to please the appetite? God forbid. There has sometimes been almost as much cooking done on the Sabbath as on other days, and the blessing of God has been shut out by our failure to honor Him in keeping the Sabbath according to the commandment. {Ms8-1882} All needful preparation should be made beforehand. On Sabbath morning if the weather is cool, let hot gruel or something equally simple be provided, and for dinner some kind of food may be warmed. Further than this, all cooking should be avoided as a violation of the Sabbath. {Ms8-1882}
Persons inclined to doubt the application of those ancient laws still scruple to cook food on the Sabbath, but merely rewarm what has been previously cooked, though one might question why there is more offense in baking or boiling what has been prepared before hand, than in rebaking or reboiling, or restewing, what has been already cooked.” Did our sister take the Word of God just as it reads? The Lord has said, “Tomorrow is the rest of the Holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Bake that ye will bake today, and seeth that ye will seeth, and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept for you until tomorrow.” {Ms21-1897} Speak not lightly of the restrictions paced upon Israel in Sinai, regarding the cooking of manna. The Lord has placed barriers around His Sabbath, that it may not be regarded with the least carelessness or irreverence. When the Lord said, Tomorrow is the rest day of the holy Sabbath; bake that ye will bake today, and seeth that ye will seeth,” he means that Friday shall be our preparation day on which we are to do all our cooking. The Sabbath is not to be a day went [when] tidbits shall be prepared or cooked. If it is really essential to have beans on the Sabbath, let them be cooked on Friday, and kept warm in the oven. They need not be eaten cold unless preferred. But let no remarks be made as though it were a very light thing whether we regard the special requirements of God in regard to the Sabbath or not. It is not left to any man or woman to venture to disregard any commandment of God. {Ms21-1897} I see no question in this matter as to what we shall have on the Sabbath day. The food which we have provided on the preparation day can be placed on the table warm, especially on cold weather. In travelling, persons eat cold lunches for days together and realize no inconvenience or harm. We want palatable, healthful food every day of the week. But upon the Sabbath let your cook have her day of rest, in place of cooking for a family. Let every provision be made on Friday, but do not let the Sabbath be regarded as a day in which to get something especially gratifying to eat. Educate your children and every member of the family to enjoy plain, simple food, and to be far more anxious to be in a waiting, quiet state of mind, to receive the blessing which the Lord of the Sabbath is waiting to bestow upon all who are in an attitude to receive it. {Ms21-1897}
And let us not come to the camp-meeting to break the Sabbath by cooking on that day. The instructions which God gave to Israel should not be disregarded: “Bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe;” for “tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord.” God meant what he said; and shall we who are presenting to the people the claims of the divine law, break that law ourselves, merely to please the appetite? God forbid! I know that frequently the Lord has withheld his blessing because we have failed to honor him by keeping the Sabbath according to the commandment. There has sometimes been nearly as much cooking done on the Sabbath as on other days. I would prefer to eat bread and water only, rather than to run any risk of breaking the fourth commandment. All needful preparation for the Sabbath should be made on Friday. On Sabbath morning, if the weather is cool, let hot gruel be provided. Further than this, all cooking should be avoided as a violation of the Sabbath. { RH May 8, 1883, par. 10 }
Please understand that preparing food ahead of time that is heated upon the Sabbath does not constitute "cooking" on the Sabbath.—Dan
All who are really anxious to observe the Sabbath according to the commandment, will not cook any food upon the Sabbath. They will, in the fear of that God who gave his law from Sinai, deny themselves, and eat food prepared upon the sixth day, even if it is not so palatable. God forbade the children of Israel’s baking and boiling upon the Sabbath. That prohibition should be regarded by every Sabbath-keeper, as a solemn injunction from Jehovah to them. The Lord would guard his people from indulging in gluttony upon the Sabbath, which he has set apart for sacred meditation and worship. {1SP 225.2} The Sabbath of the Lord is a day of rest from labor; and the diet upon that day should be more simple, and partaken of in less quantities, than upon the six laboring days, because we do not have that exercise upon the Sabbath that we have upon the other days of the week. Many have erred in not practicing self-denial upon the Sabbath. By partaking of full meals, as on the six laboring days, their minds are beclouded; they are stupid, and often drowsy; some suffer with headache. Such have no truly-devotional feelings upon the Sabbath, and the blessing resting upon the Sabbath does not prove a blessing to them. {1SP 226.1}
The sick and suffering require care and attention upon the Sabbath, as well as upon the other six days of the week; and it may be necessary for their comfort to prepare warm food and drinks upon the Sabbath. In such instances, it is no violation of the fourth commandment to make them as comfortable as possible. The great Lawgiver is a God of compassion, as well as of justice. {1SP 226.1}
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"
Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
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. { 6T 356.2}
The Sabbath day should be spent to the glory of God. Let everyone take time to humble his heart before God, and clear away all the rubbish from the soul temple. If bitter feelings have been cherished, or there are wrongs to be confessed, let every barrier be removed. Has anyone spoken evil of his brother, or placed an occasion of stumbling in his brother's way? Let him realize that this is a sin to be repented of. {9MR 96.4}
When difficulties arise among church-members, let them be cleared away before the Sabbath comes. This should be regarded as a Christian duty by every church-member. “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, ... and be ye thankful.” Are you troubled and perplexed? Sweep away the rubbish that has been accumulating before the door of the heart, and open the door, inviting Jesus to come in and abide as an honored guest. Bring peace and comfort into your own heart and the hearts of others. This is most blessed missionary work. {RH July 21, 1904, par. 9}
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 5:16.472 {CCh 263.3}
Nothing which will in the sight of Heaven be regarded as a violation of the holy Sabbath should be left unsaid or undone, to be said or done upon the Sabbath.
There needs to be much more close investigation of the week past. Review it and see if, as a branch of the living Vine, you have drawn nourishment from the parent Vine to bear much fruit to the glory of God. If there has been feverish excitement, if hasty words have been spoken, if passion has been revealed, these have surely been the working on Satan’s side of the question. Clear the heart by confession. Sincerely make everything right before the Sabbath. Examine your own selves, whether ye be in the faith. We need to guard our own souls constantly, lest we make a great profession but, like the flourishing fig tree spreading its branches in pretentious foliage, reveal no precious fruit. Christ is hungering to see and receive fruit. Leaves of profession without fruit are to Christ just as worthless as those of the fig tree which He cursed. {Ms62-1896.42}
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. { 6T 356.3}
1 Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
The directions given by the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul in regard to gifts, present a principle that applies also to tithing: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.” Parents and children are here included. Not only the rich, but the poor, are addressed. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart [through the candid consideration of God’s prescribed plan], so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” The gifts are to be made in consideration of the great goodness of God to us. { CS 80.1} And what more appropriate time could be chosen for setting aside the tithe and presenting our offerings to God? On the Sabbath we have thought upon His goodness. We have beheld His work in creation as an evidence of His power in redemption. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness for His great love. And now, before the toil of a week begins, we return to Him His own, and with it an offering to testify our gratitude. Thus our practice will be a weekly sermon, declaring that God is the possessor of all our property, and that He has made us stewards to use it to His glory. Every acknowledgment of our obligation to God will strengthen the sense of obligation. Gratitude deepens as we give it expression, and the joy it brings is life to soul and body.—The Review and Herald, February 4, 1902. { CS 80.2}
Those who occupy a leading position in the church must not exhaust their physical and mental strength, so that on the Sabbath they are unable to bring any of the vivifying influence of the gospel of Christ into the Sabbath meetings. Do less temporal, every day labor; but do not rob the Lord by giving Him service on the Sabbath day which He cannot accept. You should not be as men who have no spiritual life. The people need your help on the Sabbath. Give them food from the Word, if not in a discourse, in an interesting Bible reading. {Lt22-1897}
There are many children who plead a lack of time as a reason why their Sabbath school lessons are not learned; but there are few who could not find time to learn their lessons if they had an interest in them. Some devote time to amusement and sight-seeing; others, to the needless trimming of their dresses for display, thus cultivating pride and vanity. The precious hours thus prodigally spent are God’s time, for which they must render an account to Him. The hours spent in needless ornamentation, or in amusements and idle conversation, will, with every work, be brought into judgment.—Testimonies on Sabbath-School Work, 8. { CSW 56.1}
As a means of intellectual training, the opportunities of the Sabbath are invaluable. Let the Sabbath-school lesson be learned, not by a hasty glance at the lesson scripture on Sabbath morning, but by careful study for the next week on Sabbath afternoon, with daily review or illustration during the week. Thus the lesson will become fixed in the memory, a treasure never to be wholly lost. {Ed 251.3}
The Sabbath-school affords precious opportunities and privileges for the young. Parents should highly prize these advantages, and show their children that they appreciate them. If they manifest no decided interest in the school themselves, they cannot expect their children to do so. In the Sabbath school, parents may be learners as well as the children. Both parents and children should seek to have a knowledge of the Scriptures. Other books should be secondary to the word of God. Christ has said, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.” We ought all of us to be better acquainted with the prophecies than we are, and to have a more thorough knowledge of the practical lessons of Christ. If we merely read the Scriptures uninterestedly, we cannot become intelligent in the truths therein contained. {ST June 23, 1881, par. 36} Parents should search the Scriptures with their children. They should become familiar with the lessons themselves, then they can assist their children in learning them. Every day some portion of time should be appropriated to the study of the lessons, not merely in learning to mechanically repeat the words, while the mind does not comprehend the meaning; but to go to the very foundation, and become familiar with what is brought out in the lesson. The indifference of the children, in very many cases, is chargeable to the parents. They are indifferent, and the children catch the same spirit. If parents show that they attach importance to the Sabbath school, by giving it respect and prominence, the children will generally copy their example. {ST June 23, 1881, par. 37} Parents should have a thorough understanding with their family that the sacred hours of the Sabbath are to be spent to God’s glory. They should be up with the sun, and have plenty of time to prepare for Sabbath-school without getting into a rush, and perhaps losing self-control. If the proper preparations have been made the previous day, there will be abundance of time to review the lesson studied during the week; and both parents and children can go to the school with the assurance that they have the lessons well learned. {ST June 23, 1881, par. 38}
On Friday the clothing of the children, looked after during the week, should be all laid out by their own hands under the direction of the mother, so that they can dress quietly, without any confusion, or rushing about, and hasty speeches. {BEcho February 13, 1899, par. 8}
When my children were small we had a large family of adopted children. We would have our work [put] away before the setting of the sun. The children would hail the Sabbath as a joy. They would say, Now father and mother will give us some of their time. We would take them out for a walk. We would take the Bible and some religious instruction to read to them, and explain to them the Scriptures. We would keep praying that they should know the truth of God’s Word. We would not lie abed Sabbath mornings because it was Sabbath. We would have our preparations all ready the day before so that we could go to service without the hurry and worry. We would not stroll off and have a nice time to ourselves. We wanted our children to have all the privileges and blessings of God’s sanctified rest day. {Ms26-1894}
Many carelessly put off until the beginning of the Sabbath little things that should have been done on the day of preparation. This should not be. Any work that is neglected until the commencement of holy time, should remain undone until the Sabbath is past. This course might help the memory of these thoughtless ones, and make them more careful to do their own work on the six working days. – {ST May 20, 1886 Par. 9}
The violation of the fourth commandment is not confined to the preparation of food. Many carelessly put off blacking their boots, and shaving, until after the beginning of the Sabbath. This should not be. If any neglect to do such work on a working day, they should have respect enough for God’s holy time to let their beards remain unshaven, their boots rough and brown, until the Sabbath is past. This might help their memory, and make them more careful to do their own work on the six working days. { ST May 25, 1882, Art. B, par. 7 }
Unless otherwise indicated all of these quotations come from the writings of Mrs. Ellen G. White.