Preparing the Heart for the Sabbath

[Sam Jer]

Greetings everyone, I hope everyone had a blessed Sabbath.

I have, from time to time, encountered talk about preparing spiritually for the Sabbath, and not just physical preperation such as making sure you do not have to do some work on the Sabbath. It is even explicit in the larger catechism:

Q. 117. How is the sabbath or the Lord’s day to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath or Lord’s day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day, not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful; and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy) in the public and private exercises of God’s worship: and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose, and seasonably to despatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day.

There is also a certain duh factor in it: of course, if it is true that you are not to speak your own words or even think your own thoughts on the Sabbath, and if it is true that your thoughts in the first waking minutes of any given day will be largely determined by things you did or thought upon the previous day, some measure of heart preperation has to be a duty.

Now this is not something I am particularly diligent at. I usually do try to think on spiritual matters before going to sleep on saturday, and maybe even read right before going to sleep, but that is about it. Probably as a result, I need to remind myself it is the Lord's Day and change my frame of mind when I get up. I am then often spending the entire morning fighting distractions to a much greater degree than I have to do by the evening (though I have little to no control of my sorroundings so external distractions come with the same force all day long).

Of course it doesn't help that I am often slated for the saturday evening shift at work, which ends very late so by the time I am home I only have half an hour to get the last preperations done, including showering and the like, before midnight (which I use to define the Lord's Day, though in the event that I am up past midnight on sunday evening I continue to treat the day as the Sabbath until I go to sleep). The fact that the shift is slow enough to pop in a headphone and hear a podcast or sermon has helped marginally at times, but the temptation to choose a podcast rather than a sermon often get's the better of me.

I think it is a good idea to have a little discussion of what others do to prepare their hearts for the Sabbath during the six days of work and how well it works. And what better time to post the thread than on a monday, giving us time to implement some of the advice during the week before the next Lord's Day?

 

[EmilyF]

Thank you for another edifying thread idea!

I sympathise with your situation. Sadly, though I have more preparation time than you, I end up quite distracted at times and wrestle with my carnal mind a lot. Your diligence in comparison puts shame upon me, to be honest.

I think with some people no amount of Sabbath preparation on Saturday can fully help, sadly. As you rightly point out, our whole lifestyle affects our thoughts towards God. We don't realise how distracted we are until we try to abandon thoughts of our worldly employments and try to monitor our thoughts.

As I realised once and have held dear ever since, the fourth commandment includes "six days shalt thou labour" as a positive command apart from the actual Sabbath itself. I have noticed that probably half of my sabbath-breaking thoughts have been due to worries about the week to come and could have been avoided by completing tasks in the previous week. It all culminates in avoiding sloth and prioritising our duties in the world and with God. This is something I need to work on.

Even so, the aspect, which I think you are the rather hinting at, of spiritual thoughts throughout the week, must be addressed for all. Good ideas include reading the Bible more than just in worship (2x a day), reading godly magazines or books (magazines can help if you will get interrupted and easily forget context as short articles are provided), and ejaculatory prayer at work. Although we must come before God in all holy reverence, we must not make this a hindrance to come to him at all or postpone necessary prayer. For magazines, I thoroughly enjoy the Free Grace Broadcaster from Chapel Library, $20 of which is offered free each month with free shipping, which features articles from mainly puritan authors. Of course I also recommend our own FPM and YPM (Young People's) as well.

I hope this has helped. I look forward to further conversation on this topic!

 

[Afterthought]

My pastor sends out sermon notes, which I look over. It also helps to start making a transition on Saturday evening to gradually think more about spiritual things, as if it were a Sabbath day. It isn't one--if you have other things you need to do or want to talk about, go for it. But start sprinkling into your words, thoughts, and actions such matter. When to start it? I'd suggest at least a few hours before bed with increasing the transition as time gets closer to bed. You know your own frame and what you need: I personally choose around 3 hours before I go to bed.

It also helps throughout the whole Saturday to keep in mind that the Sabbath is the next day. That can help get you read for the transition!

When we didn't have a pastor and sermon notes, the pulpit supply often preached consecutively through books, so I would try to read the passage that I guessed he might preach on and try to think up points that he might preach.



Maybe listening to some psalm singing might be a bit easier while you work, while helping you think about the Sabbath?

 

[Sam Jer]

Maybe listening to some psalm singing might be a bit easier while you work, while helping you think about the Sabbath?

Interesting suggestion, but I don't think what I am listening to will make the diffrence. Plus the music playing at the store may interfere. Humming or quietly singing ones I have memorized would be an idea, however.

I think with some people no amount of Sabbath preparation on Saturday can fully help, sadly. As you rightly point out, our whole lifestyle affects our thoughts towards God. We don't realise how distracted we are until we try to abandon thoughts of our worldly employments and try to monitor our thoughts.

As I realised once and have held dear ever since, the fourth commandment includes "six days shalt thou labour" as a positive command apart from the actual Sabbath itself. I have noticed that probably half of my sabbath-breaking thoughts have been due to worries about the week to come and could have been avoided by completing tasks in the previous week.

This is so true. Perhaps something to do would be to sit on some other day and try to think what kinds of things distracts one on the Sabbath. Perhaps it would even reveal what can be done in spiritual preperation, by noting which distraction do not come from not doing something during the week.

Good ideas include reading the Bible more than just in worship (2x a day), reading godly magazines or books (magazines can help if you will get interrupted and easily forget context as short articles are provided), and ejaculatory prayer at work.

I guess one difficulty I run into with books is that theological books do not always necessarily turn you to spiritual thoughts, and even the ones that do can be read on a merely intellectual level if that makes sense. Right now I am reading Owen's Death of Death (along with a book on church history and a book on logic) and am running into that problem. I suppose that magazines that are recommended for this very purpose are less likely to have that problem as long as one guards one's own attitude, though I will have to check if they exist online because I am not going to have 'em shipped here every time. I don't exactly live in a Christian country.

 

[EmilyF]

This is so true. Perhaps something to do would be to sit on some other day and try to think what kinds of things distracts one on the Sabbath. Perhaps it would even reveal what can be done in spiritual preperation, by noting which distraction do not come from not doing something during the week.

Good idea. I recommend the Directory once again and Scudder's Daily Walk.

I guess one difficulty I run into with books is that theological books do not always necessarily turn you to spiritual thoughts, and even the ones that do can be read on a merely intellectual level if that makes sense. Right now I am reading Owen's Death of Death (along with a book on church history and a book on logic) and am running into that problem.

You have to have theology books on one hand and spiritual ones on the other. Pastoral puritan books and meditative books are the best. Something like Hugh Martin's Shadow of Calvary seems suitable. Or Swinnock's Incomparableness. If even after that distinction you are stuck, you should try to meditate on what is being said rather than taking it as bare information. If you are stuck, more Scripture reading may be needed and ditch the book - especially read and sing the Psalms.

I suppose that magazines that are recommended for this very purpose are less likely to have that problem as long as one guards one's own attitude, though I will have to check if they exist online because I am not going to have 'em shipped here every time. I don't exactly live in a Christian country.

FGB is freely shipped to many countries. Regardless, FPM, YPM and FGB are free online. As the FP site closes, ensure that you download the ones you want! The YPM is not to be scoffed at as although a couple of articles are for younger children they are all incredibly useful to young Christians.

 

[No Other Name]

Disclaimer: not every believer's experience is the same as another's. I know this fully before I write this.

One would be surprised how easier preparation gets when one cuts out the number and frequency of worldly diversions on the whole even. At the everyday level.

What I mean is that I used to focus hard on working 6 days and finding work on Saturday was not too difficult when one is a homeowner (sadly for it is not work I enjoy but I do it because I simply have to).

And now Lord's day whoo hoo!

Yet I had kept myself so busy and the "itch" for entertainment was so starved from the lack of screentime during the 6 days that the call to pray, read the Bible, watch sermons was even more difficult than it was before the time where my 6 days had an increase in chores and a decrease in entertainment.

So in response: no more subscriptions, no more streaming and a thorough purge of only a few pieces of entertainment in case of the rare slow week (the forced holidays we have due to our workplaces calling off the entirety of time before Christmas to after New Years).

This is where that which was neutral or permissible (Star Trek for example) was not edifying and God was using this experiment to dull and decrease and (maybe?) cut out that item forever. That has to be seen yet.

So I always found it easy to prepare (eg. save the Jeremiah commentary by Ryken for Lod's Day after church, sermon discussion at dinner, family worship) but not so easy to quiet the world - particularly on the Lord's Day - not for a while anyway. But now with the lack of these things even in existence, it has gotten much easier to focus and rest in Him alone with the families - both church and household.

So now my family are the "Amish" in our church (even though that is relative to who in church is calling us that; to us when we visit their houses they are downright hedonistic in entertainment on their shelves)


God bless you all

 

[alexanderjames]

I have little to no control of my surroundings

I suspect this and your late Saturday shift is the primary source of your difficulty.

Making physical preparations on Saturday (mainly consisting of things like house-work, shopping, preparation for 'Sunday school', etc) largely frames my mind towards the Lord's Day. In so doing, I am freed up from cares of this kind, and if time permits am free to enjoy lawful recreations, and get to bed at a time that allows plenty of physical rest.
Strictly speaking I don't consider any particular special heart-preparations are required more-so than what is required in the overall Christian life, through self-examination, meditation, prayer, etc, so that we are walking wisely and in good conscience with God, repenting of sin and looking to Christ by faith. But the coming Lord's Day is a good reminder to attend to these things. I am keen to read the thoughts of others on this question.

 

[EmilyF]

I suspect this and your late Saturday shift is the primary source of your difficulty.

Making physical preparations on Saturday (mainly consisting of things like house-work, shopping, preparation for 'Sunday school', etc) largely frames my mind towards the Lord's Day. In so doing, I am freed up from cares of this kind, and if time permits am free to enjoy lawful recreations, and get to bed at a time that allows plenty of physical rest.
Strictly speaking I don't consider any particular special heart-preparations are required more-so than what is required in the overall Christian life, through self-examination, meditation, prayer, etc, so that we are walking wisely and in good conscience with God, repenting of sin and looking to Christ by faith. But the coming Lord's Day is a good reminder to attend to these things. I am keen to read the thoughts of others on this question.

You're right. But I do think special preparation is at least beneficial when we see the natural result of improving the Lord's day. We are to prepare duly for everything we do. Fisher also has some good explanations saying the Lord's day is a double blessing - but also a double curse in that doing anything which is in itself sinful on the Lord's day (as per WSC) is a sin as well as sinning is a sin. It is indeed a special day for spiritual things. Just as we prepare for church, so we should prepare for the Lord's day. And vice versa - anyone preparing for Sabbath who does not prepare for the prayer meeting is getting it imbalanced. But seeing as on a Wednesday or whenever you have a PM is not a holy day of no work, it only requires preparation for the service. I merely intend to say there is a definite warrant and nigh necessity to prepare, but that if one is unable really to do it like our brother here, it is a shame but not a sin for him. I thought I would emphasise this because it is important. No disagreement per se.

 

[Sam Jer]

You have to have theology books on one hand and spiritual ones on the other. Pastoral puritan books and meditative books are the best. Something like Hugh Martin's Shadow of Calvary seems suitable. Or Swinnock's Incomparableness. If even after that distinction you are stuck, you should try to meditate on what is being said rather than taking it as bare information. If you are stuck, more Scripture reading may be needed and ditch the book - especially read and sing the Psalms.

You are not the first person to tell me this. My problem is that I am already juggling three books, and that is if you don't count some of them (such as "A Basket of Fragments" and a commentary by James Durham, both of which I mostly just read on the Lord's Day). But maybe I should just accept that my current division of reading won't hold out for long and go from three categories of what I am reading up to like five or something.

Disclaimer: not every believer's experience is the same as another's. I know this fully before I write this.

One would be surprised how easier preparation gets when one cuts out the number and frequency of worldly diversions on the whole even. At the everyday level.

What I mean is that I used to focus hard on working 6 days and finding work on Saturday was not too difficult when one is a homeowner (sadly for it is not work I enjoy but I do it because I simply have to).

And now Lord's day whoo hoo!

Yet I had kept myself so busy and the "itch" for entertainment was so starved from the lack of screentime during the 6 days that the call to pray, read the Bible, watch sermons was even more difficult than it was before the time where my 6 days had an increase in chores and a decrease in entertainment.

So in response: no more subscriptions, no more streaming and a thorough purge of only a few pieces of entertainment in case of the rare slow week (the forced holidays we have due to our workplaces calling off the entirety of time before Christmas to after New Years).

This is where that which was neutral or permissible (Star Trek for example) was not edifying and God was using this experiment to dull and decrease and (maybe?) cut out that item forever. That has to be seen yet.

So I always found it easy to prepare (eg. save the Jeremiah commentary by Ryken for Lod's Day after church, sermon discussion at dinner, family worship) but not so easy to quiet the world - particularly on the Lord's Day - not for a while anyway. But now with the lack of these things even in existence, it has gotten much easier to focus and rest in Him alone with the families - both church and household.

So now my family are the "Amish" in our church (even though that is relative to who in church is calling us that; to us when we visit their houses they are downright hedonistic in entertainment on their shelves)


God bless you all

That is a really interesting point. There are defenitely things I should probably cut out of my life or reduce dramatically. Problem is they are all on the same little device and often on the same apps as things I can't/won't cut out. But at times, I envy the ultra-orthodox Jews with their Nokia phones. It is possible to live without this device, but for me that would mean no ebooks, no reformed or puritan sermons, no puritanboard, much harder to communicate with grandparents on a diffrent continent, and whole lot of other things.

but that if one is unable really to do it like our brother here, it is a shame but not a sin for him.

Just to clarify, I don't always work saturday evening, and when I do not have too much going on during the week I tell them that I can't work that shift (I can give up to two shifts I can't do before they scheadule things) and then they slate me for friday morning instead. And I don't know that preparing at other times is not possible just because the evening before isn't...

 

[Sam Jer]

You have to have theology books on one hand and spiritual ones on the other. Pastoral puritan books and meditative books are the best

Scudder's Daily Walk

Would you consider Scudder to be part of that category as well?

 

[EmilyF]

Would you consider Scudder to be part of that category as well?

Some of the book is appropriate and some not. I would recommend the chapter on the Lord's day to be read on Saturday, but the other parts are better for midweek reading. Basically read any sermonesque books or sermons from a works volume.