Preparing for the Sabbath

What is the day on which to prepare for the Sabbath?BR-ASI9 292.7

“And that day [the sixth day] was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.” Luke 23:54. (See also Exodus 16:22, 23.)BR-ASI9 292.8

Note.—In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, it must be remembered all through the week; and on the sixth day, or the day just before the Sabbath, special preparation should be made to be ready to welcome and observe the Sabbath.BR-ASI9 292.9

The Sabbath should be the happiest day of all the week. “The Sabbath is not intended to be a period of useless inactivity. The law forbids secular labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased His labor of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds.”—E. G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 207.BR-ASI9 292.10

The children can be taught the stories of creation and redemption, and taken out amid the handiworks of God to commune with Him through nature. Preparation for the Sabbath, therefore, is essential to its proper observance.BR-ASI9 292.11

In making the Sabbath, God rested upon, blessed, and sanctified the day. (Exodus 20:11.) Whoever, then, keeps the Sabbath aright, may expect that there will come into his life God’s rest, blessing, and sanctification.BR-ASI9 293.1