Welcome, Welcome...

For those of you who may not know... I am a Seventh-Day Adventist. Every Friday is spent in preparation for the Sabbath, which starts at sundown on Friday and lasts until sundown on Saturday. I am not always able to do everything that I want to get done in preparation for the Sabbath. But as the sun sinks below the horizon, I stop my preparation and begin to welcome the Sabbath.

Some of the things that we've incorporated into our time of welcoming the Sabbath are lighting a few candles and playing a special Sabbath song. I love the feeling of knowing that we can rest from all our labor and leave our weekly worries in God's more than capable hands. Having these few special things to welcome the Sabbath with helps to set it apart.

Sabbath is a time of rest, a time of re-creation, a time to re-connect with God in a meaningful, special way. I don't rest on Sabbath because I believe it saves me. I rest because God knows I need it and has asked me to remember it. I know that He desires to spend this time with me.

As I sit here this Sabbath evening, I have peace in my heart. "Welcome, welcome, ever welcome, blessed Sabbath Day!"