The Three Pillars of Sabbath Preparation
By Gregory Toussaint | February 2nd, 2026
The Sabbath is not something to stumble into; it begins with intention. A beautiful way to mark this beginning is with a Sabbath dinner. This is not just another meal. It is a time for the family to gather, share a meal, and enter into a spirit of worship and thanksgiving. It’s a time to put away the phones, turn off the television, and be present with one another in the presence of God. To fully experience the blessings of the Sabbath, we must prepare for it. This preparation can be understood in three key areas: preparing our hearts, preparing our families, and preparing our friends.
Prepare Our Hearts
Before a musician takes the stage, they meticulously tune their instrument. They know that a beautiful melody cannot come from a string that is out of key. In the same way, our hearts, after a long week of worldly demands, are often out of tune. We come to the Sabbath cluttered with anxieties, frustrations, and the lingering noise of our responsibilities. To truly worship, we must first tune the instrument of our soul.
The Bible affirms this principle in Job 11:13: “If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him.” The outward act of worship, stretching our hands, is preceded by the inward act of preparation. This is a conscious turning of our attention and affection toward God.
Practical Steps for Tuning Your Heart:
Create a Threshold: The Sabbath dinner on the evening before is the perfect threshold. Mark it as a distinct transition. As you gather for the meal, declare an end to the work week. Put away phones, turn off the news, and let the worries of the world fall away at this doorstep.
Fill the Air with Worship: The simplest way to shift the atmosphere is to change the soundtrack. Play worship music that calms your spirit and lifts your focus. Let the lyrics wash over you, reminding you of God’s character and faithfulness.
Engage in Proactive Gratitude: Instead of letting the conversation drift, guide it. Go around the table and have each person share one specific thing they are thankful for from the week. This practice actively combats the spirit of complaint and cultivates a heart of thanksgiving, which is the native language of worship.
Pray with Intention: Offer a specific prayer to begin the Sabbath, asking God to quiet your mind, to cleanse your heart, and to make you receptive to His voice. This act consecrates the time and invites the Holy Spirit to begin His work of preparation in you.
Prepare Our Families
Our modern concept of faith is often highly individualistic, but the biblical model is deeply corporate. It begins with the family. Joshua’s famous declaration, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” is not a statement of personal piety alone; it is a commitment of leadership. The Sabbath provides the primary opportunity to live out this commitment.
In Deuteronomy 31:12, the instruction is clear and comprehensive: “Gather the people together, men, women, and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God.” This "holy convocation" is essential, and preparing our family for it is a vital spiritual discipline.
Practical Steps for Preparing Your Family:
Communicate with Clarity and Joy: On the evening before, remove the Sunday morning scramble. Discuss the plan for the church. Confirm the time you’ll be leaving, have the kids lay out their clothes, and talk about the service with anticipation. Your attitude is contagious; if you treat it as a joyful privilege, your family is more likely to see it that way too.
Reinforce the ‘Why’: It is crucial for our families, especially children and teenagers, to understand why we go to church. It’s not just a rule to be followed. Explain that it’s a time for them to hear God’s word from another voice, to be prayed for by others, and to build friendships with people who share their faith. It connects them to the “village” that will help them grow.
Model the Behavior: Your children will learn more from your actions than your words. When they see you prioritizing Sabbath preparation, speaking with excitement about worship, and engaging with the church community, they internalize the value of these practices far more effectively than if they are simply told to do so.
Prepare Our Friends
Once our hearts and homes are aligned for the Sabbath, our preparation moves outward. A prepared heart is not a cul-de-sac; it is a channel for God’s love to flow to others. Hebrews 10:24-25 gives us a clear directive: “And let us consider one another to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together… but exhorting one another.”
The Sabbath preparation time is the perfect moment to “consider one another.” Who was missing from the flock last week? Who might be discouraged? This is our opportunity to be the hands and feet of the Shepherd.
Practical Steps for Preparing Your Friends:
Reach Out with Encouragement: This is not about being a truant officer, but a friend. A simple, loving text or call can make all the difference. “Hey, we missed you at church last Sunday. Praying you’re doing well and hope to see you tomorrow!” This communicates value and care, not judgment.
Be a ‘Mike Wood’: The story of Don Piper, author of 90 Minutes in Heaven, contains a powerful lesson. When Piper arrived in heaven, one of the first to greet him was Mike Wood, a man who had faithfully given him a ride to church when he was a new believer. Mike’s simple, consistent act of service had an eternal impact. Ask yourself: who could I offer a ride to? Who could I save a seat for? Who will be in heaven because of my simple encouragement?
Listen More Than You Talk: When you reach out to someone absent, they may be struggling. They might be tired, ill, or spiritually dry. Be ready to listen. Your act of preparation might be to simply pray with them over the phone, offering a word of hope that strengthens them for the week ahead, whether they make it to church or not.
Discussion Questions
Deuteronomy 31:12 emphasizes the importance of children hearing and learning in a community setting. Why is it so important for them to hear from voices other than just their parents?
The story of Mike Wood highlights the power of small, consistent acts of service. What is a small, consistent act you could start to help someone else on their journey of faith?
How does preparing your heart on a Saturday evening impact your ability to both receive from and contribute to the corporate worship service on Sunday?
Who is one person you can “consider” and reach out to this week as part of your Sabbath preparation?
