A question about SDA Sabbath traditions

[Dave-W]

Are there any traditions to welcome in and to exit the Sabbath?

Most Messianics follow the traditional Jewish with an Erev Shabbat (eve of Sabbath) service with candle lighting and certain blessings being said. To close out the Sabbath we have a Havdalah (separation) service.

 

[Gary K]

I have seen quite a few Adventists that have a Friday night tradition of a family sundown worship service that closes with the singing of a few hymns and normally ending with Day Is Dying In The West followed by a prayer session. Then the evening supper is eaten which is normally a tradition for each family--their favorite supper--which normally differs for each family according to what they like as a family. To close the Sabbath the same type of worship service with hymn singing and the same closing song with a prayer session.

I know I do this and many of my conservative SDA friends do the same. Sometimes a couple of families will get together to do this. What other people do, I don't know. At colleges and boarding academies they normally have, or at least used to--I haven't been near either an SDA college or boarding academy for more than a decade--have Friday evening vesper services to open the Sabbath, and a Sabbath evening vesper service to close it. Our local SDA churc h has occasional Friday and Sabbath evening vespers. It's done fairly often but not every week.

 

[Dave-W]

Nice!

While we have specific prayers and customs for each occasion; Erev Shabbat (Friday eve) and Havdalah, (Saturday eve) it sounds similar.

 

[Gary K]

Nice!

While we have specific prayers and customs for each occasion; Erev Shabbat (Friday eve) and Havdalah, (Saturday eve) it sounds similar.

I would agree that it is similar. The main difference is that the SDA church itself does not push a formal tradition.

 

[mmksparbud]

I was invited to a Fri. night dinner at a friends house, she was Jewish. I was about 9--It was a beautiful ceremony, I was quite awed by it and it has stayed with me all these years. I've always wished we had the same thing.

 

[Dave-W]

I would agree that it is similar. The main difference is that the SDA church itself does not push a formal tradition.

Of course.

 

[Dave-W]

I was invited to a Fri. night dinner at a friends house, she was Jewish. I was about 9--It was a beautiful ceremony, I was quite awed by it and it has stayed with me all these years. I've always wished we had the same thing.

No reason you cannot do a similar ceremony.

There are messianic variants of the Jewish tradition that bring New Covenant reality to it.

 

[BobRyan]

Are there any traditions to welcome in and to exit the Sabbath?

Most Messianics follow the traditional Jewish with an Erev Shabbat (eve of Sabbath) service with candle lighting and certain blessings being said. To close out the Sabbath we have a Havdalah (separation) service.

We have Sabbath evening vespers and usually some sort of service to bring Sabbath in whether it be a church service or more often a family in praises, prayer and worship style of 'family altar' as we often call it.