Greetings and Happy Sabbath!  It might seem hard to be happy about anything these days, but it IS God's Sabbath, and day we should look forward to with joy and happiness.  As much as I normally encourage everyone to stay aware of what is happening in the world right now, the Sabbath is an excellent time to turn off the TV, put your cell phone down and embrace the peace and comfort of God's Sabbath Day!

Upcoming Services

Hopefully everyone received the e-mails earlier this week in regards to keeping the Passover at home, and our plans for the upcoming Holy Days, Night To Be Much Observed and regular Sabbaths.  If you did not see them by chance, here is a brief rundown of how we will be observing those:

Passover (April 7th): Tune into a live, local webcast of the Passover services from my home here starting at 7:55 PM.  This webcast is password protected.  If you do not have the password, please contact me and I will be happy to share it.  Alternatively, you can watch a pre-recorded video or use written instructions here.

Night To Be Much Observed (April 8th): You may need to enjoy this special meal at home.  If brethren in your area are getting together in your home, you may be able to meet in small groups, if everyone is healthy.  You may begin the meal before sundown, as long as it continues past sunset, and into the next Biblical day.

First Day (April 9th) and Last Day (April 15th) of Unleavened Bread:  We will be tuning into the webcast from Cincinnati here. Times are To Be Announced.

Sabbath services for tomorrow, March 21st, 2020: Tune into the webcast from Cincinnati here at 2:30 PM.

Regular Sabbath services: Starting on March 28th, and including the Sabbath during Unleavened Bread of April 11th, we will have a live local webcast from my home. This will be broadcast LIVE at 11 AM from the local webcast site here.  This is NOT the same link as the webcast from the Home Office. If you choose, you can tune into the webcast from Cincinnati at 2:30 PM as well, but I hope you choose to tune into our local webcast!

Thoughts for keeping the Sabbath at home

So I have to tell a little bit of a story on myself...  When it was first announced that services were canceled for the Sabbaths of March 14th and March 21st, my thought was: "Ah, this is just temporary, might as well enjoy the Sabbath in my blue jeans and t-shirt!" which I did.

But later, I began to think about this.  Why do we dress up for church at ANY time?  Is it because other people will see us? Or is it because we are going before God at a Holy appointed time each Sabbath?  I think the answer is clear. It's interesting to note as well what the LORD told Israel before they came before him to receive the Ten Commandments.  "Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people" (Exodus 19:10-11 NKJV).

What I believe this tells us, is that there is something to the way we appear when we go before God.  If we go to a wedding, we dress nicely to honor the special occasion. How much more should we to honor God?  To that end, I encourage each of us to continue to wear our Sabbath best, even if we're keeping it alone in our own home.

I pray this note finds you all well and staying safe!  If there is anything we can do to help you out in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me or my wife!

With much love and hugs,

The Prestons