Rest On Sunday?

Since most people associate Lent with something they have to give up, I have decided to play along. For the next several weeks I am going to write about things you should give up for Lent.

In this first week, I want to suggest something that may surprise you. I want you to give up your Sundays.

I heard this interesting request from a fellow pastor last year. He was challenging a congregation with the most basic of Christian disciplines: the weekly observance of the Lord’s Day. For those looking for something daunting, this must have been a real disappointment. But on further examination, it is a tough request. Sunday observance is a fundamental weakness among us.

When I say this, I am not talking about worship attendance. While there are many of us who could stand to be more attentive to worship on Sunday, there is more to Lord’s Day observance than going to church. Sunday as the Lord’s Day is the Christian version of the Sabbath, the day of rest mandated by God. The day of rest was not a thoughtful suggestion. It was a command. Orthodox Jews take it very seriously. So should we.

How many of us can honestly say that Sunday is a day that is set aside? The suggestion is very quaint in the contemporary world. You are likely to be considered odd if you told someone that there are certain things you don’t do on Sunday because it is a day of rest.

In biblical terms, rest means rest. No work. Nothing short of an emergency that would make someone else work, either. Nothing frantic, or hurried. Only worship, renewal, rest, recreation. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

(This understanding of Lord’s Day makes me a Sabbath breaker, as I do work on Sunday. There are many people for whom Sunday work is unavoidable. But the responsibility is still there to find a time for Sabbath rest. I try to make up for it with some dedicated time on Friday).

Making Sunday a day of Sabbath rest is a challenge. Our culture works more than ever before. Laptop computers, cell phones, and PDA’s help us carry work everywhere and well past normal working hours. Even if you leave your job behind, our Sundays can be crammed with all kinds of activities that don’t constitute rest. If you are going to get some refreshment for your spirit, you have to take it. It certainly isn’t going to be handed to you.

My challenge to you is to make Lent 2005 a time of Sabbath rest. Why not make every Sunday between now and Easter a day set aside only for worship and refreshment? You may be shocked at how hard it will be to do that. More importantly, you could be shocked at how much of a difference it makes in your life. It could actually become a habit!

Next week I will talk to you about giving up your lunch…