The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
I owe plenty to my mother. She is the one who determinedly made sure her little boy went to church on Sunday.
Of course, I didn’t thank her at the time. Instead, I went to the car kicking and screaming. Still, she refused to allow me to stay home and watch paint dry.
Yes, watch paint dry. Even that was better than sitting through a boring church service.
Besides, I had become skilled at watching paint dry due to spending hours sitting in a chair with my nose in the corner of a room.
Staying home would have benefited my Sunday School teachers as well. I’m a natural class clown, and I honed that skill in many Sunday School classroom sessions.
That ended when I was sent to stand before Pastor Jody Gannaway.
He was a former college linebacker, and when he told me enough was enough, I quickly said, “Yes sir.” From that day forward, Mrs. Stewart had an excellently behaved twelve-year old boy in her class.
Fortunately, as I’ve acquired ounces of wisdom through the years, I’ve come to treasure Sunday more than any other day of the week.
What’s most intriguing is God’s Word indicates that would happen to me.
God designated Sunday to be unique from every other day.
From Exodus 20:8: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The word ‘holy’ in this context has often been mis-used by preachers.
For example, I’ve witnessed preachers saying no one should watch NFL football on Sunday.
They’ve expounded upon how people worship football more than they do God. I don’t know how they substantiate either of those pronouncements.
The use of the word ‘holy’ doesn’t insinuate we should wear white robes every Sunday, or after church, we should fast and spend the rest of the day praying.
In addition, set aside all bad thoughts and swear words. Please feel free to pick them up again Monday morning.
‘Holy’ means set apart. We are commanded to set apart Sunday. Sunday shouldn’t look like the other days of the week. For what purpose? Primarily to worship.
What happens when we worship? Plenty of good things, but one of the primary results of worship is rest.
This fits with Jesus’ declaration in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Imagine standing in front of God in Heaven.
Wiped away forever are all the worries and troubles. Immersed in His glory, you rest. And you worship.
God is always accessible to those of us who have placed our trust in Him.
But it’s difficult to remember this truth when we have a pile of papers to grade, reports to hand in, deliveries to make, children to chase non-stop, toiling at our job until the whistle blows.
Furthermore, it’s impossible to rest. But God, in His boundless wisdom, provides help.
He sets apart one day and tells us to rest in this day: “…but on the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.” (Exodus 20:10)
No one ever exited a worship service on Sunday and declared, “That was hard work! I’m exhausted.”
The only person who ever muttered those words was the guy standing in the pulpit.
Worship and resting go hand-in-hand. When we’re immersed in worship, it’s impossible to worry or mull over our issues.
For those in charge of a worship service, their main focus should be to create a powerful worshipful environment in which their church family can simply rest and worship within.
The preacher’s goal is the same: Can his expository preaching of God’s Word stimulate the church family to worship in awe of the unfathomable riches of His written revelation?
When does Sunday begin? It begins when you awaken, stretch, and smile. You whisper to yourself, “Today, I get to worship and rest. Thank you, Father.”