Why Do We Have Sundays?

I love Sundays. They just have a different feeling about them, don’t they? The day of the week our Father gave us to rest, recharge, and most importantly worship Him. I am sixty now and Sundays are extremely different than in “my day”.  How about you? What were and are your Sundays like?  Are they different?

Growing up the stores were closed. Even restaurants were closed, too. People were given this Sabbath day to spend time going to church and with family or friends. Gradually stores would begin to open at noon for a few hours. It was scandalous but people slowly went. The half days expanded into full days and restaurants had jumped aboard. That made for a lot of Sunday workers taken away from church and family, but don’t forget the shoppers, too. I’m not innocent in the Sunday shopping situation. It is convenient to go out to eat with family after church and even swing by a store on the way home.

When I was a child we went to big family Sunday dinners after church almost every week.  My maternal grandmother had dinner waiting on the farm where we enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal and played outside.  It was a fun, family time.

That’s where my cousins became my closest friends and almost like siblings. I learned to respect my elders, asked to be excused from the table, and held hands during Grace. I got to know each family member through personal interaction. Today families are going in all different directions making Sunday dinners near impossible. There are school activities, work schedules, hobbies, clubs, groups, and overnight sleepovers that get in the way. I miss big family gatherings on Sundays where we talked, played games, and just were. Maybe I can slowly bring it back for my family.

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God” Exodus 20:8-11 KJV

Sunday is a time for rest.  It is a day to get recharged for the upcoming week.  For me that means physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually nurturing myself.  I love  reading my Bible, devotional, and inspirational Christian fiction on Sundays.  In nice weather you will find me on my back porch in my swing reading.  Our yard is far enough out that we enjoy a lot of critters and birds.  Deer wander through the yard and so does a big granddaddy ground hog.  Hawks screech and doves coo.  I love it.  That is a restful Sunday that I would love to share with family.

This Lent I have been under conviction about Sundays. Why do we have Sundays? Am I really keeping the Sabbath holy? What is easy or right for others might not be right for me. Jesus has done so much for me. He has given His life for even me – you, too. Jesus is there every minute of every day. If I am under conviction about Sundays then I need to listen and change. It won’t be easy, but once I have done this and given the Sabbath back to Him, oh what joy I will feel!