Sunday’s coming. Just like it always does. Every seven days. Right after Saturday. Right before Monday. 52 times every year. Sunday. Is Sunday routine to you? Do you dread its recurrence ever week? Here are eight reasons to look forward to Sunday, and how to make your Sunday an enjoyable experience.
8 Reasons to Look Forward to Sunday (and What to Do If You Don’t)
- You can rejoice in the most important event in all of history—the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
- You can spend time with fellow Christians, encouraging, edifying, and fellowshipping.
- You can hear teaching from God’s Word.
- You have an opportunity to worship God in a corporate setting.
- You can enjoy a time of refreshing rest and satisfying reprieve from the demands of the week.
- You can take additional time to recreate in a way that honors God and satisfies your soul.
- You are able to serve others in a way that you may not be able to the rest of the week.
- You might get to take an afternoon nap.
Maybe you aren’t able to enjoy Sundays the way you feel that you should. Here are some suggestions.
- Make it your goal to rest. Sunday is not about working hard for God. It is about resting in God. Although there are significant differences between the “Sabbath” and “Sunday,” it is interesting to note that God expects a day of rest, not labor.
- Prepare for Sunday on Saturday (and the entire preceding week). Building anticipation for Sunday is one of the best ways to enjoy Sunday. Clear your schedule, and look forward to it. Plan for it. Enjoy it.
- Lower your expectations. Don’t expect to get a holy zap just because it’s Sunday. Don’t expect someone to serve you a delicious, home-cooked meal just because it’s Sunday. Don’t expect everyone to clear out and quiet down so you can take a nap. Yes, you can anticipate Sunday with joy, but don’t expect to be pampered by others, or receive some mystical spiritual shazam experience.
- Consider slowing down the pace. Many churches consider Sunday to be The Day for Many Activities. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, of course. It may, however, be a problem if you feel that (in order to be spiritual) you have to attend every single activity. I used to dread Sundays for this reason. I would leave my home at 8:15—run the Sunday gauntlet—and return exhausted to my home as late as 10:00p. Needless to say, facing Monday was a daunting prospect. Let me state it simply: you don’t need to attend every church event on Sunday. Don’t take this too far! Scripture exhorts us “[don’t neglect] to meet together” (Hebrews 10:25). If you are a pastor or church leader, you may want to consider dropping a Sunday event or two. It may be that three services on Sunday is too much. When will you rest? When will your people rest? Can they rest if they attend all the services? (By the way, if you are a pastor, and Sunday is another intense work day for you, be sure to take another day of the week to rest, refresh, and recreate. You need it.)
- Pray. If your Sunday is a spiritual rat race, a never-ending frantic scurrying from one service to another, give it to the Lord in prayer. If Sunday is a worry for you, cast all your anxieties on God, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
I’m looking forward to Sunday. Are you?