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Whose Day Anyway?

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I have heard the term ever since I was a little girl. Growing up in a church-going home, Sunday was the day we commonly referred to as “the Lord’s Day.” If I happened to see my Pastor on a Saturday, he would say to me, “Tomorrow’s the big day.” The day we set aside to worship and assemble before our holy God. But if someone were to see me on this first day of the week . . . would they walk away thinking that truly this day was spent as His day?
With two small children and a full schedule, our preparations usually begin by early evening on Saturday. House tidied, check; meal in crock pot, check; baths given, check; fingernails clipped, clothes ironed (or at least thrown in the dryer for the third time), shoes set out, snacks prepared, check, check, check. Spiritual preparation? Gulp. Please understand . . . I didn’t have time. I was too busy preparing for the Lord’s Day.
I was sitting in church a few weeks ago on a beautiful Lord’s Day morning. We had finalized our hurried preparations and made it to His house on time and in one piece. After some fellowship, the choir began the opening song and believers around me were finding their seats. I found myself thinking again about how I would like to join the choir. On further reflection, I realized we would have to arrive for church an hour early on the evening of the Lord’s day. Kind of a big commitment.
A little while later, an announcement was made about a shared meal after the service and then the monthly nursing home ministry. What a great idea! Oh . . . but, 2:00 p.m.? That is right in the middle of our naps. Sunday afternoons are made for naps. Am I right? Bummer—because it would have been a great ministry to be involved in on the Lord’s day
I’ve always admired those who faithfully go week in and week out on a van route to pick up those who could otherwise not be at church, or participate in some other time consuming ministry involving being at church earlier or later than everyone else. “That type of ministry is not the one for me,” I can hear myself saying. Feeling so tired and wiped out? On the Lord’s day of all days? Definitely not for me.
Suddenly it occurred to me: if I truly valued this day above all the others as a day set apart to worship my Lord, then what were my actions and heart attitude really saying? This was just another “me” day, with assembling together and worship thrown in. No one could walk away from observing me on this day and testify that I truly celebrated it as “His” day.
If our focus on the Lord’s day becomes centered on the preparation we make for His day, the fellowship we enjoy with other believers, or the rest we gain, then worship shifts from being the most important part of the day to feeling like an inconvenience. When worship feels like an inconvenience, can we honestly still say that the day belongs to Him?