A wonderful week is drawing to a close and my mind is in the mode of preparing for Sunday. Just the mention of that word–“Sunday” stirs my heart. Now if you are looking for a debate about the meaning of the word or whether or not one day is more important than another you are looking in the wrong place. I’m thinking about what Sunday means to me, and I’m not interested in debating anyone at this moment.
Sunday has been special to me since the day I was saved–which was on a Sunday. Bev and I were so excited about attending church that we would get there before anyone else and just sit in the dark auditoruim. Getting ready for Sunday was a big deal to us. I can still picture getting all the kids clothes ready the night before. Well, not me, but Bev! Bless her heart–you’ll never know! She would mend what was torn, wash and iron the clothes, and lay them out on Saturday night. The next morning she would make sure that the kids and their clothes were spotless, right down to the smallest detail. Our kids didn’t have the best clothes, but they had the cleanest–no doubt about that. After getting the kids ready, making preparation for lunch, helping me pick out a proper tie, etc., Bev would then get herself ready, and it was out the door — and we were NEVER late! No man on earth was more proud of his family than I was as we marched into church, and as the tribe increased that word “marched” became more and more appropriate. Everyone was in order. If you’re going to have eight children you better establish some order! We raised all eight kids without the “aid” of the nursery (except for those necessary trips) or children’s church. While I preached Bev maintained order, which sometimes meant some quick trips outside to tan someone’s hide. Then it was back into the service and all eyes to the front.
Sunday was special because we were excited about worshipping the Lord. That was all new to me. I had only recently been saved and had not been raised in church, so I had no idea what to expect. I was like a kid in a candy store–I was excited about everything. I was so grateful for the fact that God saved me that I couldn’t think of doing anything else on Sunday. Nothing else mattered. I didn’t want to be anyplace else. I quit playing ball, hunting, fishing and everything else on Sunday. For us that was “the Lord’s Day” and there was never a question about what we did on Sunday.
In addition to the thrill of the church service itself, Sunday was special because of our contact with other Christians. We almost never spent the day alone. After church we either had other families over to eat or they invited us to their house. I can’t say enough about how important this was to my spiritual development. You couldn’t backslide if you wanted to–there was always someone lovingly holding you accountable! If you think you don’t need Christian fellowship you are seriously mistaken. We tend to become like the company we keep–don’t run with the wrong crowd or you’ll end up on the wrong side of the tracks. Or as old Sam Jones used to say.”Lay down with the dogs and you’ll get up with the fleas”.
Shortly after being saved I surrendered to preach and I started teaching Sunday School and Sunday took on even more meaning. I wish I had time to talk in more detail about our life after I started pastoring. I’ll never forget those Saturday night study sessions as I prepared for Sunday morning. I would often study into the wee hours of Sunday morning trying to get ready. Being in my 45th year as a preacher I am considerably more relaxed today about being ready for Sunday, but make no mistake about it, I still view it as important as ever. I still get excited as Sunday approaches and I still try to get myself in the right frame of mind. I have often said that for the most part what happens during the church service on Sunday is already decided by what we’ve been doing before we get there. There is nothing magical about being in church. You can’t just flip a switch as you enter the building and put yourself in a worship mode. If you just had an argument with your wife and are as angry as an old wet hen it will destroy your ability to worship. We need to prepare ourself, body, mind, and spirit for Sunday, so that we can be at our very best.
Well tomorrow is Sunday and I’ve got a lot to do in order to be prepared. I could write a book about this subject, but I’ve probably already overstayed my welcome and need to bring this to a close. I hope something I’ve said will serve to remind you of how important the Lord’s Day is. I hope to see you in church tomorrow. Personally, I can’t imagine being anyplace else. That’s where my heart is and God willing my feet will take me there in the morning. I hope you have a great day. Get plenty of rest, take care of the odd jobs, shine your shoes, read your Bible and get your focus on Christ. Be ready and you will be blessed. Come with a desire to celebrate our risen Savior, to express your gratitude for His wonderful salvation and to serve others and it will be a glorious day. Yep–there really is something special about Sunday! Think about it!
