I realize I just made a post about working around my house all of yesterday afternoon and evening... all on a Sunday which is supposed to be a day of rest, a day to keep holy.
With my situation not being ideal and my having to work each weekday, I find myself often working around my house and in my yard on Sundays - especially in the summer after being gone at church meetings.
I often ponder this, and I hope to further study it with our church members.
But, I thought it was important to ask, do any of you have guidelines for yourself or for your family about what you absolutely do or do not do on your day of rest to separate it from the other days of the week? Is there anything you wouldn't do on a Sunday that would be fine for you to do on any other day? I would appreciate your reflections on this topic.
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- strem
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7 comments:
I like Sundays where after church I can watch some TV with the family, or curl up with a good book or even take a nap, but more often than not, that isn't the case.
In the past my father would fill up on gas on Saturday night and we would travel to church on Sunday and straight home. We wouldn't go out to eat or go shoping, anything that meant that someone else had to work. However, after alot of thought and realizing that we wouldn't go without power and running water and the like, he decided that it wasn't set up to be an inconvenience but a day of rest and reflexation on Him.
I personally will not work on Sunday morning because that is the only time that my church meets, unless it is a situation where the ox is in the ditch. In fact that's why I left my last job. I perfer not to work on Sundays. I don't feel that it is unreasonable, since it's the only day I want off. Plus, it allows me to visit other churches if I like, or spend the day with the family, or just catch up on school work. It's mostly so I can visit, not because I feel I can't/shouldn't work on Sunday.
I don't think the injunction to do no work is still in effect like much of the old law service. We don't still follow the rule on how far we can travel on the Sabath (which isn't Sunday anyway) or most of us wouldn't be able to attend our churches (least here in the South), and we don't tithe. I think this is another thing that is an individual decision, but that there isn't necessarily a set rule on, as long as we are not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
In other words, I think you are ok in doing housework and yardwork. I know personally when it's warmer I enjoy spending a few hours on a Sunday afternoon out in the yard, weeding or mulching or whatever. It's nice peaceful time I have to myself. I generally listen to congregational hymn singing or sacred harp singing on my ipod, and admire God's handiwork. I don't see that as out of line with the idea of Sunday, in putting Him first and worshiping Him.
Ok, so this is so long, just a few of my thoughts.
Dani: First of all, that's quite a comment! :) I appreciate you contributing to the conversation. Brother Chris and I have shared many chats about working in the yard and marveling at God's creations... especially good times on Sundays. I just need to be better at remembering that when I am raking up sweet gum balls. (I need lots of practice in that area.)
Hope we receive some more insights. Anybody have any?
Even though I made a comment about studying this past Sunday, this is an area I've struggled with in the past (and still do). At the beginning of every semester I set the ambitious goal of not studying or doing homework on Sundays. There are several reasons for this, and among them:
1. I desire to rest on Sunday and homework isn't usually very restful.
2. I am refreshed and have a renewed spirit after services on Sunday, and I don't want to take away from my rejoicing by focusing on my homework and studies.
Alas, I have failed to abide by this every semester thus far.
Just as an idea, you might post this on the PB forum on myspace. there are several on there that might discuss it, and we have a few preachers that might have studied it more than we have.
I thought I would have a different perspective since I'm not a churchgoer, but the comments here reflect my take on it very closely.
I try to save Sunday for things that, even if they are chores, I either don't mind or actually enjoy. For instance, in the winter Sunday is my "cook ahead and freeze it" day. Hard work, but very rewarding. In the summer it's all about being outside - it's hard to think about working outside on a glorious day as "work" even if you do get dirt under your nails and work up a sweat. I get distracted by the complexity of individual leaves or the beauty of a spiderweb and my work takes longer than it might, but that's ok. I might not be relaxing, but I have a feeling of accomplishment for getting the work done, and always come away grateful to live in such an amazing world.
If I do end up with "chore" chores on a Sunday I look at it like this: having a clean, ordered home makes me feel centered and peaceful. If time constraints have made it so I can't do something I prefer on a given Sunday, at least I am still doing something that makes me feel better about myself and my home, and that allows me to tackle the work week ahead feeling like all is well.
Saturday and Sundays are my only days that I can really get things done around the house. I wish I didn't have to on Sunday, though.
In the warmer months, I do enjoy spending hours and hours on my swing after church on Sunday and just enjoying the critters that are in my hard and reading my bible.
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