Sunday – Day of Rest
What would happen if everyone stopped working? Wouldn’t this be a disaster in every aspect of our lives: economic, political, social, religious, etc., causing all world functions to stop. To survive in this world, we must work. Otherwise, we would not have houses to live in or food to eat. We must work to have these essentials. Thus, we need to work to live. Therefore, as Apostle Paul commands: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat!” (2 Thess. 3:10). However, a person cannot work constantly. Rest is another essential. We cannot imagine a man who continually works, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, without resting. Even the most robust machines stop working after so many years of productivity. Everyone needs time to rest. Our God – the Creator of the Universe and all things visible and invisible rested on the seventh day: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was excellent. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2). By doing this, God wanted to show us the right way of living, and thus He: …”blessed the seventh day and sanctified it” (Gen. 2:3). This day of rest is Sunday, or the Day of the Lord. Sunday is His day, the day devoted to our Lord. He gave Moses this commandment on Mount Sinai when He said: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the rest of the Lord your God. In it, you shall do no work” (Exod. 20:9). God made it clear that we should have time to work and a time to rest. Sunday is the day of rest – the day to glorify our Creator.
Church and Sunday
Sunday is the day of thanksgiving and joy. It is the day of resurrection. We come to Church to thank God for all the blessings He bestowed on us during that week. It is the end of our working week. In the Gospel of St. Luke, we read that the resurrection of Christ occurred on the first day of the week: “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning…” (Luke 24:1). Since the Sabbath was the day of rest according to the Jewish law, then the first day of the week was Sunday. Christ resurrected on Sunday and thus through His resurrection this day became the day of joy, glorification, and thanksgiving since He destroyed the Devil, and untied the bondages of death. Sunday is the day to experience this joy through the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The celebration of the Liturgy is our thanksgiving to God. Only through this celebration will we be able to gaze upon the light of the resurrection. It is not by mistake that the Russian people call their day of rest, Voskresenije (Resurrection), associating this day with the Resurrection of Christ. For Sunday, the Serbian word is Nedelja, a free day for Church and worship. The Greeks call this day Imera Kiriaki, which means the day of the Lord. Thus, we see that Sunday signifies a day that we should devote to the worship of God.
Sunday is Family Day
Every day during the week is specific in some way. For the working people, the most challenging day is Monday, when everyone goes back to work after the weekend. For children, the happiest day is Friday, when they get off from school. Some people like Saturdays since they can sleep late in the morning. Sunday is the day for family togetherness and unity – a great way is to start the day together in Church to thank God for all His blessings and the excellent health and salvation of all family members. A family luncheon after the church service is the extension of the Eucharistic meal (Holy Communion). In this same way, the first Christians held their “agape” (dinners of love), following the Divine Liturgy, sharing food among themselves and with the poor, fulfilling God’s command: “Love Thy Neighbor.” The Church is a great family, and every family is a small church. Every member of the Church belongs to the more prominent church family. In this churchly family, everyone is related as a brother, sister, or parent, not by blood but by Christian love, which proceeds from God’s enormous love for humankind. Today, it is essential to keep the family together, united through unconditional love. Spending Sunday together with family and friends joins us all.
Sunday Activities
Even if we cannot attend the Church every Sunday for one reason or another, a morning prayer thanking God for His blessings is a good beginning of the day. If we go to Church, we can actively participate in the Divine Liturgy, partaking in the Holy Communion whenever we feel the need for this holy mystery. Listening to the Gospel message and the sermon is an integral part of Sunday worship. It will help us meditate and reflect upon the word of God during the upcoming week. If there are organized church school programs in our parish, taking part in these programs would give a tremendous boost to our unity. Avoiding these programs alienates us from the parish community and the churchly family. Following the Church service, Sunday afternoon is the time for relaxation at home, sports activities, visiting relatives or a sick member in the hospital or nursing home. We must know our priorities: there is a time to pray, and there is a time to play. But if playing becomes our obsession and the focus, and praying is put aside for some other time, we cannot expect to grow strong in our faith or promote the unity of our church family. We will be vital in our bodies but weak in our souls – so Sunday morning is to feed our souls, and Sunday afternoon is to strengthen and energize our bodies with good food and suitable activities. It is time for prayer and thanksgiving when we ask God to give us strength and strong faith to endure another tough week that is ahead of us.