Thirty days hath September,
April June and November;
all the rest have thirty one,
Excepting February alone etc. etc.
I fear for the calendar – it’s days are numbered.
Well, you know what I mean – they will keep changing it every month!
Seriously, I am irritated how few calendars there are around that still show Sunday as the first day of the week. Ever since the International Organization for Standardization ISO 8601, decided it, Monday now takes prime position, with Sunday relegated to the ‘weekend’. That term, ‘weekend’ was first recorded, apparently, in 1878 to refer, as Webster’s Dictionary puts it, to ‘the period between the close of the working or business or school week and the beginning of the next’.
Of course we know from Genesis 2:2 that God rested on the seventh day after his six days of creating. That seventh day was to be holy and later became the Jewish Sabbath for rest and worship. Later it would become known as Saturday—but it was the end of the week.
It is significant that Jesus rose from the grave on the first day of the week, later to be known as Sunday. Each of the four Gospel writers particularly mention this fact, and later the apostles adopted that day for worship and breaking of bread, surely to commemorate that new covenant brought about through Christ’s resurrection. Interesting, isn’t it, that the first mention of this is in Acts 20:7 in Troas, where Paul was speaking to the gathered believers before leaving – that’s where poor old Eutychus fatally fell out of the window but was brought back to life—a reminder perhaps of the significance of the first day of the week?
The challenge today is as to what is of first importance in our lives: is it work, business, leisure, as the ‘weekend’ suggests, including Sunday—or is it to give the Lord, who rose triumphantly from the dead to bring us eternal life, the honour, worship and thanksgiving we all owe him? Never mind how many things we have to occupy us, let’s be sure to give the true first day of the week to Him.
The name ‘Sunday’ may have pagan origins relating to worship of the sun; However, God’s word
through prophet Malachi (4:2) says: But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.
Wow! What a joyous analogy for those who put the Lord first!
Steve Piggott
Elder
April 2017
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