Lord’s day
August 28, 2005
That’s evangelical-speak for “Sunday,” and the tag never fails to rattle my chain. I happen to believe that the biblical ten commandments (Exodus 20:2-17) are hard to beat as first principles for any civilization, regardless of religion. They are much more than that to a Jew or Christian, of course, but that’s not my point here.
The fifth commandment basically says that you should work hard for six days a week, but on the seventh day you should stop to catch your breath and let your body, brain, and spirit recover from the weeks busyness. It also implies that the seventh day should also be devoted to family and worship, because when we are working during the week we probably aren’t thinking too much about our spiritual health. There’s something in our makeup that makes this cycle of work and rest work for most ofus.
I certainly don’t yearn for a return to “simpler times,” when the norm was to work long, back-breaking, hours for six days and balance it off with a long nap, some reading, and family activities on Sunday afternoon. It was the norm then because Christian mores pretty much governed the average working stiff’s way of life.
Today we all live in a predominantly pagan society that regards Sunday as just another day of the week. Making Sunday a universal “Lord’s Day” in any meaningful sense of the term is a non-starter.
But to you, dear reader, whether Christian or no, I recommend this biblical rhythm to your days. Whatever else it may be, it’s also just common-sense.
Dave, struggling with his sense, common or otherwise.
Comments
Got something to say?
