The Sabbath

Tomorrow is the Sabbath. Some refer to it as the Lord's Day. Taken from the early church who would gather on the first day of the week for fellowship, worship, and instruction. It is a day that is to be set aside for rest, reflection, and worship. From a pastor's perspective, it is a day of worship and work.

Sunday for me begins on Saturday. At some point in the afternoon pre-message syndrome sets in. If you were to ask my wife about it, she would say that a hazy look comes over my face, and I begin to "zone out". The message begins to way heavily on my mind and heart. As evening approaches, we try to get all of the children cleaned up and in bed on time, with their clothes and accessories for Sunday picked out, hanging on their bedroom doors and ready to go. Then, I do the same with my suit, shirt, and tie for the next day, getting the final okay on the combination from Gretchen (so I don't have to change in the morning). I rarely sleep well on Saturday night, because I am thinking about what will happen the next day. I usually rise early on Sunday and try to have some "quiet time" before everyone else begins to stir. During this time, I pray for the service and for those who will be there, and I also pray through my sermon. Finally, I read some devotional thoughts and passages of scripture to prepare my heart and mind for worship.

Once everyone begins to wake up and come downstairs, the pace picks up. Breakfast must be served, and teeth brushed. Dresses must be put on, and the girls must be cued up to get their hair done. Cole has the easy job on Sunday mornings, and is pretty self-sufficient. Once Gretchen opens the beauty shop, I turn over the kids and begin to get myself ready. My two oldest daughters always come into the room as I am tying my tie to give their approval or disapproval of my ensemble.

All ready, we get into the car and head down the hill to church. The oldest children are looking at the clock in the van and discussing how late we are. You would think that living so close to the church we would make it one time. However, I am a firm believer that Satan comes and visits our house on Sunday morning, and thus we are rarely on time.

As we arrive at church, I begin to look forward to Sunday School and Worship Service. We love our Sunday School class, and we think we have the best worship leaders and praise team in Wheeling. So Sunday School and worship are always a delight.

I learned from some of my mentors many years ago that it is vital for a pastor to make the most of Sunday's. Therefore, after worship, our family (and those loving volunteer child-wranglers) stay to speak to everyone who wants to talk or visit, many Sundays for 45 minutes or so. Visiting with our church family has become one of the highlights of our day.

When we leave church, we usually grab something to eat, and spend the afternoon as a family. Gretchen says that after I eat, I am pretty much worthless for the rest of the day. Her exact description is that I have the "personality of a rock" on Sunday afternoons.

While Sunday is not really a Sabbath for me, I would not trade it for anything. I get to go to church with my family whom I love, I'm privileged to worship with the church that I love, I'm allowed to do what God created me to do, and I'm humbled to shepherd the people that I love. I understand why the writer of Hebrews wrote, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."