Sunday is different.
Sunday is the Lord’s day….
Sunday is sacred.
Here’s our bold faith challenge of the day: let’s declare Sunday special and set apart. It’s not a day to be productive or busy. Indeed, God knows we need a break.
Here are 3 ways to declare Sunday sacred in your home:
1. ) Rest. For many people, this means literally to get more sleep. For most moms, that’s not realistic. However, if you’re one of those moms who always does things during the baby’s nap, today don’t. Just don’t. If you have older children, they will notice your sudden stillness. There is your opportunity to share that, “It’s Sunday. I’m resting.”
2. ) Go to church. This may seem obvious, but if you haven’t made it a priority in your child’s life, now’s the time. Church will never be completely easy with children. Nor with teenagers. Nonetheless, go. Don’t worry about what the kids are wearing or whether they’re behaving; just go. They’ll start to realize that you’re serious about this faith stuff–especially on Sunday.
3. ) Special meals. Going out to lunch after church is practically a religious experience in and of itself. It’s a great way to wind down from church and set the stage for the rest of the day. I can’t say enough about mixing food and church. It’s as if God knows we need both to feed our whole selves, body and spirit.
If our family happens to go to the Sunday Vigil Mass (on Saturday late afternoon or evening) or Sunday night for the LifeTeen Mass, we will sometimes go out to dinner. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate Sunday in a most leisurely way.
The sacredness of Sunday depends on us.
[Tweet “Showing our kids that God cares enough about us to require us to rest is a bold move.”]
What have you done in your home to declare Sunday sacred?
When do you have trouble keeping Sunday sacred?
How do your children enjoy keeping Sunday sacred?
4 Comments
I am disappointed that you would even mention the idea to your readers to eat out after church. I am so disheartened to see this practice. Every person is beloved by God. To encourage a practice that keeps others from resting on the Sabbath day is hypocritical. I have heard every argument to deflect this point and none of them hold up to scrutiny of the word of God. I know many will find my post “old-fashioned” or “unnecessary”, however, I hope my entry encourages just one person to pause and think about remembering our blessings to not work on Sunday. I think that by not only resting on the Sabbath but also respecting others by not creating the demand for believers, and non-believers alike, to serve Christians on the Sabbath is a Christ-centered, God-honoring practice.
{Kathy} Actually Justine, I appreciate your viewpoint. You are right. We shouldn’t encourage anyone to work on Sunday, even those who serve others. You have given me pause in this area. How do you suppose we get back to “not working” in a way that is appropriate?
Great wisdom! What we do with our children on this day does send a message that will inform there own practice. Thanks for sharing, do have a super blessed day!
Love
{Kathy} Ugochi! So nice to see you again. Thanks for your comment and your encouragement.