Jesus said to them, "Come apart and rest for a while."
-- Mark 6:31
Last week I took this text and wrote to Christians and churches on behalf of my fellow pastors. I have received several comments, calls, and emails, all of which have been very positive. I hope in the months and years ahead, my fellow pastors will enjoy the great gift I received this year of a sabbatical.
This week I want to write with pastors in mind on behalf of their churches and the Christians who make up their flocks. They work hard, too, in and out of their homes. They face pressures and stresses, too, all around them. They need days off and vacations to recuperate, as well.
What they need from us are Sundays which are true Sabbath days for Christians. It should be a day of worship and rest. The worship should be restful, and the rest should be an overflow of the worship experience with God.
When I was a young family man before I became a pastor, I worked at my regular job five weekdays and half a day on Saturdays. On Sundays, my church asked and expected me to teach a Sunday school class, attend morning worship, teach a Sunday evening training class, then attend an evening worship service. By the time I went back to work on Monday morning, I was thoroughly exhausted.
The only mandate we have in Holy Scripture is to not neglect to assemble with the saints on the first day of the week to worship the Lord. This can be done in a limited time of regulatively principled worship limited to preaching, praying, reading Scripture, singing, offerings, Communion, and baptism. The worship should be serious and joyful, reflective and restful, without a lot of artificially loud noises and bright lights. The early church should be in the back of our minds as we approach the privilege of worship. What they couldn't do, we shouldn't do (with the possible exception of using electricity, plumbing, heating and air conditioning?!).
Small groups or Sunday schools are latter-day inventions. They can be most helpful in church life, however. Making time for an hour or so of small groups before or after the worship time is not a bad idea, nor is it overly taxing upon the membership. But let's leave it at that.
Other than an occasional meal, or special observances of baptism or Communion, I cannot think of anything else the church should do on Sundays that could not be done on another day of the week. Don't be Pharaoh -- let your people go! Don't drag them to the campus twice on Sundays, for mornings and evenings. Don't keep them too long when they come the first time. Let them worship, then let them rest!
Conscientious Christians work hard all week. They have burdens placed upon them by bosses, peers, family, and friends. They often have financial pressures. They deal with conflicts at the office and at the house. They have schedules that are overloaded and overlapping. They read or watch the news and have to deal with a world gone mad.
What they need on Sundays is some reverent worship and real rest. Pastors and church leaders, time the worship and tune your calendars to reflect these best interests. Give the people in your church what God wants and what they need. Offer them a true Christian sabbath day of worship and rest. Lead them and let them come for these purposes in reasonable times, lest they eventually come apart!
Chuck DeVane is the pastor of Lake Hamilton Baptist Church. Call him at 501-525-8339 or email [email protected].