Why Sundays Are A Good Day For Thinking

I miss having all my Sundays off of work, but when God blessed me with a great job that I wasn’t even qualified for, of course I took it.  So this morning I didn’t get up and put my girls in their adorable dresses. I didn’t go to church. Instead, I stayed in my PJs and walked the ten feet from my bedroom to my office and sold mattresses.

I make the most of it and do as much regular “Sunday stuff” as I can. I’ll listen to last week’s sermon on the church website. I’ll get my Sunday paper and cut out coupons. When I get done with work at five, I’ll make a big dinner. I’ll think about where I’ve been and where I’ll go next, because Sundays are a great day for thinking about the big picture.

Let me start by saying I am not an expert on religion. I didn’t grow up going to church, not even on Christmas or Easter. I started my spiritual journey rather late in life, and at this point I can only be described as a student, and basically a kindergartner, maybe a first grader. But, I do take it seriously and I am determined to learn as much as I can. I go to Bible study, I attend a Christian college, and I pay attention to what is going on in the world in regards to religion. That’s where things can get rather heartbreaking.

The word evangelical means ‘good news’ or ‘gospel’. So we, as evangelical Christians, are called to spread the good news. Sounds like fun, right? But it can be scary, especially for those of us that are socially awkward, to find the right approach or the right moment to say, “Hey, you know what would make that situation better? Some Jesus!” Just because you believe something with all your heart doesn’t necessarily mean you can convey it to others. It can be hard. Unfortunately, there are things and people that make it harder.

I stumbled on a troubling Twitter page today, operated by a pastor out of Tennessee. The language he uses and the aggressive way he speaks in a lot of his videos truly broke my heart. I believe in spreading the ‘good news’. I don’t believe in name-calling and prejudice. I may not always agree with what happens in the world, in politics, or even in my own community, but what purpose does it serve to hate, and to spread that hate? Being an evangelical Christian is hard enough without those with a platform making a mockery of what Christians have been called to do. I fear that those who are lost will find this Twitter page and believe that this is the norm. It isn’t. At all. When we love the unlovely, hug those that are hurting, show the love we have of Christ through our actions towards others, whether or not they have the same beliefs as us, that is when we are truly “sharing the good news”. Love is what builds bridges. How has that gotten lost?

I know that once people step in the door of a chapel and experience kindness and fellowship it can change their life for the better, forever. I wish I could scoop up everyone in a big hug and plop them down at the Sunday service at my church. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be there to witness it. I’d probably be working that day.