Sunday isn’t just a convenient day to plan church activities. The day itself is a gift.
Most people think of the first day of the week as Monday, when you’ve got to hunker down and get busy with important matters. But in early Christian tradition, the first day of the week was Sunday. You get the week started with matters that may be even more important: community, beauty, sharing, prayer and good news.
It was on the first day of the week that Christ was raised from the dead. The 50 Sundays of the church year are known as the “Great Easter” (the remaining Sunday being “little Easter”).
- The First Day is a Feast Day. We’re inspired by Jewish teaching on the Sabbath. Let Sunday be restful but also joyful and celebratory! Let life be a feast.
- First Day practices include: gathering for human connection, sharing food and gifts, prayer and praise, beauty and the arts, and God’s promises. How can we be about these gifts in Sunday church activities as well as at home and throughout the week?
- First Day is about first priorities. There are so many claims on our time, from work to social media feeds. Can we support each other – and all people – in finding time for what gives us life?
- First Day means new day. When Christ was raised it was like the first day in a new creation. In all our struggles and fears, can we support one another in finding hope?