How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.
Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. Psalm 84:1-7
At some point along the way I began using the calendar on my computer rather than one made of paper. Then I discovered that my computer calendar gave me preferences. Who would ever have imagined that? I could prefer for my weeks to begin on Sunday or Monday. I hadn’t thought of it that way before.
What day begins your week?
If you tend toward “my week begins on Monday”, then Sunday morning comes at the end of the week. It is a final day of rest. Worship means giving thanks for the week now past. You might be more likely to look backwards to see God in action in your rearview mirror. Gratitude might be a hallmark of your faith.
If you tend toward “my week begins on Sunday”, then Sunday morning worship launches you into a new week. Worship renews a sense of expectancy. You look for God in the future. Your faith is about anticipation at what surprises God might bring you in the week to come.
A seminary professor was the first person to pose the “what day does your week begin?” question to me. It was clear that he was greatly in favor of seeing Sunday morning as the beginning of our week rather than the end. He would have loved this psalm – singing with joy at all things “temple”. As I sat at my customary place in the last row in class, I sadly realized that I couldn’t match his passion.
My world had always revolved around school. My body clock matched the school year. My hopes for the future all depended on school. School – and thus my weeks – always had begun on Mondays. Once again I thought there must be something wrong with me. I was young. I still looked forward with more anticipation to Saturday night than I did to Sunday morning…even though I was a seminary student. My weeks still began on Monday.
Over time that has changed. I like being home on Saturday night. While I still find myself thinking about the “when does your week begin?” question, I’ve come to realize that my preferences can evolve over time but my choices are still one day at a time. Sometimes, I feel like I am dragging myself to the next Sunday morning at the end of a long long week. More often, Sunday morning opens the door to a brand new life.
How about you? When does your week begin?
Let us pray: Gracious Lord, thank you for gathering your people together, week after week, in all the places that bring sanctuary into peoples’ lives. Thank you for the reminder of your on-going presence in our lives. May that give us both peace and purpose as we begin a new week. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
October 25, 2016 at 4:36 pm |
My week both begins and ends on Sunday. It is a day of rest, as I think God intended as well as a bright source of strength to face the unknown of the week to come.