Blog: Is Sunday not a day of rest any more?
I wake up on a Sunday morning to sounds from the neighboring yards. On one yard the house owner is cutting firewood with a circular saw, on another I can hear a lawnmower and a trimmer. This makes me wonder how differently people feel about spending Sundays. Many of them postpone so many weekly chores till Sunday that they need the whole day to do them.
Our way of life today is different from that in my childhood and even more different compared to the time when my parents were young. When I was little, we just did the necessary chores on Sundays. Only a few of our neighbors occasionally spent a Sunday haymaking, chopping firewood or collecting mushrooms or wild berries.
I still remember the lovely fragrance of the Sunday breakfast cooked by my mother: rice pudding and blueberry soup. They tasted so good, almost festive. Sunday mornings also seemed special because my father always switched on the radio for the Sunday service.
Even nowadays many people feel that Sunday morning is different from regular weekday mornings. They enjoy the restful holiday atmosphere of the day.
In many lines of work Sundays are necessarily and unavoidably work days. But despite the increasingly workday quality of our Sundays, modern people should give some serious thought to the question of the above heading. The important thing is how we respond to that question, and what things we find most important deep in our hearts. Are mundane activities more important to us than heartfelt faith and the opportunity to rest after a busy week?
God in His great wisdom gave us both work and rest. The body and mind of every human being require recovery and restoration of strength between periods of activity. Keeping the Sabbath holy means that we can put our daily duties aside, enjoy the rest and refresh our souls by listening to God’s word. ”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28.)
After creating the world, God rested on the seventh day and sanctified that day for rest (Ex. 20:11). Sunday rest is also a symbol of the eternal rest that we will enjoy after our temporal endeavor on earth.
I cherish my childhood memories of
warm blueberry soup
and white rice pudding.
I think about them
when clouds float down on the branches
and sounds are muffled
by gushing rain.
Text: Vaula Eskeli
Translation: Sirkka-Liisa Leinonen
You will find the original blog post here.
– Katso, neitsyt tulee raskaaksi ja synnyttää pojan, ja hänelle annetaan nimeksi Immanuel – se merkitsee: Jumala on meidän kanssamme. Matt. 1:23
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