I'm only a few pages into a new book THE PECULIAR LIFE OF SUNDAYS by Stephen Miller but I wanted to relate his opening comments to lead into the topic of "Sundays in America." In 1941, Billie Holiday recorded a hit song that reportedly inspired numerous suicides. It was called "Gloomy Sunday." Miller continues by relating how a number of literary figures commented on the dreariness of the day. Now, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from August to January, Sundays are anything but gloomy for this is "Steeler Country." The men I work with are consumed with NFL football and spend large amounts of time researching and preparing their Fantasy Football. Miller quotes John Keats, "The church bells toll a melancholy round, Calling the people to some other prayers, Some other gloominess, more dreadful cares, More hearkening to the sermon's horrid sound."
I imagine this book will be like another one I read by Alexis McCrossen called HOLY DAY, HOLIDAY: The American Sunday, in that it is a secular perspective on the day, researched very well but missing completely God's purpose for the day. Most know of Blue Laws where communities prohibit certain stores form opening on Sundays. America has kept sort of a schizophrenic relationship with the day. It tried to honor it but would have to admit that, other than sports, there is not a whole lot of profit to be made. Back to the Steelers, owner Art Rooney was instrumental in moving the game day from Saturday to Sunday and what has become "Steeler Sunday" in Pittsburgh.
I don't want to get into the history of the day here for these two books will do that just fine for whoever is interested. What I want to do is present the alternative, from the viewpoint of the Christian faith, understood by some today but many yesterday. By the way, the film CHARIOTS OF FIRE does a good job of describing the reformed Presbyterian view. I also want to admit that even within Christian circles there are differences of opinion. Luther was reacting against the Roman Catholic practices for the day when he tried to put forth that the fourth commandment was abrogated to a certain degree. The English Puritans had time to assess the situation once the turmoil of the Reformation quieted down and returned the church to a more scriptural view.
Today's modern Christian pastors are "more enlightened" and enjoy passing on God's gracious nature in giving us advice that sport is a blessing and what better day to have a blessing than Sunday. I see it differently and will give a very short summary. God gave us many things in the world to enjoy and pursue and we have six entire days to do that, but it takes its toll on us. It is for our benefit that He said that one day in seven is for Him and in enjoying Him, it is for us. I walk into church (reformed Presbyterian) every Lord's Day pretty much beaten down with having to deal with one of my worst adversaries all week, me.
I spent about twelve years of my Christian life going to church, smiling, laughing, enjoying, singing praise choruses loudly and settling down to a good football game. In short, I was dealing with "me" for seven days a weak. Today, I only want to hear the glories of Christ preached and my sins still covered by what He did for me. The joy is there far more than it was but it is rushing through my veins instead of spilling off my tongue. I had to search far and wide to find a pastor that considered preaching who Christ is and what He did instead of sharing with me his wisdom on how to live. If the Lord's Day is ever to take precedence again in America it will be because of a change in preaching to Christ.
I don't blame the secularist for not seeing the power in a sermon. In that situation I think that I would say, "Write it down in a pamphlet and send it to me and I'll get some needed sleep on Sunday." Just one quick story. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great Baptist "Prince of Preachers" from 19th century England wrote that he was a church-goer but not saved until one Lord's Day blizzard where he could not get to his church. He stopped in a small Primitive Methodist church where even the pastor could not get there. I have to laugh at Spurgeon's account of the incident "The minister did not come that morning, he was snowed up, I suppose. At last a very thin looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach. Now it is well that preachers be instructed, but this man was really stupid. He was obliged to stick to his text, for the simple reason that he little else to say. The text was "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." He did not even pronounce the words rightly but that didn't matter. There was, I thought, a glimmer of hope for me in that text." (Spurgeon, A New Biography by Armold Dallimore isbn: 0851514510)
I imagine this book will be like another one I read by Alexis McCrossen called HOLY DAY, HOLIDAY: The American Sunday, in that it is a secular perspective on the day, researched very well but missing completely God's purpose for the day. Most know of Blue Laws where communities prohibit certain stores form opening on Sundays. America has kept sort of a schizophrenic relationship with the day. It tried to honor it but would have to admit that, other than sports, there is not a whole lot of profit to be made. Back to the Steelers, owner Art Rooney was instrumental in moving the game day from Saturday to Sunday and what has become "Steeler Sunday" in Pittsburgh.
I don't want to get into the history of the day here for these two books will do that just fine for whoever is interested. What I want to do is present the alternative, from the viewpoint of the Christian faith, understood by some today but many yesterday. By the way, the film CHARIOTS OF FIRE does a good job of describing the reformed Presbyterian view. I also want to admit that even within Christian circles there are differences of opinion. Luther was reacting against the Roman Catholic practices for the day when he tried to put forth that the fourth commandment was abrogated to a certain degree. The English Puritans had time to assess the situation once the turmoil of the Reformation quieted down and returned the church to a more scriptural view.
Today's modern Christian pastors are "more enlightened" and enjoy passing on God's gracious nature in giving us advice that sport is a blessing and what better day to have a blessing than Sunday. I see it differently and will give a very short summary. God gave us many things in the world to enjoy and pursue and we have six entire days to do that, but it takes its toll on us. It is for our benefit that He said that one day in seven is for Him and in enjoying Him, it is for us. I walk into church (reformed Presbyterian) every Lord's Day pretty much beaten down with having to deal with one of my worst adversaries all week, me.
I spent about twelve years of my Christian life going to church, smiling, laughing, enjoying, singing praise choruses loudly and settling down to a good football game. In short, I was dealing with "me" for seven days a weak. Today, I only want to hear the glories of Christ preached and my sins still covered by what He did for me. The joy is there far more than it was but it is rushing through my veins instead of spilling off my tongue. I had to search far and wide to find a pastor that considered preaching who Christ is and what He did instead of sharing with me his wisdom on how to live. If the Lord's Day is ever to take precedence again in America it will be because of a change in preaching to Christ.
I don't blame the secularist for not seeing the power in a sermon. In that situation I think that I would say, "Write it down in a pamphlet and send it to me and I'll get some needed sleep on Sunday." Just one quick story. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great Baptist "Prince of Preachers" from 19th century England wrote that he was a church-goer but not saved until one Lord's Day blizzard where he could not get to his church. He stopped in a small Primitive Methodist church where even the pastor could not get there. I have to laugh at Spurgeon's account of the incident "The minister did not come that morning, he was snowed up, I suppose. At last a very thin looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach. Now it is well that preachers be instructed, but this man was really stupid. He was obliged to stick to his text, for the simple reason that he little else to say. The text was "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." He did not even pronounce the words rightly but that didn't matter. There was, I thought, a glimmer of hope for me in that text." (Spurgeon, A New Biography by Armold Dallimore isbn: 0851514510)
