The awkward moment when I was asked to talk about what Jesus said about Sunday being a special day

So, I was asked to talk at a school assembly about why Sunday is a special day for Christians. In the notes I was sent, the person who had written the curriculum had this topic marked down in the section;

‘make links between Jesus’ teachings and the way Christians try to live their lives’.

The huge problem I faced is that Jesus didn’t teach anything about Sundays.

This shows that the person who wrote this curriculum doesn’t understand one of the key areas that the curriculum is all about which is more than a little bit worrying.

I wonder how many of the things that Christians passionately defend are either things that are not taught in the Bible or that aren’t central to our faith.

You see, Christianity is about a relationship not a religion.

It strikes me that the things that often get emphasized in church are religious. There are often big discussions about the hymns or songs we sing and some churches obsesses over chairs or the colour of the walls in their building. These and other things have nothing to do with our relationship with God. Jesus taught nothing about singing and there is only one reference to him singing a hymn in the gospels so why is it one of the biggest things that is discussed in many churches.

Do we even know what Jesus taught? You can read more about this question in ‘Jesus said something but I couldn’t remember what’.

When we can separate out what Jesus really taught and what some Christians think is the most important then it enables us to follow Jesus in the that way he wants. You see, the Bible teaches we should all have a Sabbath and it also gives some examples of the early Christians meeting on the first day of the week but nowhere does it say that Christians must or should have Sunday as their Sabbath.

Changing society and patterns of life means that we need a more flexible approach to when, where and how we worship if we want to connect with people in all areas of society. If we think that Jesus taught that our main gathering has to be on a Sunday then that becomes an area which we shouldn’t want to change. In contrast though, if we realize that meeting on Sunday isn’t a Biblical command then it leaves us free to be flexible.

It was awkward being asked to explain Jesus’ teaching regarding something that he said nothing about. Lets make sure that we follow and promote Jesus’ agenda rather than the agenda of the church.

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