Sunday

Sunday’s not a day of rest, but day of celebration –
We mark the coming of our Lord, which followed resurrection,
Into our lives “beyond the pale” – if rest you are a-wanting,
Then Saturday’s the day for you, with God the Father vaunting.

Well Friday night to be exact, for setting sun begins it,
’Till evening of the Saturday – the winter sun can squeeze it
Into short daylight hours up here – still twenty-four I’ll grant it –
There’s ten less hours of daylight here where solstice does affect it.

For Saturday belongs to God, it’s not a day for working;
Provided at creation time to keep the boss from jerking
Us workers seven days a week – both man and beast together,
So mankind gets to rest a while in good and stormy weather.

But that is all well understood, what’s not is place of Sunday –
It’s not a day of rest as such, but not the same as Monday;
For Jesus was the one who sent those Jewish treasures thither
Apostles were the ones He sent – we gave them stormy weather.

And so one day a week we think of richness He has brought us,
As well as saving grace He gave, for by His blood He bought us;
The left’s more conscious of the first; the right the other gifting,
But both are what we celebrate when thanks to Him we’re lifting.

We’re such a motley crew we are, our culture’s all displaying,
Variety quite infinite, yet unity we’re saying;
Third-culture-kids are mixed in that, each lightened by His leaven,
And flavored by the salt of life, lit by the light from heaven.

For every culture downside has; some puzzle it can’t answer;
The good news (Judaism-lite) responds with nothing fancier
Than some deep insight Jews first heard, and shared with us through Jesus;
So on each Sunday we give thanks – in dark God did not leave us.

Now as the pink and blue of dawn arrive to start this Sunday,
My thoughts turn back to Jesus’ life, how He’d come back ’fore Monday,
So we’d have life – He gathered up Apostles who had scattered,
And sent them on their way assured our other cultures mattered.

Just like first student to the front of class, brought by a teacher,
Idea is to teach us all each jot and tittle featured;
Then Jesus took the things they’d learned and stripped them down for sharing,
And trained Apostles from His group to demonstrate God’s caring.

“Don’t be like us in culture, guys, take salt, and light, and leaven,
Into your cultured-lives and drink the blessing sent from heaven;
Fill in the gaps your culture has, no more its downside living,
But shift into its blessedness, enriched by what we’re giving.”

So Sunday is “all-cultures-day” – when we give thanks to Jesus,
For sending His Apostles out with word of God which frees us,
To be the folks God had in mind the day of our creation,
Variety He did invent seen now in every nation.

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