Let’s say you run into a coworker at a restaurant. “Hey, I won’t be in for a couple of days, but I’ll see you the first day of next week.” Here’s the question—what’s the first day of next week?
If you answered Monday, the International Organization for Standardization agrees with you, along with quite a few European countries and the Airline timetables. Even the concept of the “weekend,” meaning Saturday and Sunday, points to Monday as the beginning.
But they’re all wrong. Since our workweek begins on Monday, we’re gradually shifting towards thinking of Monday as the first day of the week.
But why does it matter, really? If everybody in the church agreed that Saturday worked out better for them, is it okay to just move the services? The answer is clearly no, because NT Christian worship ought to be on Sunday—the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7, 18; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10).
Maybe it sounds like I’m just being pedantic. But the way we say things and the way we think about the structure of our week—even if it’s unconsciously—can make a big difference. In fact, I’m a little overly conscious of the difference because at one point I realized my own thinking had quietly changed. Without meaning to, I caught myself thinking of Sunday as the last day of the week.
Every Week an Anniversary
To really understand the significance, we would have to connect to the Old Testament background, where we find two different reasons for making Saturday the day of worship.The first reason was as an ongoing commemoration. Exodus 20:11 tells God’s people to rest on Saturday to commemorate the day God finished creating. Deuteronomy 5:12-15 links it to the Exodus. Just like celebrating an anniversary, every week is another opportunity to look back on these great acts of God.
And that sheds a lot of light on Sunday. The exodus was the key redemptive event of Old Testament Theology. What’s the key New Testament event? Clearly, the resurrection of Christ—an event that happened, of course, on Sunday. In essence, we’re declaring that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is such a big deal, we chose to structure our week around it. By resting on Sunday, we show that all of life is lived in the light of what He accomplished.
Every Week a Picture
But the Old Testament gives a second reason for the Sabbath. Built right into the rhythm of their week was a picture of their hope. Every week they labored six days with the knowledge that rest was coming. Work, work, work—then rest. As goes the week, so goes life. Life and labor is a weariness. But there’s a future hope coming, so look forward to it. For them the hope was all future, looking, hoping and waiting for the Messiah to come (Heb. 4:3–10).
No longer, because now we know our Savior. By taking our rest at the beginning instead of the end of the week, we declare that our rest is won. Granted, I’m waiting to enjoy the full results. But Jesus died and rose again. Sin is conquered. The new epoch of human history is here and it’s so significant that all else rests on what Jesus has done. For me, the rhythm has been inverted. Rest, then work, work, work—which is to say what happened in the past is the foundation for my labors all week long. I labor not so that I can rest but the converse. What I already have in Jesus Christ is the foundation that lets me rejoicingly labor all week long. I start with that reality and fit everything else around it.
I think we can still understand that when your coworker talks about the beginning of next week, he probably does mean Monday. I’m pretty sure that correcting that every time is actually going to be just pedantic.
But our thinking should still stay the same. That’s because you and I possess the hope of a reality they don’t have. This Sunday, start your week by commemorating the most transformative event of all time and then joyfully work out what that means all week long.
