I love Sundays. I
especially love Sunday in my home; it just feels like Christmas day to me -
festive and a joy-filled day! In my
home, Sunday represents a day that the family spends together loving each other
and loving on the Lord. For the longest
time, my family was not able to worship together because we never had nursing
coverage for Malachi during the day on Sunday and it’s too much of a challenge
to take Malachi to church every Sunday.
So, Maurice and Joshua would attend the early (7:30am) service at church
Sunday morning, while I cared for Malachi.
Once they returned home, I would go to the 11am worship service at
church. Currently, we have weekend day
coverage, so technically, we could worship together as a family, however,
Maurice and Joshua have become rather fond of the 7:30am service and I of the
11am service. Additionally, I really
like the image of my men-folk attending church together; it strengthens their
father-son bond. Sunday morning, everyone in my household is preparing their
body, mind and spirit for church.
Maurice is in the shower singing in his best baritone voice, what a fellowship, what a joy divine,
leaning on the everlasting arms.... It’s off-key and Josh and I have a good
laugh, but I am happy that my husband is not ashamed to joyfully express his
love for God. Joshua is holed up in his
bedroom working diligently on tying his tie by himself. And Malachi is eager to have his daily
devotion read to him and his Veggie Tale movie complete so that he can get to
the Disney movie of his liking.
Sunday morning promises the aroma of bacon frying and stacks of fresh blueberry or apple-cinnamon pancakes doused in pure maple syrup for breakfast. Some mornings, Maurice will peel white potatoes and chop onions and make hash browns with scrambled eggs and cheese – and a big ole’ glass of orange juice to wash it all down. YUM!
Sunday morning, we are all dressed in our Sunday best – our best clothes, our best attitude and our best energy for God. Sundays at church is always an awesome worship experience! The music ministers deep in my soul. Prayers are poetic and heart-felt. Church just feels like a family reunion every Sunday! Some folks I see from week-to-week, but we hug and kiss like we haven’t seen one another in months. Other folks I may not see every week, so we play mini-catch-up at church. The preached word is always relevant, inspiring, powerful and personal. Even if I came to church low, I leave out on a holy high! And returning home from church feels like a continuous beat –smooth, steady and uninterrupted. Sunday afternoon in my home is relaxing. My men-folk are HUGE football fans, so football is on every TV in our home. And football “atmosphere” is in full force too! We have donned our church attire and traded it in for sweats and football jerseys. There is lots of hoopin’ and hollerin’ and chips and pretzels amidst the cheers coming from the television. And in between, I am digesting bits and pieces of the sermon or Maurice may be humming a song he heard the choir sing. Church is physically over, but God remains in the spirit of my family. Maurice and I often quiz one another at some point in the day – “How was church?” he says, or I may ask him, “What did pastor preach on today?” We attend the same church, but often the preached word is different for each service. I love Sunday in my home because it’s the one time during the week when the prepared meal feels like a holiday feast. During the work week, we have to be quick and creative with the meals we prepare because everyone is on a crazy schedule. But Sunday dinner is different – it’s special because it is prepared with special love and care. The juicy, flavorful, tender, oven-roasted chicken tastes like love. Homemade macaroni and cheese prepared to perfection. And crisp, buttery asparagus is so divine! Just one example of a typical Sunday dinner at my house. Sunday in my home is like no other day of the week; Sunday is in a league of its own. In my home, Sunday is a day of rest. We are resting from working and worrying; we are resting from cleaning and complaining. We are honoring the fact that even God Himself rested on the seventh day from all of His work of creation. We are honoring His command to rest and honor Him. I love Sundays in my home because it sets the tone for the remainder of the week. We are entering the week fully charged with rest; fully charged with full bellies and renewed spirits; fully charged with the embrace of a loving family; fully charged with His promise never to leave nor forsake us.
Sunday morning promises the aroma of bacon frying and stacks of fresh blueberry or apple-cinnamon pancakes doused in pure maple syrup for breakfast. Some mornings, Maurice will peel white potatoes and chop onions and make hash browns with scrambled eggs and cheese – and a big ole’ glass of orange juice to wash it all down. YUM!
Sunday morning, we are all dressed in our Sunday best – our best clothes, our best attitude and our best energy for God. Sundays at church is always an awesome worship experience! The music ministers deep in my soul. Prayers are poetic and heart-felt. Church just feels like a family reunion every Sunday! Some folks I see from week-to-week, but we hug and kiss like we haven’t seen one another in months. Other folks I may not see every week, so we play mini-catch-up at church. The preached word is always relevant, inspiring, powerful and personal. Even if I came to church low, I leave out on a holy high! And returning home from church feels like a continuous beat –smooth, steady and uninterrupted. Sunday afternoon in my home is relaxing. My men-folk are HUGE football fans, so football is on every TV in our home. And football “atmosphere” is in full force too! We have donned our church attire and traded it in for sweats and football jerseys. There is lots of hoopin’ and hollerin’ and chips and pretzels amidst the cheers coming from the television. And in between, I am digesting bits and pieces of the sermon or Maurice may be humming a song he heard the choir sing. Church is physically over, but God remains in the spirit of my family. Maurice and I often quiz one another at some point in the day – “How was church?” he says, or I may ask him, “What did pastor preach on today?” We attend the same church, but often the preached word is different for each service. I love Sunday in my home because it’s the one time during the week when the prepared meal feels like a holiday feast. During the work week, we have to be quick and creative with the meals we prepare because everyone is on a crazy schedule. But Sunday dinner is different – it’s special because it is prepared with special love and care. The juicy, flavorful, tender, oven-roasted chicken tastes like love. Homemade macaroni and cheese prepared to perfection. And crisp, buttery asparagus is so divine! Just one example of a typical Sunday dinner at my house. Sunday in my home is like no other day of the week; Sunday is in a league of its own. In my home, Sunday is a day of rest. We are resting from working and worrying; we are resting from cleaning and complaining. We are honoring the fact that even God Himself rested on the seventh day from all of His work of creation. We are honoring His command to rest and honor Him. I love Sundays in my home because it sets the tone for the remainder of the week. We are entering the week fully charged with rest; fully charged with full bellies and renewed spirits; fully charged with the embrace of a loving family; fully charged with His promise never to leave nor forsake us.
The best way I know how to thank God for Sunday and Sunday
at my home is to honor Him with this song of praise and thanksgiving:
Bless the Lord, oh my soul
And all that is within me,
Bless His holy name.
Psalm 103
QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you love about Sunday?
4 comments:
Love this - so warmly & accurately describes the loving home you all have created. All the songs Maury sings & mentions on this Blog remind me of our Grandpop Chapman and the church where we were raised in Philadelphia - love it too
Love - Joycie
Hi Joycie!
Your comment is so timely - Maurice and I were just talking about the memories of Sundays at his home in Philly with his family! He talked about Dad cooking scrapple in his wifebeater shirt (smile)and his Mom making homemade biscuits. And of course, the family going to church. We share a similar history and it prompted me to write about Sunday at my family's home. There is nothing like family and these wonderful moments we are creating are so very precious and important to the shaping of who we are. THANK you for being a part of our loving family and our rich legacy of faith-filled believers!
Be Divinely Inspired,
Dena
Sundays at your house sound so warm and comfy! Now I'm hungry for some pancakes, hash browns and a big glass of OJ!!!
Blessings to you and the whole fam
Dear Anonymous,
I wish I knew your name so I could personally thank you for stopping by Life After Breath and for sharing such sweet sentiments:) When folks come to my home, they always say how comfy it is - that brings a big smile to my face because I work really hard to make my family and all who enter our home feel welcome and loved. You know the beauty of breakfast is that you can have it at any time of the day :) ENJOY!
Peace & Blessings,
Dena
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