As a church without our own building, we have at various times over our 8-year history had our Sunday morning meetings cancelled by Loudoun County Public Schools due to inclement weather.  On the Saturday before those occasions this is what you would typically find at the Donohue house: My older three children digging through the coat closest, looking for their winter gear so they can romp around in the snow with their neighborhood friends, while their dad is closely monitoring weather.com and entertaining thoughts like, “I wonder if a meteor could rip through the ozone and allow enough ultra violet radiation to melt everything by the morning?”

I really don’t like it when our Sunday service is cancelled!  And that’s not just because my job is that of a pastor, but rather because of my understanding of what a unique blessing Sunday is to the church.  When we congregate together on the first day of the week, it is not like any other event.  It is the gathering of those redeemed by Christ who have assembled on his glorious Resurrection Day to celebrate and commemorate all that his vicarious death and victorious rising has accomplished.  It is in a very real way our Christian Sabbath... our day to rest from our works because of the cross-work Jesus did on our behalf to make us anew.  In the same way the original 6-days of God’s creation in Genesis 1 concluded with a day to marvel at all the Lord had made, so too we pause at the end of Jesus’ sacrificial work (on Sunday) to worship him for re-creating us… for making us born again.

So Sunday is much more than a meeting, it is a testimony to the glory of God in the power of the gospel to reconcile us to the Lord as well as to one another.  It is also the primary means by which we are reminded of and instructed in the greatness of his person and those deeds though the preached word.  And so many more graces of the Lord’s Day could be highlighted - the privilege to serve the church with our gifts… the opportunity to further our mission through evangelism and financial giving and prayer… the joy of sharing fellowship before and after the meeting and even throughout the day over meals…  O what a lavish and powerful gift Sunday is to God’s people!

And that’s why, in an ultimate way, Sunday Can’t Be Cancelled…  The apostle John, even while exiled to the island of Patmos because of his faith, writes to the seven churches in Revelation, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…”  Apparently the disciple whom Jesus loved had set aside time to worship, even while in captivity.  And we too don’t have to be limited by weather or sickness or any number of things that would attempt to keep us from resting in and celebrating grace.  We can receive from God’s word, sing and pray and share with those around us the love of the Father.

So let me encourage you, as we won’t be gathering corporately tomorrow, to not allow that to stop you… Gather your family, and even invite fellow church members over who live close by, to lift your voice to the Lord in song. While this kind of family gathering isn't exactly the same as what we do as a church each Sunday, it nonetheless can serve as a means of encouragement and grace to sing, pray, and fellowship together.  Aren’t you grateful for CDs and MP3 players!  You can also listen to sermons online and of course read the Scriptures together.

Luke 6:5, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’"  May we exalt him as such on the day he reigns over and has set apart for his glory and our good.

Blessings,

Bob