Mondays

Another minister called me this morning to confirm a meeting, but he opened the conversation with, "How are you doing? About as good as a preacher can be on a Monday morning?" I laughed. I've never heard that particular phrase before, but there's truth in it. The biggest work day for a minister, the day we spend the other six preparing for, is Sunday. It's not a day off; it's pedal-to-the-metal, let's-get-people-to-Jesus. Sermons, lessons, events, people who "only want five minutes of your time," everything is on a Sunday, and the preacher maintains a frenetic pace all day. We love it, mind you. Sundays are my favorite day of the week. But when Monday morning comes, we're exhausted. It's why many pastors make Monday their personal Sabbath. (Me, I start working on sermons for the next week on Monday. I'm the other side of the Ministry Monday Coin. Mondays are fine. Tuesdays, though . . . we don't talk about Tuesdays.)

Whether in you're in a pulpit on Sunday or not, you more than likely don't much care for Mondays (and maybe Tuesdays, too). It's not fun to go back to work after a couple of days off. It's hard to get back in the groove, leave a family, smile at your boss. It requires much coffee, much prayer, and actual rest the days before.

The sabbath (whenever yours is) should be a day of rest, a time to decompress, relax, unwind, have fun. (Worship, too.) It's designed -- ordained, even -- to maintain your health and sanity for the rest of the week. This is why Jesus can say the sabbath was created for us and not the other way 'round (Mark 2:27).

So rest up, church. Monday's here today, and it comes again next week.