The Life & Times of ColeSlaw

Sunday Morning Coming Down

I've noticed a lot of fellow bloggers (esp on ChattaBlogs and CovBlogs) estolling the virtues of the Sabbath and the joy it brings, the community growing closer together through fellowship... and on. This is not a refutation of any of those things merely a different take on the subject.

First observance of the Sabbath is of utmost importance period (The observance of which I'm not good at keeping, I'm sad to say.). There is something about the fellowship of worshiping together, taking the sacraments together and hearing the Word preached as a body of believers that transcends mere "religion/religious practice". That something being the ministry of God in the souls of the body of believers. It is good and right to Praise the Lord no doubt.

Sunday can also be the loneliest day of the week. As good and holy as it is, it can serve to point out that we are not meant for this world in a huge way. My personal experience is one that often involves a feeling of disconnectedness on Sunday mornings. I usually feel out of place, as if I don't belong or fit in every day of the week but so much more so on Sundays. This is not necessarily bad, more so the knowledge that my home is in heaven with The Father, Christ and The Spirit and not in this world.

My mom and I were talking the other day and she asked my why I've been feeling so down/lonely lately. I told her that I don't feel like I belong or fit anywhere. She said "if it's any consolation, you're not alone. I've felt that way for over 60 years."

This is getting long so keep reading...

Part of this is my feeling that we as the Church/Body of Christ don't take care of each other as much as we need to. Another part is the idea that Sunday's are for fellowship also with family and friends.

It's hard to break into a church body and be part of the family and even when we do we have, and operate under the western/American ideas of individuality. On Sundays we tend to spend time with our immediately much more than our extended church family. That's not to say that it doesn't happen but I don't think it happens nearly as much as it needs to. Nor do I think we need to sacrifice all of the time we spend as small units. We spend an hour together on Sundays as a body, possibly a weeknight for Bible Study and then isolate ourselves again. Sure we hang out with friends but how much of that time is really used spiritually? Do we have true Christian fellowship every day of the week or do we just have fellowship and we also happen to be Christians? We deffinately need more time together in groups, large and small, truly living in Christian fellowship.

Johnny Cash sang a Kris Kristofferson song that sums up the loneliness and isolation one can feel on Sundays. This is one of the most perfect songs ever.

Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down
By: Kris Kristofferson
Recorded by J.R. Cash on: 7/10/70
Number one - Country Charts; Number 46 - Pop Charts
Number 43 - Top 100 Country Hits of All-Time

Well I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head, that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

I'd smoked my mind the night before
With cigarettes and the songs I'd been pickin'
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Playin' with a can that he was kicking
Then I walked across the street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone's fryin' chicken
And it took me back to somethin'
That I'd lost somewhere, somehow along the way.

Chorus:
On a Sunday morning sidewalk
I'm wishing Lord that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothin' short of dyin'
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of a sleepin' city sidewalk
And Sunday mornin' comin' down.

In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
And listened to the songs they were singin'
Then I headed down the street
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'
And it echoed thru the canyon
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday.

Repeat Chorus

Posted by slaw at September 28, 2003 12:57 PM | TrackBack