“The Lord’s Day!” Just saying those beautiful words brings a smile to me. The Lord Jesus Christ has done so much for us. He has saved us from Hell and gave us a Bible so we would have promises assuring us of that salvation. He sent the Comforter, the sweet Holy Spirit, to live inside of us helping us, sustaining us, encouraging us and guiding us when He went back to heaven to prepare for us a mansion. Does knowing those truths still do for you what they did when you first experienced salvation? Most people that are truly born-again had a transformation at that moment of redemption. II Corinthians 5:17 tells us that we are “new creatures.” Old desires, lusts and sins no longer held us captive. There was an inner strength not known before. We loved church-life so much that we just had to be at church on Sunday because it was the Lord’s Day. We wanted to sing, pray, give money to Him by tithing and became giddy listening to a message from our Bibles. Christ had done so much for us, much more than anyone before or since, and it was our chance to give Jesus worship and praise. Why not? It was the Lord’s Day. BUT time marches on and familiarity breeds contempt. We’ve been there, done that and bought the t-shirt as the saying goes. Commitment has cooled. I don’t need it like I did in times past. Our emotions don’t run as hot as they used to, so we just decided to turn the Lord’s Day into “My Day.” “It is a time to hunt and I only have a few weekends so I’ll be in the woods.” “I like watching sporting events on Sunday. I need the diversion.” “The kids have school Monday and they need to rest.” There are legit reasons such as sicknesses, but each of us ought to be able to look in the mirror and say the Lord is supreme in my life and with all I have I will honor him on His day, the Lord’s Day.
Our younger people most likely do not know who Ed Sullivan is. He is dead now. He had a long face and was strange in speaking, rolling out his words. He had a television show (it was black and white in the beginning then graduated to color) and it aired on Sunday nights. You can find clips of the Ed Sullivan Show online. He was the biggest draw on TV and America watched him weekly as he emceed various acts. A church placed in their bulletin an open letter to Ed Sullivan. I came across this in my sermon prep for “The Lord’s Day” sermon. I thought I’d share it with you today.
Dear Ed Sullivan,
I am writing this letter to you because you have become my god. Instead of going to church on Sunday night, I have stayed away and listened to you. It took so little effort to relax on Sunday evening and listen to you. Now understand, I am not lazy, for I always go to work on Monday mornings. Then too, I don’t get convicted listening to you like I would if I were in church.
Ed, I am in the hospital now, and I need your help. I can’t go to the pastor, for I have slapped him in the teeth every Sunday night when he preached. And I said in effect, “What you have to say doesn’t interest me.” I can’t lower myself to ask him to pray for me now. Then I can’t go to God, for I have put Him second to you, and He knows that whenever I get well, I will do Him as I have always done Him, and keep listening to you on Sunday nights. Surely God wouldn’t expect me to give up my favorite program just to worship Him.
Please, Ed, will you help me to get well? Also, the bills are piling up. Will you help me meet my obligations? And if per chance I should die, will you see that I get to heaven? If I do get well, you can count on me to be in my place on Sunday night, supporting your program. I will be a faithful listener, so please, Ed, don’t let me down.
Signed,
A devoted supporter
There is powerful stuff in this open letter to Ed S. Do you need a reset? Do you need to remember that first love when Jesus saved you? Let’s keep the Lord’s Day as His day and not turn it in to “My Day.”