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Every Sunday Is Resurrection Day
Yesterday, we celebrated the greatest day in history—Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. Churches were filled, songs were loud, and the resurrection took center stage.
Next Sunday will feel different, quieter, more ordinary. But it’s still the first day of the week. And that raises an important question: what if it was never meant to be ordinary?
Early American missionary David Brainerd’s life was characterized by, what he called “a Sabbath habit.” His consistent habit was to attend public worship at least twice: in the forenoon and afternoon. And one of the first lessons that Brainerd taught people, even before they were converted, was the importance of setting apart Sunday to the Lord. David loved “attending public worship” on the first day of the week. For him, gathering with the church was a priority and a delight.
The Early Church’s Weekly Habit
Christians gather together every Sunday as a rhythmic reminder of Jesus’ victory over death. Each of the four gospel accounts stresses that the resurrection occurred on Sunday: “the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1), “on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2), “on the first day of the week” (Luke 24:1), and “on the first day of the week” (John 20:1, 19).
It’s clear from a few places in the New Testament that although the church met frequently during the week (Acts 2:36), gathering on the first day of the week was their inviolable tradition. When Paul instructed the church at Corinth how to give, he indicated that they were in the habit of meeting “on the first day of every week” (1 Corinthians 16:2, italics mine). At Troas, the church gathered together “on the first day of the week…to break bread” (Acts 20:7).
A memorable event happened at this gathering of the church in Troas: Paul preached until midnight, and Eutychus fell asleep (and out the window) during the long sermon. It seems that the early church usually met in the evening because in the Roman world Sunday was a workday for many people. And it seems that the church (at least the one in Corinth) regularly combined their weekly “coming together” in the evening with a potluck dinner (1 Corinthians 11:17ff).
So, the first generation of Jesus’ disciples met “on the first day of every week,” a day they called “the Lord’s Day,” or “the day that belongs to the Lord” (Revelation 1:10). On the first day they broke bread. On the first day they met to get the apostles’ teaching. On the first day they pooled together their resources for benevolence and missions. Why on the first day? As a weekly tradition that reminded them of the central event of the Good News: their Lord’s victory over sin and death.
Every Sunday Is Still Resurrection Sunday
Have you lost sight of why, after two millennia, Jesus’ disciples continue to gather on the first day of every week? Has the tradition lost its meaning for you? Then you should start by reminding yourself every Sunday why you’re gathering on the first day of the week.
Meeting on Sunday gives an implicit reminder of all that Jesus’ resurrection means.
- Meeting on Sunday should remind you that you’re forgiven. His resurrection proved that your sins had been paid for in full and there was nothing left for Jesus to pay.
- Meeting on Sunday should remind you that you don’t need to fear death. Jesus’ resurrection demonstrated that He has the power over death and that very soon it will be said, “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
- Meeting on Sunday should remind you that no service for Jesus is futile. Since Jesus conquered sin and death, you should continually “abound” (1 Corinthians 15:58) in exultant praise and toilsome ministry for the Victor.
- Meeting on Sunday should remind you that you have authority to spread the gospel. Your authority has been conferred on you by the risen King Who possesses all authority in heaven and on earth.
Gathering on the first day of the week is a pregnant tradition. Worshiping the Lord Jesus as a church should be, as Don Whitney teaches, a Christian’s “greatest privilege and most important responsibility on the Lord’s Day” (Simplify Your Spiritual Life, p. 167).
Don’t just endure Sundays. Love them!
This post by Joe Tyrpak comes from The Life of David Brainerd: A Devotional (pp. 20–21).
Explore the whole book!
The Life of David Brainerd (Devotional)
David Brainerd lived twenty-nine short years. Yet his life has affected millions of Christians, including John Wesley, William Carey, Charles Spurgeon, and Jim Elliot. What was so remarkable about the man?
This devotional provides seven accessible, practical answers, including his view of conversion, his oft-cited devotional habits, his deep love for the Lord’s Day, and his endurance of almost constant suffering. Each chapter makes careful, practical, and biblical applications to the lives of readers today, portraying Brainerd as an imperfect but helpful example of Christian piety.
