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| Malcolm Lester |
When did Sunday become like every other day?
As a parent, I am all too aware of the endless activity on
Sundays. Lacrosse tournaments, swim
meets, concerts, football games….the list goes on. These events make for
harried weekends, days that, paradoxically, are often busier than the work
week.
For me and many other people I know, these familial Sunday commitments
run smack into….no, not the NFL, but church services!
Some churches now offer worship services on either Saturday
or Sunday evening. Not all parishes may
have the resources and staffing to consider these. Moreover, having churches search for
alternative worship times seems backwards: it puts the onus on them, and forces
these institutions to change to accommodate our increasingly busy schedules,
rather than the other way around.
This may be revisionist history, but when I was a boy, Sundays, and especially Sunday mornings, were untouchable. (To my children, yes, I did just say “When I was a boy.” Please forgive me. You will speak the same way in about 40
years). Then, as it is now, not all
families went to church during that time, but if families wanted to attend
church, or have family time, they could.
What was the tipping point? When did everything switch? When
did Sunday become like every other day? More
importantly, does it need to be this way…and what is the solution?
One option, of course, is for parents to not sign their
children up for activities that meet on Sundays. I know some parents like this, who keep
Sundays sacred; more power to them. As
one’s children get older (mine are 14, 11, and 8), Sunday activities become
harder and harder to resist, especially when they want to play in the game, swim in the meet, or sing in the
concert.
Another option is for event coordinators, league
commissioners, and others in positions of influence to reconsider their
scheduling patterns. Yes, these are
businesses, and money talks (it would be naïve to think that money is not a
primary driver here). Some may argue
that Sunday morning activities are necessary because that is the only available
time for ice, lanes, fields, and other high-in-demand space.
But wouldn’t it be nice if we could preserve the time before
1 p.m. on Sunday—or even noon—and say, as a society, “We are not going to
schedule any outside activities during this time. This time is reserved for family time and for
church if you choose. You can run
yourself ragged before Sunday morning and after, but for this three or four hour
block, there is going to be nothing.”
I worked previously at a school that did not schedule any
sporting events—practices or games—on Sundays, which sent a clear message. I appreciated that, and now in my current
position, I try to follow suit when it comes to scheduling events for our
school.
A widespread observance of the Sabbath may not be feasible in
our current super-charged American society. I am not asking for a full day….just a few hours. Call it a mini-Sabbath, or call it Edward
Hopper Time (one of the great artist’s most famous paintings is titled “Early
Sunday Morning”). A small chunk of the
week should look different and feel different from the rest of the week.
Are there others who would like to question what Sundays
have turned into and who are interested in having a conversation about
preserving some sacred time?
Or is it too late…and are we too busy to have that
conversation?
Malcolm
Lester is the Head of School at Grace Episcopal Day School, serving students in
preschool through fifth grade in Kensington, Maryland.
