How welcome to the saints, when pressed
With six days noise, and care, and toil,
Is the returning day of rest,
Which hides them from the world awhile.
Now, from the throng withdrawn away,
They seem to breathe a different air;
Composed and softened by the day,
All things another aspect wear.
How happy if their lot is cast,
Where statedly the gospel sounds
The word is honey to their taste,
Renews their strength, and heals their wounds!
Though pinched with poverty at home,
With sharp afflictions daily fed;
It makes amends, if they can come
To God's own house for heav'nly bread!
With joy they hasten to the place,
Where they their Savior oft have met;
And while they feast upon his grace,
Their burdens and their griefs forget.
We thank thee for thy day, O Lord,
Here we thy promised presence seek;
Open thine hand, with blessings stored,
And give us Manna for the week.
John Newton (1725-1807)
Olney Hymns, 1779
3 comments:
That is, until the 1950s when all the calm of Sunday was surrendered to "professional football" on TV. And services were pushed earlier so as not to intrude on the NFL schedule. And the Blue Laws began to fall. And ...
That is indeed correct. So many of the younger generations would find a lot of that hard to picture.
This reminds me of an advertisement I saw several years ago that a large church put in the newspaper. It said something to the effect of this: "Everyone gather this Sunday evening to watch the Super Bowl on the big screen in the fellowship hall. There will be testimonies at half time." P.T. Barnum would have been proud.
It is interesting that we don't want to work most other days of the week, but do want to work on Sunday!!
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