Sunday Scaries

Dearly Beloved,

Sunday Scaries

Here at CPC we call everyone to four key things. We have been spending some time here with our dearly beloved looking at these four things and focusing on the “why”. Why are we called to Sundays? Sundays are supposed to be uplifting, joyful, and good for the spirit. Unfortunately due to our modern work world, Sundays for many have become the opposite of uplifting. 

The “Sunday scaries” are categorized as anticipatory anxiety. It's this horrible feeling that people get on Sundays because they know the weekend is over and the next morning is back to the busyness. Just recently mental health studies showed that around 82% of adults experience the “Sunday scaries”. If so many people don't love Sundays, why are we prioritizing it? Why do we call you to Sundays and how can it go from the Sunday scaries to a day full of hope and joy? 

Sundays are the day we as a church gather to worship together, this is important as we know that we need to be worshiping all week but there are many places in scripture that prioritize worship together as the body of Christ. It's encouraging to see so many others in our community together worshiping Jesus. Why Sunday? Sunday was the day that Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. This changed worship and teaching forever, this is why we gather with joy on Sundays. Jesus defeated death. Sundays are a great day to encounter God and we want to create space at church where you can encounter God because those are the moments that truly make Sundays awesome. Community is really important and we all felt that during the years of online-only church. We need to see each other, pray for each other, worship together, go get lunch after church with old friends, or even make new friends. It is really hard to do faith alone which is why we need to gather, iron sharpens iron. 

For those who do not know, I am the youth pastor here at CPC and we run a student leadership program called Equipped. The main idea is to equip people with the tools and abilities to be a Christian influence and leader in their schools and wherever they go. You are never too old to learn, grow, and add more tools to the belt and we want people of all ages to be equipped for the work of God, and Sundays are a great place for this. Life can be hard, like a wavy rough ocean and we can think about Sundays as the harbor, it's this place that is safe. We get a break from the waves and connect with God and feel our spirits get filled up so that when we go back into the rough water we are equipped, refueled, and ready to go. Ready to bring Jesus into our everyday life, ready to spread the gospel and make an impact. 

Many associate the start of a week with Monday, but the start of a calendar week is still Sundy and there is no better way to start off your week than encountering God in community, feeling equipped, uplifted, and hopeful for the week ahead instead of what many face and feel on Sundays. We are calling you to Sundays for so many different reasons, and we want you to experience Jesus in community. 

Pastor Clay