For most of my life, we’ve lived under a misunderstanding and, as a result, a misapplication of the doctrine of the “separation of church and state.” The original context for the separation of church and state was to keep government out of the religious lives of its citizens. Practically, however, we have understood the doctrine to say we must keep the various aspects of our lives separate from one another.
We can go to church on Sunday and praise God all we want, but we can’t take our faith into our jobs, schools, or civic lives. That was never the intention of the “separation of church and state” and frankly, I don’t see how you do that. I don’t stop being a Christ follower just because it’s not Sunday.
The difficult teaching of Jesus is that He is Lord of all and that includes every aspect of our lives. He’s Lord of our faith and our commerce. He’s Lord over my marriage and my friendships. All of my business dealings and financial decisions are under His control. I can’t say to Jesus, “I’ll give you Sunday, but I’ll have to run the rest of the week.” Really, that doesn’t make sense and honestly, why would I want to do that?
Why wouldn’t I want the love, grace, and strength of Christ in my marriage? Why wouldn’t I want God’s wisdom in my work and business? Why wouldn’t I want the genius of God in my education? Why wouldn’t I want Christ forming my character every minute of every day?
Now, this doesn’t give me the right to shove Christianity down the throat of everyone I walk by, but it does give me the opportunity to live in such a way that my friends will ask questions about my faith—about why I do things the way I do.
That’s why Monday matters. It’s the first day of the week and we’re trying to get the week off to a good start. So, put your heart and soul into it. You can’t separate who you are from what you do. Too many of us live as practical schizophrenics—thinking one way and living quite another.
One of the ways to understand the work of Christ is that He’s giving back to us what we lost in the Fall. In the Fall, we lost our relationship to God, each other, creation, and work. Christ, in His redemptive work, gives this back to us. Jesus isn’t just Lord on Sunday. He’s Lord every day. And He’s not just Savior on Sunday. His grace works in us every day.
Monday is a good day to get all of that started, and that’s why Monday is so important.
