How time seems to fly!  It is difficult to realize that  this is the last Lord's Day  of this year.   The apostrophe in  the word Lord's  shows possession;  it tells us that the day belongs to the Lord.  Let us think for a moment about this special day.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LORD'S DAY

• Jesus arose from the dead on this day.  "Now upon the first da of the week ...they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.  And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus...He is not here, but is risen,"  Luke 24:1-6.

• The disciples of Christ are to assemble  in order to eat the Lord"s Supper  on this day.  "And upon the first day of the  week, when the disciples came together  to break bread , Paul preached unto them.,"  Acts 20:7.

• "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him..."  1 Corinthians 16:2.    Indeed, we see that  the Lord's Day is  highly significant to all who respect the word of God.

THE LORD'S DAY IS  NOT...

• a day to be ignored.  The children of God are to assemble for the purposes noted above.  It is sad that so many in our society  ignore the Lord's Day as a time for worshipping our Creator.  Sadder still, is the fact that some Christians also ignore this day to pursue their own personal interests.

• to be used by the church  to celebrate days of human origin  such as  Easter,  Mother's Day, Father's Day,  etc.   The church is to engage  only in those activities authorized by the New Testament and there is no New Testament  authority  for the church to observe special religious  holy days.The Roman Catholic Church originated Christmas as a religious holiday to commemorate the birth of Christ.    There is no authority for the church to celebrate the birthday of Christ.  Christmas, viewed and used  by individuals as  a national holiday, is appropriate but it must not be used in such a way as to detract from the Lord's Day.

THE LORD'S DAY IS...

• a time of spiritual refreshment, a time of  sincere worship to God who made us , who loves us and who does not want a single one of us to perish.  Let us remember the words of  J.H. Childress:

  Upon the first day of the week,
  Our Savior  came forth from the grave,
  He  died, was buried, then arose,
  To reign , to triumph, and to save.
  Though others may forsake the Lord, 
  Yet we are here Thy truth to seek,
  Thy holy presence comforts us, dear Lord
  Upon the first day of the week.