The ancients used to say the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Twenty-first century pop culture has changed the axiom: the journey of a thousand miles begins at Starbucks. The old world was about the intent of motion. The new one is about the chill for the road ahead...or, the caffeine we need to kick in our after-burners.
Still, starting is important. As an example, consider the Exodus, God's delivery of Israel from 430 years of Egyptian slavery. Moses mentioned the starting places of their staged journey in the Numbers account. He wrote---
These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of
Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote
down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the Lord, and these
are the stages according to their starting places.
Numbers 33: 1-2, ESV
In this text God gave them a travel plan that included each of their starting places. It's as if God anticipated a shortage in their endurance as they navigated the wilderness and therefore gave them starting places for each stage to measure their progress. They would never reach their destination in forty years if there weren't starting lines marked on their maps. It was a jump start to the hard years ahead.
The energy or impetus to stay started is a test for many of us. Moving through the stages of life lures us to comfort zones where inertia is most attractive. It was the case with the nation of Israel as they faced forty years in the wilderness and it's the reality of now with our preference for normality and routine.
So, Sunday is important in many ways. Yes, it is the Lord's Day when Christians traditonally celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and worship together. It is also the first day of the week, the starting line for new experiences of this life. Like Israel we need these marked starting lines to signal a transition from what is behind to what is ahead.
May it be so as the new week dawns.
Happy Sunday. May it be a real starting line for something miraculous.