God Sends Sunday (Arna Bontemps)

Last updated on: December 19, 2018 at 10:38 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

God Sends Sunday (Arna Bontemps) 2018-12-19T22:38:10-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Some of us are born believing we are “lucky” or that we are “men of destiny.” This is a bad idea and not because God does not bless people or call us to certain tasks. The blessings of God come from a person who cannot be manipulated or controlled. There is no “charming” God, talisman that can force His hand, or favorite who can make Him do what he does not wish to do.

His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. We pray because He delights in leaving some issues contingent and waiting for us to ask. His will is done and God never wills evil, but there are some good gifts that we can have if we ask. There is no job God is not best at doing, but God allows us to live.

Sometimes for very complicated reasons we make a mess of it. One of those reasons is the ugliness and harm others do. (Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!) Raise a child hopelessly, give him an inferior education, and make his best prospects in the world of crime and you make it hard for him to do right. Arna Bontemps, one of the greatest American novelists you may not know, has pictured such a man, Little Augie, in God Sends Sunday.

Little Augie is small, but born under favorable portents. He believes in his luck, yet his luck will peter out as he restlessly looks for what he will never find: contentment in a true home. Little Augie never finds it. He loves animals and his size, race, and luck make him a jockey in the Gay Nineties (1890’s!). Little Augie’s belief in his “luck” pushes him to risky behavior that is initially rewarded, but ultimately destroys him.

Society has nothing more to offer an American-American man than poverty or flashy cash quickly earned, as easily spent, and destructive vices. Nobody cares when Little Augie kills another black man over a woman. He is allowed to live in vice until he commits the sin of falling in love with the former mistress of a white man. His “luck” turns and the last half of the book shows a man with the Mark of Cain, the curse that white supremacy declared black skin to be, doomed like Cain to wander. Little Augie never loses a false pride and a hollow dignity, but he is only capable of harm.

Little Augie is rich, “n- rich” as the book describes it, with ready money, but has no concept of investment. He is generous, giving bountiful gifts to his older sister and her children. Little Augie is wasted. At this point, a lesser novelist would invite our pity and judgment on society and society certainly deserves the judgement. Yet Little Augie himself squanders grace, calls it luck, and mercy in his superstition and shallow desires. He brushes against church people, but the vibrant life of the Church, which might save him, is one he misses.

God sends him Sunday after Sunday, but he misses the blessing. Why?

The books title (I suspect) harks back to an old English lament for the wastrel: “come day, go day, God send Sunday.” The man wastes his days, the blessings they contain, and waits for Sunday, the first day of the week and a day of a rest. The idle person can reboot his week, try again, and need not work. Like Little Augie by the end of the book, the idle man might sleep through a day waiting for tomorrow.

His luck will change next week. God send Sunday. God sent a mess of Sundays, Little Augie had his blessings, but frittered his Sundays away. To the very end, Augie is able to move on, wander further, even if wandering is devastating, leaving the only restful home he might claim: a marked Cain.

Bontemps cannot fully blame Little Augie or excuse him. God sends Sunday and we, like Little Augie, too often waste what we are given. We do so for a sad blend of external injustice and internal faults. Who are we to judge anyone, but self?

Arna Bontemps was raised religiously, but the ugliness of life cost him his Christian beliefs. Still he lived God haunted, thinking in Christian categories and morality. Is a man irreligious when his thoughts and life are shot through with God?

Poet, historical novelist, children’s author, Arna Bontemps was a Renaissance Harlem man.

Read the book.

On Books

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

December 18, 2018

Palafox (A Story by Eric Chevillard)

Next Post

December 20, 2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is NOT a Christmas Movie, but Great for Christmas Break

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How did Moses' mother save him as a baby?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Hid him in a cave Dressed him as a girl Sent him to another city Placed him in a basket on the river

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »