Many Christians know Sunday as the Lord’s Day, the day Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Rooted in Scripture and the early church, Sunday marks the beginning of the week—a fresh start grounded in grace, worship, and the hope of new creation. For millennia, this placed Sunday as Day 1 in all of Christendom, and by extension, all of Western Civilisation.
Yet in much of the modern world—especially Europe—the standard has shifted. International standards like ISO 8601 set Monday as the first day of the week, treating Sunday as the end rather than the beginning. It quietly moves the Lord’s Day to the margins. When the week “starts” on Monday, Sunday becomes more of a recovery day (the second day of a “weekend”) than the foundational one. But what if we let Sunday be Sunday again? What if every week could once again begin in light of the resurrection?
That quiet longing led to a small project. Recently, I was looking for a clean, always-on calendar clock app—one with no ads, no tracking, no in-app purchases or subscriptions—that defaulted to Sunday as the first day of the week. Something that could run beautifully on older iPhones or iPads, turning them into a dedicated bedside or desk display showing time, date, and a full-month view with Sunday leading. I was happy to pay for it. But after searching the App Store, I couldn’t find anything even close to this. I could not find a No Nonsense Calendar Clock app in 2026.
So I built it myself.
The process of publishing my first app was humbling—and more frustrating than I expected. So many tax declarations to fill in. Privacy Policy statements. Legal declarations. Apple’s review guidelines are strict for good reasons (protecting users, ensuring quality), but some rejections caught me off guard. My initial submission was turned down partly because the subtitle included “iPhone”—apparently, you can’t use Apple’s product names in ways that might imply official ties. It felt odd for an app designed precisely to breathe new life into old iPhones, but rules are rules. After rethinking, I resubmitted as “No Nonsense Calendar Clock: Old Phone, New Life.” After 48 hours that felt like weeks, it was finally approved, and version 1.2 went live on February 9, 2026. You can find it here on the App Store—a one-time purchase at £0.99, yours forever.
And now, with version 1.3 underway, I’m embracing a clearer direction.
The pivot is to “Sunday First Calendar Clock”, or simply, “Sunday First.” This name highlights my core belief: restoring Sunday as the starting point of the week. In the app, users get that Sunday-first layout by default, with clean design, swipe navigation through months, burn-in protection for always-on use, and now full localisation so it feels native everywhere.
For the Body of Christ, emphasising Sunday as the week’s beginning can quietly reinforce expectancy: a weekly reminder that our lives start not with work, but with worship and the risen Lord. In a world that often treats Sunday as the close of the week, this small tool invites us to begin with grace.
If you’ve ever felt that pull to honour the Lord’s Day more intentionally—or just want a simple, ad-free clock/calendar that runs on old devices—give it a try. Let me know what you think. Maybe it’s a small step toward living with more hope and urgency for His appearing.
“Behold, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:12)
