Working on Sundays?

[Durruck]

From the "Being Part of a Local Church" thread...

If you would like me to "fully-support" it I can. =)

I would like to see what you have to say, because I'm specifically thinking about people like Pastors, church volunteers, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, hospital orderlies, etc... and thinking that it's not always possible to say "nobody should work on a Sunday."

I understand that the Bible says that we should work 6 days and a rest, that our work week is modeled around the Creation week. But what if I take Tuesdays off instead? What if I follow the Jewish tradition that says Saturday is the Sabbath?

I can see several justified exceptions, because it's the spirit of the law that we are told to follow, not the exact words. Look at all the things that Jesus came to correct. Jesus himself was persecuted by the religious leaders of the day because he performed a miracle and did great works on the Sabbath.

 

[Patriot]

Ah. I see the disconnect now. Allow me to better point out my position.

My point, illustrated here, was not that we shouldn't work on Sundays. It was that our relationship with God and the body is more important than any job. If your job is coming between you and God, regardless of what days you have to work, I would argue that it should be dropped.

Believe me, I was not trying to make a legalistic argument. We apparently were not even discussing the same thing. I see now why you thought what I was saying was half-supported, and I hope you can see why I said I could fully support it. =)

 

[grimsauce]

It was that our relationship with God and the body is more important than any job. If your job is coming between you and God, regardless of what days you have to work, I would argue that it should be dropped.

i would agree to an extent, but i think even more, that maybe the person should realize that it may be possible to glorify God through the job. I mean.. it really depends on the particular circumstances and the definition of "coming between you and God". The sacrifice of working during a Sunday service may require you to miss your weekly sermon, but sometimes working to provide for the family and sacrificing that sermon time for the family could be seen as commendable, i think? It's so circumstantial though... imo, it shouldn't come down to when you work- as long as you can provide for the people you're responsible for and have God at the center of everything.

 

[Patriot]

The sacrifice of working during a Sunday service may require you to miss your weekly sermon, but sometimes working to provide for the family and sacrificing that sermon time for the family could be seen as commendable, i think?

Really, that depends. Allowing your own relationship with God and the body to suffer and diminish only hurts you and your family in the end, which is not commendable in the least. But as Abba San pointed out in the other thread, Sunday service is not your only option these days. So sure, it can be commendable assuming you are not letting your relationships fall by the wayside.

 

[Durruck]

Ah, Context. Yep, I'm with ya 100% now. I guess I misunderstood which point you were working from. Oops

 

[grimsauce]

So sure, it can be commendable assuming you are not letting your relationships fall by the wayside.

agreed

 

[cc.slim]

I am a on call tech that has to be available 24/7 and if I miss Sundays then I do for God gave me a job to do and you betcha I am glad to do so! Do I want to miss Sunday's no I don't but I will to do my duties. I continue to study and share when I can. If I went hunting and forgot my bullets then something is missing huh? It is the same when we are not there for we all bring something when we are there. You have something and whether it be Sunday Wednesday Thursday Saturday or Sunday you will have something God wants you to share and this is why there is a church for everybody has what is needed for that moment! Praise, worship and burdens! It is a bring it all moment and I want some!

 

[Odale]

I have a question about the Sabbath.

Isn't the Sabbath the 7th day in the week? Would that not be a Saturday?

 

[Abba San]

You are absolutely right. Most of us take a Sabbath rest that is not on the Jewish Sabbath, but on the Lord's Day.

 

[Durruck]

ISO 8601 (international standard) of the Gregorian Calendar actually shows Sunday being the 7th day of the week.

 

[grimsauce]

the day of the Sabbath is almost completely irrelevant in my opinion. The purpose of a Sabbath is rest, the day it lies on is unimportant. God didn't give his people obscure rules- the majority of them can all be seen to actually be beneficial to the person/community. Taking a day of rest from work is important.. God's telling us we need to make sure we rest, but that doesn't mean we abstain even from good work just because it's the Sabbath. We need time to rest though... God told us so

 

[blackgravity]

i get all confused by days of the week now because of work. i think of tuesday as the first day and monday as the last day, because of our particular fiscal calendar.

though I have sundays off, my wife does not, and that is her biggest money-making day so we can't really afford to have her miss it. though when i am able our son and i go to church with my parents. it's a bit easier now since i work til 8 at the latest on saturday nights instead of 3 in the morning.

 

[Logos]

This may have been stated elsewhere, I didn't have chance to view the entire thread, but one thing we need to understand is much of the idea(s) of the laws in the Old Testament Christ fulfilled, did not abolish but fulfilled... in other words, one they either pointed to some way of who he was or what he was going to do, or/and two Christ was sinless therefore he fulfilled what we are incapable of doing on our own. Now with that being said, I find it interesting, that in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7, Jesus restates the ten commandments and even seems to take them to a whole new level, but there is ONE that is missing...The rest from the Sabbath...now this is just from my simple reading of the Word, BUT notice over and over when Christ offers salvation to the people he says come to me and I will give you rest, and the writer of Hebrews also points to the beautiful fact that the laws and rituals of the Old Testament were forshadowings all pointing to Christ, and later in Hebrews the writer even says that Christ has BECOME are rest...so in a sense if you are a believer in Jesus Christ you have entered into the ultimate rest!

JUST to put a side note: I am all for a day of rest though.