Should Christians Go Out To Eat On Sundays?
One of the things I have been reflecting on is whether Christians should go to stores, restaurant, and businesses on Sunday.Let me tell you a quick a little story why this has been on my mind.
A little while ago I got a hired at a certain restaurant that is just opening. When they hired me they knew I was only available 20 hours and was completely and totally unavailable to work on Sundays. Well, anyway, this restaurant was not open at the time of my hiring but just setting up and they asked if I could come in and help them set up as they brought in dishes on a Saturday. This was not scheduled hours just something I could do to help them out and earn a little extra money even before I had orientation. I worked that Saturday and as I was leaving I was told (not asked) to come in tomorrow morning as well (that being Sunday). Keep in mind what I was doing was extra and there was no orientation yet. I then responded by saying I am not available on Sundays. Then I was told I had to be available at nights or the mornings on Sunday. Then (with grace) I informed them I was hired with the understanding that I would not work any time on Sunday and I made this clear up front during my time of hiring and I was hired. Well I was then instructed that I needed to talk to a certain manager about that. I did and then he said I was right. Then they tried to schedule me 40 hours! During my orientation week. I protested (kindly, and with grace, I obviously can not put school on hold because its their training week) and my response was its ok the 40 hour is only for the two training weeks. So two weeks of 40 hours. Making 80 hours combined. I decided to quit (again with grace ) and then got a job with Chick-fil-A a Christian owned restaurant, which is not open on Sundays and is flexible with Seminary students.
This got me thinking why is it that working a Sunday can be an expectation of a an employer. It was at the former place I was working even they knew I was unavailable. Obviously, to the world Sunday is the second day of the weekend. A time to sleep in or do whatever. But still, does it bother anyone else how most employers think that it is unreasonable that some one would want Sunday off? Obviously, the reason employers want people to work on Sundays is economic it is another day to make money.
So anyway, a couple Sundays ago I was feeling thankful that I did not have to work on Sundays and glad that would never be a problem with my new job at Chick-fil-A, then I went out to eat after service (like ever good Baptist) and enjoyed my meal but also realized other people were working. Not for me only obviously but I was part of the reason someone else had to work on Sunday. This bugged me. Honestly right now I do not know whether it is right or not go out to eat or do other business on a Sunday.
Having said that, let me first clarify a few things: my concern is NOT trying to obey 4th commandment, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor, and do all your work," Exodus 20:8,9 (ESV) because Col 2:16 says:Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath, but I am concerned about obeying Heb 10:25 says :Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing... So I am not saying that we should not do stuff because it breaks the Sabbath, but that we as Christians doing things on Sundays may prevent other from obeying Heb 10:25 or will reinforce the world's idea that its ok to work on Sundays since its ok for us to be served by workers on Sunday. So what are your thoughts? I would love to have them since my mind is far from made up on this one. What do you think should Christian not go out to eat or to stores on Sunday? Or is ok and why? Let me say I can’t think of a time where I did not go out to lunch immediately after service. Is there anything wrong with that? Are you someone who does not go out on Sundays? Or do you go and have no problem with it? Let me know what you think. I am still undecided on where my convictions are on this issue, so help me out.
P.S. Oh and please come up with something better than "places will be open anyway, so you might as well" that does not mean you have to support it just because it will keep on going without your support. Its like saying you might as well vote for the incumbent even if you disagree with him because he is going to win anyway. Anyway let me know what you think.
posted by John @ 11:36 AM
24 comments
24 Comments:
John~
I have struggled with this issue time and time again. Then I realized something, Pastors work on Sundays too. For some people the Sabbath may be a different day of the week. We can't say to our pastors, "Don't preach on Sunday because it's the Sabbath!" I think the more important question is, on your day of rest, what are you doing? For some it may be Sunday, for others not.
Many churches are now having services on nights other than just Sunday and Wednesday to fill the needs of those individuals who have to work those days.
I must say also, that for many people it's not a choice. Many have to work on those days to provide for their families. And I think a rebuttle would be to say that maybe they need to trust in God more and they wouldn't have to work those days because He will provide. In which I would respond by saying, maybe the job is His way of providing. Who knows. This is a question that many have asked for years and will continue to ask. I believe it is your personal conviction that will lead you to make the right decision. For me Sundays are a great opportunity to witness to those who are working. Most of us have heard before from servers at restaurants how the Sunday crowd is horrible because they don't tip well and complain a lot. I find that Sunday lunch is a great time to show these people that not everyone is like that. I also try to share with them about my experience that morning or ask them if there is something I can pray about for them.
But, once again, this comes from personal conviction and you should follow the Spirit of God on this one.
Like thorny, I have struggled with this over the years (and there have been 63 of them - actually I've only struggled with this 46 years).
I have rationalized as follows: Undoubtedly, the restaurant owner takes one day off during which he/she rests and honors God (Hmmm) and gives each of his employees time to do the same.
What they do with their time is something that will be determined by their relationship to God.
Being a worship leader, I use Sunday to worship God and celebrate His Son's resurrection.
I could use Tuesdays, but nobody would be there.
I DO go to restaurants on Sunday, but never without thinking about it.
Descretion would say, "If in doubt, don't do it." But the lure of family, fellowship and food at the restaurant has enabled me to overcome my ambivilance and continue to partake.
Hmmmm.
Good thinking in your post.
I think the larger issue at hand is the responsibilities that we have within our local churches. We are obligated, not by the Sabbath (Christ is our Sabbath rest), but by Christian unity 'not to forsake the assembling of ourselves' and that 'all the more as we see the day approaching'.
So the issue becomes, when do we meet together for fellowship around the Word, Table, and Worship? Those are the times that have been agreed upon and set aside by the local church as a whole for 'assembling together'.
This is not a defense of Sunday worship and I understand why we worship on Sunday, to commemorate the resurrection and follow the example of the Apostles in meeting on the first day of the week.
However, if a local assembly were to agree on a separate time, as 'Thorny' has suggested, I would not see a big problem with that. Maybe some little problems, but nothing to big.
This is a good question John. My position is that the specifc day one worships with the body of Christ does not matter. The early church started meeting on Sunday Mornings at about 3 AM because....THEY ACTUALLY HAD TO WORK ON SUNDAY. Oh no, they must not have been good baptists, hehe, anyway...So the early church did not start the tradition that Sunday is a day one should not do any work or cause other people to work. Some Roman historian whose name escapes me is my source btw. So, where did "don't work or cause others to work on Sunday" come from (other than from Jewish tradition) recently. I look to our Puritan ancestors for that one. They came to America with the presuppostion that they were the new Israel. And starting Sunday as the Sabbath reenfored that. With all that fun historical stuff in mind, where do I stand?
Well, I think it's 100% to both work and frequent businesses on Sunday. Our mission as christians is to glorfiy God and spread his Word. Working and frequenting businesses on Sundays do not interefere with these missions. If one was able to make it so no businesses operated on Sundays, what would the unsaved do Sunday morning? They would sleep in, like Saturday. I think the big deal here is "are you worshipping God with other believes on a regular basis" If yes, then good. If no, then get to church. I have some kids in my youth group who are very on fire for God but don't come to church on Sunday because they have to work. They come on Wednesdays and other days, they worship with us, and it's all good. hehe, this is long isn't it
-jason milich
student minister
tusculum baptist church
John,
I have begun posting a series of posts on the Lord's Day/Christian Sabbath issue. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Steve
Pastor Steve Weaver's Blog
Just remember, no Asian food!
lol what is it with you and Asian food?!? I like all sorts of Asian food Chinese, Indian, Persian....
Is persian food really asian? I thought it was something else?
But, John you're part Swedish as much as you are Persian. Where is that Swedish pride and the talk about Swedish food?
-jason
LOL I like how the comments difted from talking about Church to ethnic foods! And there is like like 3 injokes going on its great.
Ok Jason, the reason I put up Persian food is because its Asian. (people may want to say middle eastern but what contintent is the middle east in? 2ndly Ancient people only refered to the middle east as Asia they did not know the far east existed. The reason Jeremy made a comment about asian food is because I replied to a post where he said something about not eating Asian food in post on dining tips.
Chris is playing off my pet peeve of most people think Persians are Arab. And they are NOT! They are an Indo-European people like the Greeks and Romans. More information can found out about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persians
Don't worry Jason I haven't forgotten about my Swedish heritage. Swedes have plenty to be proud of like...the Swedish Chef and... Swedish meatballs and..Lots of stuff...
Yep thats right I am half Swedish, half Persian and if that was not crazy enough I am an ex-atheist Reformed Southern Baptist on top of it. Does God have a sense of humor or what! I am like human version of a platypus...
It has a beek like a duck, but it's furry!
"Yep thats right I am half Swedish, half Persian and if that was not crazy enough I am an ex-atheist Reformed Southern Baptist on top of it. Does God have a sense of humor or what! I am like human version of a platypus..."
A platypus is nothing more than a project put together by a bunch of Southern baptist committees.
I have personally struggled with this concept before. There are several positions one can take on this issue.
1)Church attendance is a heart issue, not a money issue, a time issue, or any other kind of issue. I attend church because my heart is fixed on worshipping God every Sunday. Therefore, people who choose not to attend church on Sundays have their heart(s) fixed on other things. "For where your treasure is there will your heart be also." Is church attendance what we as Christians are aiming for, or is heart change what we are aiming for (that is, in relation to ministering to others)? Anyway, people who work on Sundays do not attend church because their heart is not there, not because we eat out on Sundays and cause them to have to work. We should make it our aim to minister to their heart while we are there enjoying their service.
2) On the other hand, some people HAVE to work on Sundays. (firemen, police officers, paramedics, etc...basically the whole medical community) Anyway, should we not get out of bed on Sundays just so we can prevent accidents because then the emergency personel would have to work? I think we could go round and round with this single thought.
3) and then there are those freedom busters. There are people who feel as though they have enough freedom in Christ to do just about anything. I have recently struggled with the concept of "How far do I go not to offend the weaker brother, yet still enjoy and exercise my freedom in Christ?" I have found that I find grace, in/from Christ, in avoiding being offensive to the weaker brother. Also, a friend of mine gave me some wise counsel on this issue. She said, "Dana, there's a sphere of people in your life that you try to influence on a regular basis; like (and she listed some unsaved friends). If your decisions are going to offend those weaker people within that sphere, then you ought not to choose to do whatever it is that might offend them. You obviously can not please the whole world, but your decisions need to keep in mind that sphere of people who you are trying to minister to."
So, pray about what you need to do. And, I will be praying for you as well. Seriously. I know the heartache that can be felt from trying to choose holiness, in all situations. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
I understand what you are taling about; however, this is very legalistic. You are focusing your salvations upong external conformity to rules, and not faith in christ.
I am a SBTS student as well. When I moved to Louisville and applied at a restaurant, they told me that I had to have availabilty on Sundays. Sunday is there busiest day. Why is Sunday there busiest day? Because of church people going out to eat. If church folk quit going out to eat for Sunday dinner, it would be dead in most restuarants on that day.
Sunday is a terrible time to witness to the servers because if the restaurant wasn't so packed, the restaurant wouldn't be open, and maybe they could be at church.
In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul tells the church that "if any man hunger, let him eat at home." Restaurants are just another way for Satan to pull us away from God!
You're insane. If you were to really carry your arguement to fruition, one could claim that everything from grocery stores to Grandma's house would be sinful. You need to rightly divide the Scriptures. If you don't really study the Word and get grounded, you'll end up either involved with a cult or founding one yourself.
How can you justify asking for Sunday off but expecting other people to work and serve you?
Without getting into the Sabbath is Saturday argument, look at how you are treating Sunday, the day you treat as the Sabbath. We are supposed to rest. We have 6 other days to do everything else. We are not to be a stumbling block to our weaker brother. If we take it literally, then we shouldn't work at all. But I'd rather be in my own house making lunch than causing someone to have to work and keeping them from fellowship with others and pursing time with God.
This is something I have struggled with and have felt convicted about recently.
People want to complain about how terrible the world is today and how things aren't as good as they were, but we are the problem. Christians aren't setting a good example. We each have to do our part.
After much study, thought, and prayer, I have been convinced that the best way to treat this issue is to avoid eating altogether on Sunday. If I eat anything, someone has to have prepared it, and it may have been done on the Lord's day. By doing this, it removes any questions and I might have, keeps other believers from stumbling, and removes the guilt of keeping the lost from attending the House of God. Fasting for the entire day allows me to completely focus upon God and His Word. I have actually felt like my stomach is truly full!
It is a Romans 14 issue...
I know individuals all have different days of the week as their day off but my concern is that its healthy for families and our societies to have one day off each week that is the same day of the week on which they can all be together. I dont think the Sabbath principle is just about having one day in seven off, I think it's about a set day of the week that the majority have off together so that families can all be together for the day etc. Thats why as a Christian I feel increasingly bad about going to a cafe or restaurant on a Sunday. Even if the member of staff isnt Christian and even if they had a full day off on Wednesday, Im keeping them away from their children, wife, husband, parents.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Edited to say:
When I was a child, most stores were not open on Sundays or had limited hours. Liberal churches ate out, conservatives didn't. As an atheist waitress, I thought it was hypocritical that so-called Christians wouldn't work, but expected me to, wouldn't tip (or tipped selfishly), left huge messes, complaints, and tracts all at the same time!
As a Christian, I don't prefer to eat out on Sundays, and I don't think it's a good testimony for the Church even if you aren't the pain in the neck or poor tipper that most Christians are, because you're still expecting others to do work that you aren't willing to do on a day that you claim is a day of rest. The unsaved see you as a hypocrite who doesn't practice what you preach.
Sunday, Biblically, was the Lord's Day, a very different day than the Sabbath, which was their day of rest.
On Sunday, they often had what we would call a potluck, a service, and went about their day, or went home for the night. So, although many of them worked, they didn't meet at an Inn for their meal, they made it themselves.
When I was newly saved, folks would invite each other over - whole families would get together in potluck fashion at one another's homes for our afternoon meal & fellowship, then go home and rest (or take a nap at our friend's home) then all would gather at the evening service.
Often they *would* go out to eat after the midweek service.
It wouldn't hurt the Church a bit to get back to fellowship in our own homes, using "hospitality without grudging" as the Bible says.
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