Remember Chick-fil-a? You know the most awesome fast food restaurant chain ever.
They got quite a bit of media a couple weeks ago for taking a stand and supporting Christian values. They were all over the news and more importantly my facebook news feed. Christians everywhere were rallying around them as fellow believers. Of course, Chick-fil-A makes it easy. They have such great food and friendly service who wouldn't want to show them some love?
Well this whole Chick-fil-a thing got to me to thinking. One of the hallmarks of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain is their decision to be closed on Sunday to allow their employees to attend church with their families. I've seen countless people applauding their efforts to keep their doors closed and rejoicing in the fact that they care about their employees.
However, these people who give props to Chick-fil-A for being closed on Sunday are the same ones who go out to eat regularly on Sunday afternoon at one of the less "christian" restaurants.
(I know a restaurants can't be Christians. People are Christians. Restaurants are restaurants. Just go with it).
Now, I'm not judging anyone. (This is a very important point!) We are probably one of the worst offenders. I love going out to eat on Sunday afternoons, and I often spend my Sunday evenings at Wal-Mart because I just can't live without that one thing till Monday morning.
I just have to wonder if maybe this habit of treating Sundays like any other day is maybe sending the wrong message to the rest of the world. When I go out to eat on Sunday I am requiring that the waitstaff, the restaurant manager, and the cooks all miss church to prepare my lunch. When I go to Wal-Mart on Sunday I am taking advantage of the fact that the employees didn't get to go to church with their families because whatever I needed just couldn't wait till Monday!
It's an inconsistency I just can't seem to get my mind around. Most Christians recognize Sunday as a special day in which we gather together to worship and fellowship. We encourage others to come and attend church with us because we know that hearing the gospel and fellowship with believers are an integral part of our faith So doesn't it stand to reason that we should do whatever we can to make sure others have that opportunity? We often assume that those who work on Sunday don't want to attend church, but what if they simply aren't able to because we live in a world that sees Sunday as just another work day. There is money to be made on Sunday, and in a small town like mine, a lot of it comes from Christians.
I know it's convenient to eat out on Sunday. I love not having to cook on Sunday afternoons. Better yet, I love not having to do the dishes on Sunday afternoon. I really enjoy the time of fellowship with friends in a smaller setting where we can have real conversation (well, as real as it gets at a restaurant).
I just am starting to wonder if my convenience and enjoyment is worth someone else missing the opportunity to attend worship.
Of course, even if my family stops eating out or shopping on Sundays would it really make a difference? Probably not, but at least we wouldn't be contributing to the problem.
And who knows? Maybe if more Christians took a stand, like the owners of Chick-fil-A, and said, "hey, Sunday isn't just any other day!" Then maybe more restaurants would be closed, and more people would begin to understand that for Christians the Lord's Day actually belongs to the Lord.
But what do you think? Is eating out or shopping on Sunday's acceptable for a Christian? Why or why not?
Not to make a "hot topic" worse, but not all Christians recognize Sunday as the Sabbath. My aunt is a Seventh Day Adventist, and my old pastor observed the Sabbath on Thursday as he was required to "work" on Sundays (obviously). Personally, my husband has a job that requires him to work Sundays (we hate it and he's looking for something else, but still) so we observe our weekly Sabbath on his day off.
ReplyDeleteI guess the point is that we don't live in a world that allows everyone to hold the same Sabbath, and the Bible says not to let anyone judge us by how we observe the Sabbath day, so I would say that eating and shopping on Sunday's is 100% acceptable.
That's my 2 cents anyway ;) However, I 100% understand your point about the need to be set apart from the world and it's quite possible that this is one of those areas where we might be dropping the ball.
Thanks for your thoughts Heather! After reading your comment I actually went and edited the post to hopefully make my point more clear. I agree with you that many different families take a day of rest on days other than Sunday. I'm most definitely not trying to make the argument that Sunday is the Sabbath or that Christians don't have freedom to do certain things on that day.
DeleteThe point I wanted to make was about the inconsistency of my beliefs and my actions. I believe that all Christians should be allowed to fellowship with other believers and worship together, and for most of the church in our area, including mine, that occurs most on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights. However, when I go out on Sunday I am requiring others (maybe even people in the same position as your husband) to work on Sunday depriving them of that opportunity that I hold so dear. It's more of a logical inconsistency in my book than a scriptural one.
Thanks for the feedback :)