Sunday Sabbath

Donald Sensing has a post up about Family Christian Stores being open on Sundays. He feels it isn't a good thing. He also has a Sunday sermon on a similar Sabbath-related topic.

Well I'm going to be a particularly devilish devils advocate and take the other side on this one. Here are a few verses about Sundays:

Exodus 35:2
For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.

Leviticus 16:31
It is a Sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.

Leviticus 23:3
There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

You will notice two things. The first is rest. The Sabbath is a day of rest. Second is that it is the Lord's day and set apart. Third is that then, as now, it was used as a time a sacred assembly.

Now this is what my typical Sunday looks like. I wake up shower/shave/etc. I put on nice clothes (khakis, shirt, tie, sportcoat) and get in my car. Its a 25 minute drive to church from my apartment. I go to Sunday school at 10am and I usher for the 11:15am service I attend. I try to make contact with the guys in my small group and see how they are doing. After church I have lunch with my parents and brother. Then my brother and I typically go do something we both enjoy like see a movie or shoot. Maybe I go home but maybe we head to my parents house for more family time. In the evenings I talk to my girlfriend.

So you can see a parts of my Sundays are non-restful and those same parts are either church or family related. I don't do any professional work I get paid for so avoid getting stoned or cast out. I do perform a lot of work on Sundays as part of my responsibilities in my church.

What does this have to do with anything about books? Well a big part of my job as a small group leader is looking at books to figure out lessons. Since it is the Lord's work, shouldn't I do it on the Lord's Day when I am most spiritually aware and able and often have the free time? What a great idea, but I can't because unlike churches, which are always open for business on Sunday, Christian bookstore are closed.

Until now. Huzzah! Instead of having to run around like a crazy man during the regular week trying to do this and everything else, I can discharge all my holy duties on the holy day. I can do it with peace and rest. Good for you FCS. For once I like the results of your heartless corporate outlook.

Now hopefully FCS will work their Sunday shifts so that the employees can attend services, but other than that I don't see a problem with it. A christian book store is about providing a spiritual service to the community. Provided they do it wisely I have no problem with them doing it on Sundays.