Sabbath: How to tell your boss, friends, and family?

[philadelphos]

That is, practically-speaking, how do you break the news to others that you're unavailable to work from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown, instead only available to work during the working week unlike 99.99% of people who work non-stop, on call 24/7.

Perhaps you quote the 10th commandment, or perhaps you paraphrase the same ethos in other words? Do tell if sabbath is something you've had to explain, elaborate, defend, and argue, or if the Lord has been good to you.

My believing brothers are accepting and considerate, although most themselves are not sabbath-keepers. Others however don't respond so kindly, with most taking offence, assuming 'Ye are idle, ye are idle'... To believers, I will say, "I'm a sabbath-keeper", and to ones knowledgeable of Scripture I will quote the 10th commandment, but to unbelievers and pagans I simply state my availability.

I wonder how y'all cope.

Please comment with:
- Number of years keeping sabbath faithfully
- Pragmatics / practice in your life
- Objections faced and how you've dealt with it...

"The Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." (1 Sam. 2:30)

Blessings

 

[BobRyan]

That is, practically-speaking, how do you break the news to others that you're unavailable to work from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown, instead only available to work during the working week unlike 99.99% of people who work non-stop, on call 24/7.

Perhaps you quote the 10th commandment, or perhaps you paraphrase the same ethos in other words? Do tell if sabbath is something you've had to explain, elaborate, defend, and argue, or if the Lord been good to you.

My believing brothers are accepting and considerate, although most themselves are not sabbath-keepers. Others however don't respond so kindly, with most taking offence, assuming 'Ye are idle, ye are idle'... To believers, I will say, "I'm a sabbath-keeper", and to ones knowledgeable of Scripture I will quote the 10th commandment, but to unbelievers and pagans I simply state my availability.

I wonder how y'all cope.

Please comment with:
- Number of years keeping sabbath faithfully
- Pragmatics / practice in your life
- Objections faced and how you've dealt with it...

"The Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." (1 Sam. 2:30)

Blessings

Some types of Jobs are more flexible when it comes to Sabbath ...

Certainly medical professionals have a legitimate argument for work on Sabbath but even so Sabbath keeping Christians would like to have some rotation that is reasonable so they do not have to work every Sabbath.

Then there is the issue of telling your friends and neighbors that you are keeping Sabbath which means you would enjoy having a Christian Bible study or discussion of some sort but you are not available for secular "fun day" kinds of things that you would gladly do some other day of the week.

In the case of some jobs - not working on Sabbath can cost you your job. If the job normally schedules sabbath work then you simply do not take that Job. But sometimes the Job will have "emergency schedule" where they "choose" to cram more work into a week than can possibly be done and will most certainly include weekend work. that gets tricky because you can work the weekend just not Friday-sunset to Saturday after sundown.

 

[Kaon]

Some types of Jobs are more flexible when it comes to Sabbath ...

Certainly medical professionals have a legitimate argument for work on Sabbath but even so Sabbath keeping Christians would like to have some rotation that is reasonable so they do not have to work every Sabbath.

Then there is the issue of telling your friends and neighbors that you are keeping Sabbath which means you would enjoy having a Christian Bible study or discussion of some sort but you are not available for secular "fun day" kinds of things that you would gladly do some other day of the week.

In the case of some jobs - not working on Sabbath can cost you your job. If the job normally schedules sabbath work then you simply do not take that Job. But sometimes the Job will have "emergency schedule" where they "choose" to cram more work into a week than can possibly be done and will most certainly include weekend work. that gets tricky because you can work the weekend just not Friday-sunset to Saturday after sundown.

In academia, there is ample room to negotiate workdays off for the Sabbath (however you calculate it), and sabbatical years. I don't think there is that luxury in other fields.

 

[pdudgeon]

well, your first choice would be to work for a Christian boss, or at a place of business that is closed on the day you want off. Chick-fillet is good for that. Even when their building is in a mall that is open on the Sabbath.

The other choice is to carefully look at your employment application. There should be a space for you to fill in your preferred day off.
In a medical office where I used to work, the two doctors would each take a different Sabbath (or Holy Day) off. One was Christian, and the other was Jewish, so they had the weekend as well as Holy Days of obligation well covered, and it worked out just fine for them.

 

[Paidiske]

Note that the OP is in Australia, where norms and laws are a little different to America.

I have never made myself completely unavailable for a particular day, and as far as work goes, a lot will depend on the industry.

 

[philadelphos]

Some types of Jobs are more flexible when it comes to Sabbath ...

Certainly medical professionals have a legitimate argument for work on Sabbath but even so Sabbath keeping Christians would like to have some rotation that is reasonable so they do not have to work every Sabbath.

Thank you. Though all believers, Jew or Gentile, and all men really are privy to the sabbath being 'made for man'. And I'm unsure if the Lord's word is 'rotatable' though. 'A man cannot serve two masters'.

But yes of course mercy, charity, etc, trump the letter of the law. With love being the epitome of the Scripture and the Lord himself. And glory going to God for having such mercy.

Scandinavians I believe keep their cities running on bare minimums, based on the same principle. E.g. Town centre is close and supermarkets operate on limited hours, closing off all sections bar food and drink. Maybe clothing too.

Here, Australia is heading in the opposite direction...

 

[Kaon]

Note that the OP is in Australia, where norms and laws are a little different to America.

I have never made myself completely unavailable for a particular day, and as far as work goes, a lot will depend on the industry.

Does Australia give (academic) Sabbaticals?

 

[Paidiske]

Does Australia give (academic) Sabbaticals?

I am aware of academic Sabbaticals in the University of Divinity, but I am unsure if it is a usual practice in secular universities.

 

[philadelphos]

Does Australia give (academic) Sabbaticals?

I've only met one man who's taken a 'sabbatical'. He was an English Jewish immigrant and on the board of directors for a reputable company in Sydney. He made the announcement to take 'sabbatical leave' after the company was acquired. He himself IIRC is one of those execs who had never taken a vacation in his life. So, no. Sabbaticals are not cultural in Australia.

I have heard about companies in the 50s and 60s that would give staff "1 year" leave to go to England, with paid leave, enough money to live on with their family. Maybe that happened in the US too, hence films like 'Roman Holiday' and extended vacations to Europe during this era.

But this is unheard of nowadays. Even a genuine 2 weeks annual leave (without homework, reporting, 'working from home' etc) is becoming rare. And if you're offered this, it's possible that upon returning from 'leave' your job will be no longer in existence, or the company has absorbed your work, etc.

In the case of some jobs - not working on Sabbath can cost you your job. If the job normally schedules sabbath work then you simply do not take that Job. But sometimes the Job will have "emergency schedule" where they "choose" to cram more work into a week than can possibly be done and will most certainly include weekend work. that gets tricky because you can work the weekend just not Friday-sunset to Saturday after sundown.

Thank you. That's very encouraging input. - Though it seems every industry is under "emergency schedules", be it economic stress, 24/7 availability, or systemically, running an 'agile' operation etc. So I do wonder if compromise is necessary, less a religious toll, more a matter of duty and service in stewardship of mamonas, and self-sacrifice at personal expense/detriment... With one's hope shifting towards the sabbatical year of rest, while meanwhile forgoing weekly rests...

"If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing."

As a principle, a 'statute of limitations', exists in Australian law and litigation, and it used to apply to banking law also, e.g. legal and appropriate lending periods, but this unfortunately is also done away with in almost all areas.

 

[PloverWing]

Note that the OP is in Australia, where norms and laws are a little different to America.

Here in the US, there's an expectation that we'll accommodate each other's religions as far as is reasonably possible. So some of our co-workers will wear head coverings, or be vegetarian, or will stay home from work on Yom Kippur, and that's just what a pluralistic society looks like. If someone says "I'm Jewish" or "I'm Seventh-Day Adventist", then if it's a reasonable workplace, people say "Okay, we can't have our meeting on Friday night, let's pick another day", and that's the end of it.

What's the culture like in Australia regarding the diversity of religious practices?

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I think if I tried to keep the Sabbath according to the original schedule, back when it was first instituted, that there would be zero chance of my success, without becoming permanently unemployable. As far as keeping Sunday as the sabbath, that's fairly easy, being that my employer has generally made a fair effort to accommodate me.

 

[Paidiske]

What's the culture like in Australia regarding the diversity of religious practices?

Contested. We have freedom of religion in that we don't have a state religion, but only just now is there any attempt to legislate for religious freedom, and the draft bill is highly controversial.

In my experience most employers will be difficult around accommodating religious practices which might clash with workplace expectations.

 

[philadelphos]

Here in the US, there's an expectation that we'll accommodate each other's religions as far as is reasonably possible. So some of our co-workers will wear head coverings, or be vegetarian, or will stay home from work on Yom Kippur, and that's just what a pluralistic society looks like. If someone says "I'm Jewish" or "I'm Seventh-Day Adventist", then if it's a reasonable workplace, people say "Okay, we can't have our meeting on Friday night, let's pick another day", and that's the end of it.

What's the culture like in Australia regarding the diversity of religious practices?

Anti-semitic and anti-Christian. 'Reason' is not in the Australian vocabulary. Being 'reasonable', 'within reason', making reasonable decisions, reasonable conclusions, reasonable force, reasonable outcome, etc, has died here. - Others may have different experiences, but in mine, if a man says anything like what you've proposed in public, they will have committed social and character suicide.

When I was an unbeliever, we had some Jews (reformed diaspora Jews) at work. He was treated like an alien. He sat alone. Ate alone. Prayed alone. And everyone in the office mocked and joked about him behind his back. I think the boss hired him because he thought he was cheap and controllable. That's the mentality. Similarly, SDAs are almost always considered cultics by other Christian groups, as you probably are aware. - The irony is that Australia has an 'anti religious discrimination' law, though it doesn't necessarily protect the religion our Federation fathers and voters intended it to protect (Bible-believing people).

I believe the US has a Bill of Rights. How does that fair in practice re. this topic ?

 

[philadelphos]

I think if I tried to keep the Sabbath according to the original schedule, back when it was first instituted, that there would be zero chance of my success, without becoming permanently unemployable. As far as keeping Sunday as the sabbath, that's fairly easy, being that my employer has generally made a fair effort to accommodate me.

Are you located in a Christian or Protestant area ?

 

[philadelphos]

If someone says "I'm Jewish" or "I'm Seventh-Day Adventist", then if it's a reasonable workplace, people say "Okay, we can't have our meeting on Friday night, let's pick another day", and that's the end of it.

Actually, your point about tolerance and discussion is fair. Ironically, here Bible Colleges and Churches will confront and challenge you if you were to present a firm stance pro-Scripture, which they assume is against denominational / church doctrine and practice. Against their modus operandi. - That conversation doesn't go well in my experience. What about for you ?

 

[philadelphos]

In my experience most employers will be difficult around accommodating religious practices which might clash with workplace expectations.

I wonder if you see sabbath as 'religious practice' or as life, as rest, as the meaning of man's existence. A gift from God, essential and beneficial for all, like the gift of sleep.

Or do you see Australia like this, plus 'religious practices'.

 

[Paidiske]

I wonder if you see sabbath as 'religious practice' or as life, as rest, as the meaning of man's existence. A gift from God, essential and beneficial for all, like the gift of sleep.

I don't have time to watch the video now.

But I do see keeping Sabbath, with specific restrictions on particular activities etc, as a religious practice.

 

[Humbly]

Othodox jews and 7th day adventists observe this comandment.
Jews converted to the Gospel from acts 2 were added to the church by the Lord.

Acts 20 also informs when and where bread was to be broken.
Acts 20:7 King James Version (KJV)
7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.


Upon the first day of the week set aside what you have decided to give to the Lord as you have been prosperd is another passage that was and is being currently keep in some christian churches.

1 Corinthians 16:2 King James Version (KJV)
2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Informing your boss about religious beliefs that would impact atendance should be disscussed before entering employment. And if new religious activitys conflict with current employment choice must be made.

Myself would choose being at worship over employment constraints

 

[PloverWing]

Anti-semitic and anti-Christian.
...
Others may have different experiences, but in mine, if a man says anything like what you've proposed in public, they will have committed social and character suicide.

I'm so sorry it's like that for you.

I believe the US has a Bill of Rights. How does that fair in practice re. this topic ?

It has a strong cultural influence for us. Strictly speaking, the First Amendment to our constitution only prohibits government interference in the exercise of religion (so it doesn't address what private companies may do), but the idea of religious freedom is deeply held in our culture.

In addition to the Constitution (Bill of Rights), we have the Civil Rights act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion. That law does affect non-government employers. There are limits to the law for cases where it's truly necessary that an employee depart from their religious practices (a doctor may have to work on one of their holy days, for example, because people get sick on those days), but mostly employers are required to allow the religious practices of their employees.

As far as everyday culture -- in the US, we know that we have people who actively practice a variety of religions, and mostly we try to accommodate each other. Except for the wacko fringe groups, I don't see a lot of anti-Semitism here. I think the events of WWII pounded into our heads just how horrible anti-Semitism can be.

Actually, your point about tolerance and discussion is fair. Ironically, here Bible Colleges and Churches will confront and challenge you if you were to present a firm stance pro-Scripture, which they assume is against denominational / church doctrine and practice. Against their modus operandi. - That conversation doesn't go well in my experience. What about for you ?

Now, that's a different story. I'm at a secular university, so we have a lot of religious diversity and religious freedom. But if I were at a religious Christian college -- yeah, I might well have to conform to a particular set of beliefs and practices to work there. Ironically, I think it might be harder to practice my religious beliefs at a Christian college than at a secular university.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

That is, practically-speaking, how do you break the news to others that you're unavailable to work from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown, instead only available to work during the working week unlike 99.99% of people who work non-stop, on call 24/7.

Perhaps you quote the 10th commandment, or perhaps you paraphrase the same ethos in other words? Do tell if sabbath is something you've had to explain, elaborate, defend, and argue, or if the Lord has been good to you.

My believing brothers are accepting and considerate, although most themselves are not sabbath-keepers. Others however don't respond so kindly, with most taking offence, assuming 'Ye are idle, ye are idle'... To believers, I will say, "I'm a sabbath-keeper", and to ones knowledgeable of Scripture I will quote the 10th commandment, but to unbelievers and pagans I simply state my availability.

I wonder how y'all cope.

Please comment with:
- Number of years keeping sabbath faithfully
- Pragmatics / practice in your life
- Objections faced and how you've dealt with it...

"The Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." (1 Sam. 2:30)

Blessings

Inflexible, rigid requirement to observe the Sabbath is not applicable for New Covenant Christians. God does not require it of you, therefore it is in the area of religion, and it comes as a lower priority to God first, Family and Job second, and church last.