Osler's Razor

We discussed this at my church today, Sabbath-keeping. I was reminded of how the Swiss enforce Sabbath-keeping, not just as a religious observance but as a day of quiet.

All the stores close by 5 pm on Saturday. Some close at 4, or earlier. The only stores open on Sunday are at train stations or airports. Many restaurants and movie theatres do remain open on Sunday.

If you live in an apartment building, there are often strict rules for Sundays, or religious holidays such as Good Fridays: you can't do laundry on Sundays; you can't mow your lawn or practice a musical instrument, because of the noise. Basically, you're supposed to have a meal with family or friends, go for a long walk, or both.

Which means that Saturdays were crazy, in order to prepare for Sunday: hitting the grocery store as late as 11 am was sheer bedlam, and God forbid you should go the wrong direction through the grocery store, or not bag your groceries fast enough, because you'd get run over by the person behind you (or coming towards you).

The nice thing was that, in those shops on Saturdays, check-out cashiers or even Swiss friends would wish you "schoene Sonntag," or "have a nice Sunday." This must go back a long way, and made it apparent that Sunday was purposefully meant to be special.

On the other hand, to me the degree of imposed observance seemed quite paternalistic, especially since people have to work 5 or 6 days a week. It dates from a time when women stayed home all week (not that long ago at all in Switzerland) and bought groceries each day, and didn't have to go very far for anything. As a single teacher, often using weekday evenings to prepare for the next day's class, trying to get everything done in 8 hours on Saturday was really tough, and frankly became a tiresome routine of its own, like another work day.

I skimmed through McCormick's article and could identify with his warning against being "Sabbath cops," which I felt the Swiss were. (I got yelled at by my neighbor, who lived over the laundry room, for doing 4 loads of laundry on Good Friday).

But I think we should find some time during the week, whether it's on Sunday or not, to make a purposeful observance of Sabbath. Maybe it's not for 24 hours, as the McCormick's Sabbath is, but for one evening, or for part of a day--whenever it is, and whenever it works for us and our families. The intention is the most important thing, I think--and it must be genuine, not imposed. Having the "schoene Sonntag" or the schoene Samstag or Freitag is the most important thing.
 

Sunday in our house is a time for family and friends. When I was younger, we would visit with my grandmother or my aunt and cousins on Sundays. As an adult it was a time when I would exercise and visit over breakfast/lunch with friends and then relax in the aftenoon at home; talk over dinner. Take a walk. Now in Durham, it is generally a day to relax, prepare home made food and visit with friends and family - somthing we did today.

I do think it is a good idea to have a 'down-time' day, but if you must work, it is not a sin. You judge yourself to harshly. We don't always have the luxury of taking a day off.
 

My only concern about Sabbath-keeping and what I am reading here is this: does God really care if you meticulously keep Sunday a day of rest, or might it be more important to keep the Sabbath in your heart even if work appears to be necessary on a Sunday? Can you keep the letter of the law and lose its spirit? Arbitrary rules and laws can help you keep the Sabbath, but it really only matters if you keep it in your heart. What if your day of rest happens to be Thursday? And there is always that problem of wanting to be in control. I worked yesterday, but not today, but what if that was reversed? Rules are only as good as the people who make them.
 

Medievalist and Christine, I totally agree with you both--a point I probably didn't make very clearly. I think just finding whatever time, or space, works best and genuinely keeping it (and not feeling forced to keep it on an arbitrary day) is what's important.
 

I always am amused when people accuse God of being arbitrary when He gives commandments. As with all commandments, Sabbath observance is for our good. And the failure to observe commandments deprives us of the blessings God aches to give the obedient. But even if a commandment is "arbitrary" (though I doubt that any are), wouldn't it be best for us to keep them, even if it's only because God said so?

Certainly, there are some who cannot avoid working on Sundays like law enforcement or health care workers. But they're the rare exception.

In my opinion, no amount of work or home work is worth doing on Sunday if it can be done on another day, even if that means staying up until midnight on Saturday or waking up extra early on Monday morning.

As always, I speak as someone who has both succeeded and failed at keeping God's commandments, including observing the day of rest. But I'm also someone who has received many blessings for observing the Sabbath.
 

Craig, I'm not trying to diminish your commitment. But to say that law enforcement and health care workers are the only people who have to work on Sunday is just not seeing the whole picture. What about people who work in restaurants? Movie theatres? Parks? Museums? Health clubs? All the places we like to go on our Sundays?

And what if your job at the restaurant or park or movie theatre, with the Sunday hours, is the only job you could get?

Do you mean that only non-Christians should work at those places?

Now, maybe one can make the argument that, like the McCormicks, we shouldn't spend any money on the Sabbath, and thus not support the movie theatres and restaurants and parks that stay open on Sundays.

But I'm surprised if you are really saying that all people, all people who believe in a Sabbath, can re-arrange their lives so that they never need to earn a living on the Sabbath?
 

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Law enforcement and health care were two examples, not intended to be comprehensive. Certainly dairy farmers and a few other occupations require working on the Sabbath.

And my previous comment was meant to encompass only work on the Sabbath. I equally oppose frequenting any businesses on Sunday. No malls, no restaurants, no shopping, etc. . . .

I also recognize that there is an occasional "ox in the mire" that allows for exceptions to Sabbath observance. But my concern is that we always let exceptions swallow the commandments so that commandments "never" apply to us.
 

I routinely fail in my observance of Saturday as a day of rest. You are of course free to tell my girlfriend that God commands us to do no (house)work on Saturdays, but in terms of retribution from beings greater than myself, being struck down by her for disobedience seems more imminent.

Then again, the practice of which day we observe, culturally, as the holy day has shifted. The idea seems sort of strange to me (along with fasting for Ramadan, Lent, and other sorts of deprivation rituals). I understand culturally that forcing yourself to give up something, to obey strictures, is a sign of devotion... but that seems like an archaic understanding of the power structure.

In other words, I see the observance of Sabbath customs as a very Old Testament way of relation between man and God. In the OT, God was very much the patriarch of his people, warleader and supreme being, referred to as "The Lord your God." Obeisance to such a being would naturally be shown by subservience, by obedience without question.

But with the conciliation effected by Christ, with the change from the Lord to our Father, the relationship between God and man has become more filial or familial. No longer does God require our obeisance in the form of ritual observation for its own sake, but rather in terms of keeping faith with his commandments: love him, and love others.

At least, if I were a Christian, that's how I'd see it. Being a heathen as I am, I don't think I get to benefit from my casuistry.