“Customer demand is something Danny Pridgen, owner of the Hairshack in the downtown square, has also identified as a reason for closing on the Sabbath.” In an article in the Gainesville Times, Joshua Silavent interviewed several business owners about opening or closing their business on the Sabbath. Danny is quoted as saying, “In the haircutting and salon business, Sundays tend to be slow anyway. Most people need to get a fresh cut during the week for work, or on Fridays and Saturdays before hitting the town to socialize.”
The Last Day of Prophecy: A new series about the Sabbath begins March 21!
What reasons do business owners give for whether or not to do business on the Sabbath? In the same article, Carole Hudgins, owner of The Little Ladybug gift shop, said that she opened on Sundays a few times during the holiday shopping season in recent years, but “it did not prove beneficial” for her bottom line. “There are no other businesses around here that are open on Sunday that would draw in the customers for me,” Hudgins said. “I’m all about shopping local, but I don’t necessarily think it’s necessary on Sunday.” However, Hudgins said that were she located in downtown Dahlonega, for instance, customer demand would compel her to open on Sundays.
For many, the Sabbath (often viewed as Sunday) is a day of convenience that fits into your life on your own terms (or your customer’s demands), not God’s. Along this same line of thought, Saffron Howden of the Sydney Morning Herald quotes Anglican Bishop, Chris Edwards of North Sydney, Australia,: “I don’t think [the Sabbath is] in decline. In church circles it’s an important part of people’s week. Not that we would hold strictly to it being Saturday or Sunday. You juggle things and you set your priorities.” Bishop Edwards said a group of cooks and sous-chefs who work in the Sydney central business district come together on Mondays to worship because that was the day available to them.
When God gave the Ten Commandments, the moral law for all humanity, He stated, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:8–10). God’s law is not to be kept as a matter of convenience. We don’t decide if Sabbath fits in with our priorities. Keeping the seventh day demonstrates that we worship and honor the Lord, not the demands of our customers or work schedules.
More Sabbath News this Week:
Hospital Being Sued: The federal government is suing a medical center, accusing it of retaliating against a prospective new-hire nurse because she sought to be off work during her Christian faith’s Sabbath.
Importance of Sabbath to All: Religion columnist Bill Tinsley encourages everyone in our time-crunched world to honor the Sabbath day.
The Last Day of Prophecy: A new series about the Sabbath begins March 21!