“What should I do when my boss wants me to work on Sunday mornings?”

May 2019 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: What should I do when my boss wants me to work on Sunday mornings?

ANSWER:I am sure there are various ways to approach this problem. The first thing to do is to speak to the Lord and tell Him about it. Ask Him what to do and to give you grace how and when to say something or act.

You have not mentioned why working on Sunday mornings is a problem for you, but I assume you are wanting to meet with other believers to remember the Lord in His death, or to hear or study His precious Word. There is no necessity that these activities take place on Sunday morning, but many Christians like to begin the week with the Lord in this way. This is certainly commendable.

God’s Word refers to the first day of the week as “the Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10 NKJV). This is a contrast to the seventh day of the week, which God had the Jewish people observe as the Sabbath, refraining from work. In our present age of grace He has not given any such commandment.

In Acts 20:7 we find that the early Christians, after Christianity had spread beyond Jerusalem and Judea, broke bread on this day, “the first day of the week.” They did so at night rather than in the morning, for many were slaves and that particular day of the week was not a day off in the Roman Empire.

Often there seems to be the feeling that we must “go to church” on Lord’s Day morning; then we can use the rest of the day for our own pleasure. Christians, however, have the privilege of devoting the entire Lord’s Day to activities that honor Him, if we so choose. There are many things that would please Him and benefit others.

In your case, have you ever told your boss that you are a Christian? Have you ever told him or her what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you and what He means to you? Has your boss noticed that you are a more valuable employee to the company because you are a Christian?

Consider Daniel. He was a prisoner of war in Babylon but was being trained for service to that nation’s king. The food was the best the country could offer – food from the king’s table. But this food would defile, or corrupt, Daniel according to God’s law for Israel. What was Daniel to do? His conduct had brought him into favor with the supervisor in charge of feeding the trainees. Daniel approached him directly with his request not to have to defile himself with the royal food. What nerve! But he also had a suggestion. His solution showed his faith in God, for God had not promised that sticking to the diet Daniel suggested would make an Israelite healthier and better looking than others, and that in a mere ten days. It took faith to make a suggestion like that! Read Daniel 1 for all the details.

Like Daniel, after spending time in prayer you might try approaching your boss with a positive suggestion. Maybe someone else in the company would be willing to trade days off and days on with you. I don’t know what type of work you do. Perhaps you could suggest working extra time on another day. If it is essential that the place be open for business on the Lord’s Day, as for example a job in a hospital, then perhaps you could ask to be allowed to work only one or two Sundays each month if you can’t find anyone to trade with you. You may also want to consider asking to be transferred to a lower-paying job that does not require working on the Lord’s Day. When you ask for a favor – and that is what not having to work on the Lord’s Day is – you can expect to have to pay for the privilege, for it is indeed a privilege. Whatever you do it should be done with Christian courtesy: request, don’t demand!

We can be thankful that slavery is a thing of the past. Slaves in the Roman Empire had no rights. While under the laws of most countries workers have certain rights, the world is taking a position against Christians more and more. This is what we expect, for the Lord tells us that if the world hated Him, it will hate us also (Jn. 15:18; Lk. 21:17).

Finally, if for whatever reason we cannot do good work at a job without violating our conscience, there is the option of quitting the job and looking for another one. Sometimes, hard as it is, this may be the only solution. If it is truly for the Lord’s sake and at His direction, He will be sure to bless it in due time. May He guide and help you!

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.