Remember the Sabbath

God offers us a place in Him, in which we cease our own striving and appropriate His presence. The Sabbath is a reminder, from the foundation of the world, of God's care for humanity.  We read in
Hebrews 4:
3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works";
5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

While we are called to do what we do with great fervor and with excellence, there is a time to cease from working.  And, while we are called to reflect the glory and character of Jesus, we realize that occurs as we cease striving and allow His life to be expressed through us.  He calls us to take moments of quietness of reflection, times to rest and recharge - to wait on Him, as Isaiah 40 suggests, so that our strength is renewed.  He invites us to spend quality time in His presence.

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In Exodus 20, in the narrative containing the 10 Commandments, we find some practical instructions about observing the Sabbath.  We can read:
8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Growing up, I remember the days in which most businesses in my hometown were closed on Sunday.  Many offices and companies are closed on Sundays even today - it's part of the weekend. And, you can actually trace the origins of not working on Sunday to creation itself.  The Bible talks about the concept of a Sabbath and our need for rest.

The concept of businesses being closed on Sunday has made quite an impact on the culture here as of late.  This past Sunday, the chicken chain Popeye's relaunched its spicy chicken sandwich; a product that the chain ran out of the last time.  And, now, as before, Popeye's is presenting a challenge to the industry leader on chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A.

Even before, Popeye's had chided the chicken king on social media.  And, this time, with the rollout coming on a...Sunday, when Chick-fil-A is closed, it seems that Popeye's is making light of the Biblically-inspired decision from Chick-fil-A's founder to close on Sundays.  An Inc.com article actually has some insight into the competitive juices that are flowing, and embedded a Popeye's video, in which the main character is adding "Open Sunday" to the Popeye's logo on one of those blue interstate signs - right next to Chick-fil-A's "Closed Sunday" signs.

The article says:

Of course, no one tweaks a competitor who isn't good.

It's remarkable how many gadget companies mock Apple in their ads.

Chick-fil-A consistently scores highly for both its food and its customer service.

It's already the third-largest U.S. restaurant chain and the most profitable per location.

The fact that Popeyes is specifically targeting Chick-fil-A in its relaunch is, in some ways, a mark of respect.

Some will insist this relaunch isn't anything other than a homage to National Sandwich Day.

Which, of course, every American celebrates assiduously every year with parades and uplifting speeches.

Popeyes does mention it at the end of the ad. In teeny, tiny letters.

If National Sandwich Day fell on a Thursday, I have a feeling that wouldn't have been the Chicken Sandwich relaunch day.

Now, this isn't the first time that a competitor has mocked Chick-fil-A being closed on Sunday.  A recent ChristianHeadlines.com article reports:

Burger King posted a simple message on its Twitter account Friday that was immediately taken as a reference to Chick-fil-A and even to Kanye’s new Chick-fil-A-themed song, Closed on Sunday, which was released the same day.

“open on sunday,” the Burger King tweet read.

And, the article says:

Zaxby’s also faced backlash from Chick-fil-A fans this year for a Super Bowl ad that showed former NFL player Jeff Saturday and former Major League Baseball player Rick Monday visiting a Zaxby’s on a Sunday.

The reasoning is simple...

Chick-fil-A’s restaurants have been closed on Sundays since founder Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in 1946.

“Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose – a practice we uphold today,” Chick-fil-A’s website says.

His son, Dan, who is now the company's CEO, is quoted in the article:

"If we can let [employees] kind of take some time off and live and breathe, they come in with a lot more enthusiasm on Monday – plus a little bit more on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” Cathy told Atlanta’s WSB-TV last year. “And it more than offsets -- this defies the accountant's logic, here, I know that – but it more than offsets the fact that we close everything down on Sunday. And it's worked great for us.”

Oh, and don't forget the corporate purpose statement that drives the restaurant chain:

“To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.”

In an interesting sidelight that may actually work in Chick-fil-A's favor, it had sent out an e-mail encouraging people to order a sandwich on National Sandwich Day - that was this past Sunday.  As USA Today reports:

Another email followed Thursday with the subject, "Well ... this is awkward."

"We recently sent an email that included a message about National Sandwich Day, which naturally we were very excited about," the email reads. "We didn’t realize it falls on Sunday when we are closed. We apologize for the confusion and hope to see you soon (Monday-Saturday)."

Popeye's responded with, "ya'll good?," hearkening back to a previous tweet when they first rolled out their chicken sandwich.  As the Delish website reports:

Chick-fil-A issued a joking statement to Business Insider. "The cows sometimes get over-eager on their quest for self-preservation," the statement read. "They have been reminded that Sundays are off limits."

And just like that, they pull us back in to the chicken sandwich discourse. Here we go again.

I think it's another of those cultural moments in which a Biblical principle is being discussed on a widespread basis.  Even though in some cases it seems to be a marketing ploy or opportunity, nevertheless it points to a Biblical concept which has shaped the business world for centuries.

God did not rest on the seventh day, as it's been said, because he was tired from all that hard work of creating a universe.  No, I think it was a powerful example to us - He is not frail, nor does He slumber or sleep, but in our humanity, there is a need for silence and rest.  And, it was so important that it was hard-wired into the 10 Commandments.  We are called to keep the Sabbath, and to keep it holy.

The Bible tells us that we have access to a Sabbath rest.  I don't think that means that we are to merely be idle, but to take time to reflect on our God, our relationship with Christ, and to intentionally enter into His presence.

This back-and-forth with the chicken chains can also give a bit of a clue about responding to our real or perceived adversaries.  Even though millions of dollars are at stake, the Chick-fil-A/Popeye's rivalry has had some fun - and funny - elements, even though you have to be careful you don't cross the line when you make light of Chick-fil-A's business hours.  But, sometimes, some lightheartedness can diffuse a potentially divisive situation.

And, Chick-fil-A deployed some lightheartedness in responding to its "mistake."  Or, was it a mistake?  It can be easy to be consumed by those times in which we miss the mark, especially if you skew toward perfection; and God wants us to abide in His joy, even when we mess things up.  And, if we sin, we can run to the Father, confess our sins, and receive His forgiveness.