Too many working people don’t take a day off.
Now, given the figures on unemployment, nationally and in one’s own particular location, and given the real, heart-breaking stories about long-term unemployment despite repeated attempts to find a job (any job), that may not seem like a major problem.
“At least they’re working,” you (and I) might think.
So let me clarify.
Too many working people can’t take a day off.
They can’t afford to. Taking even one day off costs them money in lost wages, money they can’t afford to do without.
These are folks earning minimum wage, or close to it, at an hourly rate. No salaries in these positions; no benefits, like paid days off. And the majority of these workers are part-timers, which also means that the majority are working more than one job, if they can find additional work.
Trying to make ends meet
When one works more than one part-time job, it might appear that there is plenty of “time off.” But that appearance is deceiving.
“Time off” from one part-time job is time when one is not scheduled with one employer, time when one can be scheduled with another employer. Many, many people these days spend their time keeping track of when they are scheduled amongst their various jobs.
It feels a lot like juggling, trying to keep two or three (or more) balls up in the air at once.
And if one of those balls gets dropped? Well, financial disaster could be the result.
These people don’t take vacations. They can’t afford to do that. What they can afford to do, for as long as they can physically do it, is work, seven days a week.
Sometimes they work two jobs a day, most days. Sometimes it is just a matter of three days a week at one job, four days at another. And for some, a third job gets shoehorned into that schedule.
The next time you are in any retail establishment, large or small, chain or independent, take a good look at the sales clerks ringing up your purchase, or stocking the shelves, or even the supervisors hearing your complaints.
For the majority of these workers, this is not their only job. In fact, for most of them, this is their second job. Their first job might be in a bank, or a call center or in a warehouse distribution center. They might be teachers, or administrative assistants or musicians. They might even be pastors.
Some of them are supplementing income, since wages are pretty stagnant in this ongoing economy.
Some are trying to put their working lives back together following a layoff, or the closing of their previous place of employment or being “down-sized.”
Piecing it together
They can’t find jobs in their previous line of work, in what they were trained to do, full-time work with regular hours and regular salaries. So they are finding work where they can, earning what they can, and sometimes making it up as they go along.
But they aren’t taking vacations. They can’t afford to, financially. And they can’t afford to send the signal to their employers that they don’t need this job, want this job and rely on this job.
They don’t want to give their employers any reason to think that they, the part-time employees, are expendable and easily replaceable. In this economy, taking a vacation could be expensive in more than one way. It’s better to stay and work.
Does this matter to us in the church?
It does, or it should, for two reasons. First, these workers, many of them (more than you might think), are part of our congregations.
They may not be there every Sunday, or even most Sundays (they’re working on Sundays, you see). But many are church members and people of faith.
The full extent of their over-scheduled, under-benefited work lives may have escaped our attention. After all, finding the time to sit down and talk about what has happened and is happening in their lives is difficult.
This may also be a subject that they have difficulty discussing, especially if they used to do something else, something full-time, something considered “professional.”
And second, the Bible has something to say about this. In fact, it has a lot to say about this, about the treatment of workers and about allowing workers to have time for rest without being penalized for it.
The giving of the third commandment is the basis for this, both in Exodus and in Deuteronomy. Exodus 20:9-11 notes that six days were given for working, “but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work — you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns” (v. 10), with the rationale being that as the Lord God took the seventh day as a day of rest, so should God’s people.
Deuteronomy 5:15 adds that God’s people are no longer slaves; slaves don’t get to take days off, but now that they are free the observance of the Sabbath is a witness to God’s actions in setting them free from slavery in Egypt. They get a day off!
Something is always wrong when workers can’t afford to take a day off, when they can’t afford to have a time of vacation from the stress of their labors. Employers aren’t the villains in this; they also are caught in the stresses and fears of this time.
And turning back the clock to a time when the markets didn’t operate on a 24-hour-seven-days-a-week relentless schedule isn’t practical or possible. A universally observed day of rest may be a thing of the rapidly receding past.
For many who are piecing together jobs there is also the fact that part-time employment does not offer other benefits. There is no sick time, health insurance, paid holidays or unemployment compensation. ELCA members may be able to help through programs in their congregations or working through other advocacy agencies.
All work and no play
But maintaining the practice of working non-stop is not healthy — physically, mentally or spiritually.
Ignoring the growing dependence our economy and society places upon what amounts to wage-slavery is neither wise nor does it adhere to what our Lord God has decreed is good.
It does not honor the workers among us; it does not honor our relationship to God nor to one another.
We need to open our eyes to see what is happening with more and more working people, those we come in contact with every day. We need to make some personal decisions about our own actions and habits.
We need to have conversations about these matters, particularly with the people who are most affected by this, the workers themselves.
We need to think, long and hard, about what it would take to restore (or establish!) business practices that allowed workers to have days off, and times for vacation, without penalty and without loss of pay.
Such thinking and conversations promise to raise uncomfortable questions, and even some threatening proposals, among us.
But the cost of not doing this is higher, in our relationships with those around us, and in our relationship with the Lord God, who sees human beings as having dignity, honor and needing to take days of rest without fear or coercion.
All work and no rest is not the vision of life in the realm of God. We need to reassert that the gift of Sabbath rest is for all workers and shape our lives and practices according to God’s economy.
Erma Wolf is an ordained pastor seeking a call to an ELCA congregation. She is also part of the adjunct faculty for the Institute of Lutheran Theology.
While Rev. Wolf makes some good points, what is her solution? She says we just need to have more "conversations" -- a lovely buzz word. Our country is in a mess, but we have done this to ourselves. Rev. Wolf cites the Third Commandment. That is fine, but what about a few others? No adultery -- this would cover divorce and the breakdown of the family. No killing -- this would cover abortion. No coveting -- this would cover greed and rampant materialism. The ELCA has no problem with either divorce or abortion, so why bother about the Sabbath?
Solutions are hard to come by, however saying that the ELCA has 'no problem' with divorce or abortion seems absurd. I know of no pastor or congregation that promotes divorce or abortion. Because we fail to always follow Christ doesn't mean we should throw another commandment out the window. There are some for whom divorce is the most faithful thing to do for God, their former spouse, and themselves. No adultery doesn't prevent divorce. And while I wouldn't condone abortion, it is necessary for those who have made this difficult decision to know that they are loved and forgiven by God and by the church.
The issue here is one of compassion.
Compassion for those who cannot take a day off.
Compassion for those whose hearts have been broken,
Compassion for those who have broken other hearts.
Compassion for those who have made mistakes - large and small.
Compassion for those who don't have the answers, but long to have the conversation.
Christine: While I totally appreciate your appeal to Compassion, no one can deny that our entire country -- not to mention Western culture -- has missed your message. You wrote: "Because we fail to always follow Christ doesn't mean we should throw another commandment out the window." "... ANOTHER commandment...."? (note lower case on "Commandment"). Does this mean that the ELCA has already thrown out others???
I agree with Karen in that there is a solution missing here. I don't think the solution is 'everyone needs to obey the Law', since that's actually part of the problem-- we don't. But the solution we have given to us is Christ crucified, and I don't see how that affects the situation that is well-described by Pr Wolf here. What is God's solution to our problem of idolizing work and how does that bring rest to our lives/empower us to bring rest to others?
Karen, I didn't offer a solution because I don't have one. I saw this as more raising the issue, and trying to make some people and the situation in their lives more visible. The folks I am writing about are my co-workers, and I have been struck by the situation many find themselves in, one that for the most part is not of their own making. In recommending conversation, I didn't mean to say that that is where we should stop, only that if we aren't having these conversations with the folks who are in this kind of situation then that is where we have to start. There can be no viable solution (even of a partial kind) unless the very people who need a solution are part of the group advocating for one.
Wow, Christine. Way to take a plea for compassion and turn it into yet ANOTHER opportunity to bash the ELCA. Really I think some people need to let it go...if you need to leave the ELCA, do it and then move on to the more positive mission God is calling you to.
But back to the subject at hand...I think especially pastors and others who are judgmental about people not coming to church need to address this issue, not only providing other days than Sunday to worship, but finding ways that we can be helpful without insisting everyone needs to come to church every night of the week for a committee meeting in order to be "committed" I have long worried that church has become one more burden upon burdened people and there needs to be more creative solutions than clucking our tongues and huffing about "priorities"
Pastor Joelle: sometimes I think I have just arrived from Mars. Christine was not bashing the ELCA -- I, Karen V -- was. Christine was defending the ELCA. wow.
Pastor Joelle's point about Pastor's needing to understand why people are not coming to church is excellent.
After my father's death at the age of 54, my mother had to take a 2nd job that entailed her working almost every Sunday morning. She missed going to church and tried to squeeze it in when possible, but it just didn't happen very often. A few months ago she was surprised and hurt to find out that the former Sr. Pastor, a woman whom she had known for years (long before she beacame a Pastor), and who she considered a friend, had removed her from the church membership roles because she hadn't been coming to church, and she wasn't pledging during the annual stewardship drive. This Pastor was perfectly aware of the reasons behind the lack of attendance. As for not pledging, my Mother had spent 20+ years in active service to this congregation in multiple capacities, and as a former council member she knew that budget is based on pledges. She didn't want to make a pledge that she didn't know if she would be able to meet.
People facing financial difficulties and work issues, often through no fault of their own, need support from their church, not judgment and condemnation.
Erma: Like you, I know many people who are struggling economically. One of the problems I have with the ELCA is that you mix social work with spirituality, and often, actually usually, social work takes the front seat. For example, how many of your struggling co-workers are divorced, re-married, with several kids, "blended families," child-support, and all that good stuff? Seems to me, that if we just followed the teachings of Jesus, St. Paul and Martin Luther about marriage and divorce, we would not be in this mess.
My solution is to follow the teachings of Jesus.
I don't think there is a "solution" to this issue but I do believe we can bring hope to those who find themselves in this situation. If your church has a card ministry-have cards of encouragement sent, a prayer ministry-have specific prayers said for these families, vistiation ministry-take them communion and the Sunday bulletin, start a camp fund where the congregation can donate to help children of the congregation attend VBS or an overnight church camp, find out when they have a day off and take them a home cooked meal, offer to pick up their children for Sunday School, church, VBS, and other activities, send invitations to events even though they may not have been in church Sundays, Anything that shows them that they are still an important part of your church and that those who they have worshipped with care about them and their families.
@Joelle~
I was not bashing the ELCA. I am a pastor in the ELCA and support our decisions. As a matter of fact I hardly ever comment on this site because people tend to bash one another and promote scholarly attitudes rather than acceptance of varying views. I am sorry if you understood my comments in any other way than 'let's take a stand back and look at what's actually going on."
I would also like to say that for as much as I support the solution (made directly by Karen, however implied in all of our posts), "Follow the teachings of Jesus," I am going to fail at that. Maybe I speak for myself only, however I try really hard at following Jesus and I flat out fail sometimes. I'd say if you ask most people of faith, they are trying to follow Jesus (or if they are of another religion - their religious idea of deity...it's just we don't all agree on what those teachings all mean or how to live them out, which is why I originally appealed to compassion, because I'm a broken sinner trying to be as faithful to God as possible. I'd like to leave a little room for the possibility that others are a bit broken too....
Sorry Christine I got you confused with Karen. And Karen, I suppose if we all did what we were supposed to do, there would be no problems. And if Adam hadn't taken that apple from his wife...good thing God continued to care for them AND us instead of just saying "well if you'd just done what I said...." So I'd say we should follow Christ's example of compassion and love for all sinners.
Pastor Joelle: It is not that I am not compassionate. When God expelled Adam & Eve from the Garden, they had to pay big time for what they did. Jesus came to show us a New Way, to give us New Life. If people ignore and reject His teachings, then they, too, unfortunately, will have to pay. Theological liberals always accuse those who try to point this out of not being compassionate. That is simply not true.
Pr Wolf,
I'm a little surprised that you have no solution for this. I don't mean to make light of a serious situation, but isn't this the power of Christ given specifically for this?
I see two angles here. One angle is the problem those making ends meet have and what sins they face and how that leads them to God's judgment. The other angle are all of us who don't have this problem, yet fail to 'sell all we have and give our possessions to the poor', 'love our neighbors', etc in the ways in which we ignore and enable this situation. Both of these put us up against God and deserving death. Yet Jesus is given to die for us. How does that transform our lives and what could that new life in Christ look like?
Karen,
This is exactly the problem. No one can perfectly follow the "teachings of Jesus". Trying isn't good enough.
Karen, you have a point in regards to divorce. Divorce is a major factor in women particularly losing income and finding themselves in very reduced financial straits. Certainly, I counsel those who are married to try everything possible to avoid divorce.
As for my coworkers, a number are not in that situation. Some are widows. Some are supporting elderly parents as well as children. Some are young people trying to work and pay for classes at the local community college in order to get better jobs (and some of those have had those plans for new jobs put on hold due to the economic troubles). And many are married, most to their first and only spouse. And yes, some are divorced.
I lifted up the 3rd commandment, not to use it as a club, but because it seems to me to speak to what God's good intention is for us. God does not want work to be a burden, for people to have to work seven days a week at multiple jobs in order to barely make it. One of the things this look at the third commandment has resulted in for me is for me to start re-examining my own behavior. Why do I expect stores and restaurants and gas stations to be open at my convenience, including on Sundays and other holidays? Am I willing to forgo my own convenience so that others could take a day of rest without penalty? Would I patronize businesses that have a reputation for treating their employees well, including being closed one day a week so that all employees have that day off?
Rather than look at the behavior of others and find the splinter there, I am advocating the hard work of admitting to and dealing with the 2 x 4 sticking out of my own life. I suspect that my own sins and failures to understand the good and gracious will of God are more at fault in obscuring for others the joy of following the way of the Lord Jesus, rather than their marital troubles and blended families.
Erma: I totally agree with you, especially about how we all shop on Sunday now. I am the manager of a condo downtown in a large city, and my job is 24/7. I don't have a Sabbath.
I think you can extrapolate this post's original intent a bit, and allow it to cover anyone - those with only one job but who feel as though they are wage-slaves, those who are house-poor, those who, for whatever reason, have broken the third commandment and never allow themselves a day of Holiness, a day of rest, even. I know of several people where I work who find it very difficult to put their smartphones down on the weekend - who feel that they MUST continue to work 7 days a week BECAUSE they are salaried.
I know of several people who have two jobs, sometimes three, to pay for that huge McMansion that they purchased at the height of the Housing Bubble, to pay for a house that is worth less than what they paid for it - so they take work any way that they can. Some of these same people drive their kids to dance class, horse riding, sports, Scouts, Karate, swimming, etc., sometimes 30-60 miles away (one way), to give their children an edge (or something).
Many of you may think - well, good for them! They have a house, a job, a car to take the kids places, etc. I think, though, that if we give this some thought, we may find another factor in the loss of time, the loss of leisure, I think our culture demands it. We feel the need to acquire more stuff than we can afford, in fact we are encouraged to do it by our leaders. We need to spend our way out of the economic doldrums that we are in!
Yes, there are those people who struggle to afford just a roof and basic transportation, but I think the epidemic is far worse than what is outlined here. If we didn't have the insatiable need for MORE, if we could allow ourselves time, to be thoughtful, to be worshipful, to be silent, to be studious, to read, to be listening for God, and if we actually would allow ourselves to ask God what his opinion on what I should actually do with my day to day living (you know, the crap that gets in the way of life), we might be better able to see a sabbath day as important. Heck, even just a day of leisure for some. It just doesn't seem to be in our culture anymore.
Wade Gardner: For the very first time in my life, I am going to quote myself. This is what I typed at the beginning of this comment thread: "No coveting -- this would cover greed and rampant materialism." McMansions? I think you and I have no disagreement here whatsoever.
Speaking of time off: Many synod assemblies are over several week days. In my synod, it's always a Thursday through Saturday. Churchwide Assembly is a week long. Both are in the summer. Many people simply cannot take that amount of time off from work or away from family, or don't have the leave time to use. Therefore, these events have voting members weighted toward retirees, those who work in education, and people who are wealthy. Left out are the working poor, farmers, and families members with small children or other caregivers -- and they make up a significant portion of the ELCA. I would not stand for election to the CWA until my children were grown. I know farmers and funeral directors who NEVER take a vacation. If a person has no paid time off, or only two weeks vacation leave a year, should they sacrifice their familiy's income or qaulity family time to attend an assembly? This strikes me as a problem. Perhaps having congregational ratification of assembly decisions would be a more democratic process.