"Lord, I don't ask that I should win, but please, please don't let me finish behind Akabusi."
Fourth commandment part 1
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy Exodus 20:8Applying the fourth commandment to sport is not easy! What is the "Sabbath Day"? Is it the same as Sunday? Or is it just an Old Testament concept? And then what does "holy" mean? Is playing sport "unholy"? And once you have got an answer for one country, the view of Sunday and how it is to be spent varies greatly from culture to culture.
Rather than getting into the questions in the first paragraph, let us look at a few simple principles which will help us deal with a situation where our sport takes place on Sunday (We will return to the Biblical issue next week).
First of all we need to understand the problem. The ‘Sunday sport’ issue means different things to different people. For some there is an intrinsic problem with playing sport on a Sunday. For others there is only a problem if the sport clashes with church or some other Christian duty. An interesting recent dimension to the issue is the increasing trend in large American churches to have parallel services on a Saturday evening. If one is in the habit of attending a Saturday church service, then Sunday sport may cease to be an issue at all.
Playing sport on Sunday is as legitimate as any other human activity. There is nothing inherently sinful about sport on Sunday. At the same time, the implications of regular Sunday sport clashing with church need to be addressed both by the individual and the Church. It is a clear teaching of Scripture that we should be having regular fellowship and Christian teaching. If this cannot be done on a Sunday morning, then another time in the week needs to be found. The Christian teenager and Christian parents of teenagers have a responsibility to ensure that their legitimate involvement in sport on Sunday morning does not prevent them from growing in their Christian lives.
There are no easy answers for the Christian family caught in this situation where their children's sports team plays on a Sunday. Here are some suggestions as to a strategy.
1. Share the dilemma with your church leadership and get them involved in supporting you in the decision you make.
2. Check if there is an alternative to Sunday morning.
If it is the county squad then obviously there is no alternative - either you play when they play or you don't play at all. If it is a club, check if there is any scope for playing on Saturdays or even Sunday afternoons. Talk to the team manager about your dilemma. It sometimes emerges that other parents, for whatever reason, would also prefer not to play on Sunday mornings.
3. Look for a Christian alternative.
If you decide to play on Sunday mornings then look for a Christian group which meets another time of the week, for example a Crusader group. Or try to persuade your church to provide a group for the relevant age group at a time other than on a Sunday morning.
4. Finally, whatever decision you take, go for it with all your might.
For a longer article on Sunday Sport