Ready Always / Everyday questions / Sunday

Why won’t you play (or work) on Sundays?

1

The hallway answer

About 15 seconds

“Sunday is the day I set aside for God, church and family. It’s my reset button for the week. I know it’s inconvenient sometimes, but it’s worth it to me.”

Then ask them: Is there anything you do to unplug from the week?
I want the real answer ↓
2

The real answer

About 5 minutes

The Sabbath goes back to the Ten Commandments: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The Church’s Topics and Questions page explains that Jesus Himself kept the Sabbath, and that after His Resurrection on the first day of the week, His disciples began worshipping on Sunday.

In a modern revelation the Lord called it “a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors.” For the Strength of Youth says that by keeping the Sabbath holy, including taking the sacrament, “you show God that you are willing to dedicate one day a week to Him.”

What this looks like varies. Families counsel together about Sunday sports, jobs and shopping, and some situations aren’t black and white. The heart of it is making Sunday different: worship, rest, family and service.

Scriptures to know. Tap to read.

Exodus 20:8-11Keep the Sabbath holy
8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Read in Old Testament, Connected →
Isaiah 58:13-14Call the Sabbath a delight
13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Read in Old Testament, Connected →
D&C 59:9-12The Lord’s holy day
9And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; 10For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; 11Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; 12But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord. Read in Doctrine and Covenants, Connected →
Mark 2:27The Sabbath was made for man
27And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Read in New Testament, Connected →
3

Go deeper

Research room

What’s behind the question

Sunday tournaments and jobs are common, so a friend or coach may feel frustrated or let down. They aren’t usually questioning your faith, just the scheduling.

OfficialTopics and Questions: Sabbath Day ↗OfficialFor the Strength of Youth: Love God, love your neighbor ↗

Source labels: Official = published by the Church. Scripture = the standard works. Faithful scholarship = independent Latter-day Saint researchers. Helpful, but not official.

4

For me

Think it through
  1. What helps my Sunday feel different from the rest of the week?
  2. Have I seen blessings from honoring the Sabbath?
  3. How can I talk to a coach or boss respectfully about Sunday?
Act in faithWhat do I already know and believe here?
Eternal perspectiveHow does God’s plan change how I see this?
Good sourcesWho could I ask: a parent, a leader, the scriptures?

Notes stay on this page while it’s open and aren’t saved or sent anywhere.

5

Practice this one

Pick a reply

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Weak Things is an independent site, not an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Answers are written to match the Church’s published teachings, and every answer links to its sources.

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