Zoning in and out, I found it difficult to stay laser focused on Pastor Ross’s Sunday sermon when at that moment my team was playing in such an important game. Would we advance to the championship? Would yesterday’s hard-earned wins count for nothing? Was I letting my team down by not being at the game? Or was I blessing my team by witnessing to the beauty of worshiping together with a church community?
If worshiping in the local church is essential to following Christ faithfully, we ought to consider how we prioritize participation in travel sports and gathering with God’s people. I grew up in a family that loved both sports and the church. Sometimes that led to moments when we’d have to choose between the two.
My purpose here isn’t to provide a list of dos and don’ts for the Sabbath. But I want to help you consider how following the Lord affects youth sports involvement, and I want to challenge you to prioritize Sunday worship. My parents consistently chose church, and I’m thankful they did. Here are several reasons why.
1. They taught me the value of worship.
Legendary Wheaton College football coach Mike Swider used to tell parents: Your child has a 0.03 percent chance of playing professional sports but a 100 percent chance of standing before Jesus one day. He’s right. One day, we’ll all give account to God (Rom. 14:10). But if you judged by the number of young people on fields, courts, and courses on Sunday mornings, you’d think Swider had his stats backward.
What parents do (and allow their kids to do) shows what they value. The familiar maxim rings true: habits are better caught than taught. It’s easy to teach your kids the importance of belonging to a Bible-believing, gospel-centered church, but if you allow your teenager to skip every other Sunday for travel soccer, it raises the question, “What are your true priorities?” What we do reveals what we love, and what we love shows what we worship. As Paul wrote, “While bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come“ (1 Tim. 4:8).
What we do reveals what we love, and what we love shows what we worship.
When I was growing up, my dad spoke to my coaches before the season and let them know church was important to our family. He routinely asked if this commitment would still allow for my participation on the team. My family avoided activities that would conflict with Sunday worship and chose Saturday leagues when we could, and for that I’m grateful.
2. They taught me to advocate for obedience.
When I was in middle school, my dad would email tournament directors to ask if our team could play games scheduled for Sunday morning on Friday night. Praise God, some directors accommodated this request. My dad was the general manager of a professional soccer team, and it’s worth noting that in his 20 years in that role, he managed to never—no, not once—schedule a game or practice on a Sunday. I’m thankful to currently play on a Christian college team (and at an institution) that prioritizes the local church and doesn’t practice or play games on Sundays.
3. They taught me to live set apart from the world.
Despite the preemptive measures we took to avoid playing in Sunday-centric leagues, my teams still played games on Sundays. I missed many of those games. Skipping sports on Sunday mornings led to many gospel conversations that may not have otherwise arisen. My teammates would ask me why I’d missed a game: Why is church so important to you and your family? What does it mean to be a Christian? What do you even do at church again? This would spark rich discussions about God, the church, and the Christian life.
Despite what many believe, being set apart from the world can often contribute to, rather than detract from, our witness to Christ. Who knew life’s biggest questions would be asked in the warm-up line before a U13 soccer game?
And that was just my friends. There were also many ways my family was able to minister to others because we treated Sundays differently than our sports community. For example, my dad seized opportunities to lead chapel devotionals for my teams during out-of-town tournaments.
As believers, we shouldn’t just “fit in” or go along with what’s normal for the world without asking, “Is this biblical?” (Rom. 12:1–2). I pray some saw my dad’s good works and gave glory to God because of them (Matt. 5:16). This side of heaven, I’ll likely never know the spiritual fruit that has resulted from his hours of sideline conversations with my teammates’ parents. But I’m grateful for my parents’ commitment to the local church. I’m glad they prioritized worship Sunday after Sunday. I’m thankful I didn’t play in that Sunday morning game.
Despite what many believe, being set apart from the world can often contribute to, rather than detract from, our witness to Christ.
Let’s not throw out the Bible, obedience to Jesus, and the Lord’s Day for the sake of sports. I desire that parents think more biblically about how sports intersect with church and reflect on the abundant blessings that arise from corporate worship with God’s people.
Over the years, I’ve grown more and more to love the Lord’s Day for the fellowship, rest, and break from the weekly routine God gives us. It’s a great joy to consistently worship with God’s people and step aside (even for just a day) from our normal activities. Perhaps the tension between following Christ and participating in youth sports can best be summed up by a former competitive athlete, professional coach, diehard sports fan, and role model of mine who challenges believers with the simple mantra: Love God; like sports.
The Gospel Coalition