Jollyblogger has a good article reviewing a recent article in Sports Illustrated by Rick Reilly. Here’s an excerpt:

Also, we often treat the Lord’s day as if it is an imposition, when in fact it is a blessing, it is a gift to us. It is no imposition to me when I take my wife out on a date – it is a delight to spend that one on one time with her. Yes, I have to cease my regular activities and arrange for childcare and do a whole host of other things that mess my schedule up. But I delight to do those things because I get that one one one time with my wife. The Lord’s Day is meant to be a delight for us – it is a gift to us where we can rest our tired bodies, put away our worldly cares and worship and commune with our heavenly Father.

It’s a really good little article. I, too, have noticed that more and more activites are getting scheduled for Sundays, it’s not just youth sports. My sister at USC was just barely able to get to church before coming back for Stunt & Cheer club practice. They met early on Sunday afternoons because that was an easy time to get everyone together as few were church-goers. When I play with LAOUT, summer league finals can be on Sundays. The first day of the week is merely one-half of the weekend, equal to the other half.

Youth sports are a more worrying shift, though, to be sure. Not only is it not giving the kids the rest they need, it’s teaching them that organized sports can carry a higher priority than church. What kind of example is that?