The Missionaries Will Teach...
On Sunday, we go to the house of God to worship him. While there we
remember the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us and renew our covenants
with God by partaking of the sacrament. This shows our commitment to honor
and worship God and to repent of our sins and mistakes.
On Sunday, we spend our time at church worshiping with our friends and
family. Our relationships are strengthened and renewed, and our faith
grows as we study the scriptures and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
When people spend time on Sunday in commercial or recreational
activities, the religious life of the community and the nation decays and
all aspects of life are negatively affected. We can only have the
blessings associated with keeping the Sabbath day holy if we refrain from
shopping and sporting activities.
The Sabbath day is holy and should be set apart from worldly activities.
If you enter into a spirit of worship, thanksgiving, service, and
appropriate family-centered activities, God will fill your life with joy and
peace.
Some Additional Thoughts...
Mormons spend a lot of time at church on Sunday. In addition to three
hours of the standard meetings, most people will have additional time spent
at church in various meetings and activities that keep the machine of the
church rolling forward.
Something that really bugged me as a member was that my workday consisted
of sitting at a desk all day, interrupted by frequent meetings. When Sunday
finally came around and I had a day to "rest" from my labors, the only
appropriate activities entailed more sitting and more meetings. What I
felt like I needed was to get outside, feel the sun, get in touch with
nature, and be physically engaged with the world. I wanted to go
camping, hiking, skiing, swimming and cycling; these were the things the
spirit told me to do to renew my soul. But the Church told me not to
engage in physical recreation; I was
supposed to spend all day in church activities and lounging around at home
having "family-centered activities appropriate for the Sabbath".
Giving an entire day to the church is a huge sacrifice. Carefully monitor
whether making this sacrifice results in the promised blessings.