Vol. 1 No. 1, February 2022

Come Ye Yourselves Apart and Rest for a While: Integrating Sports into Church Activities of Clergy and Laity

Dapo F. Asaju

Abstract

Christianity and Sports have close relationship in many ways. Christianity inherited sporting ter-
minologies, principles, ethics, and competitive models from Greek and Roman religions. We do

not have evidences of active sports in Old Testament Judaism, nor in the New Testament. There
are allusions, however, to physical exercises, discipline, healthy lifestyles and wrestling. It is from its

Hellenistic backgrounds of Christianity that we have more practical influence of sports. When Chris-
tianity emerged, it interacted actively with culture of the Roman empire. When the faith was brought

to Europe and eventually to Africa through missionaries, sporting activities were introduced through
schools and institutions. They introduced to Nigeria, western sporting activities. Churches organise

sports competitions by youths, inter-church and inter-Diocese, etc. During clergy retreats and train-
ings, sports feature as relaxation. Even in Seminaries where priests are trained, sporting competitions

are encouraged. Clergy are encouraged to exercise their bodies regularly by jogging, using mechanical
physical exercise devises, etc. Some clergymen who were active sportsmen in their school days, remain
lovers and competitors of sports in various clubs and organisations in society. Many belong as fans to
teams at home and abroad.
In general terms, Africans are “In all Things Religious”. They take their religion to sports. This is

the reason why teams and their supporters often pray before, and during sports matches. Some proph-
ets even predict future matches; who will win or lose—although this should be discouraged. Fans sing

Christian songs even when matches are ongoing to spiritually motivate the competitors. Teams often
bond together and pray before beginning matches. The National Anthems rendered by teams before
the start of matches contain prayer in the name of God. The Nigerian Anthem is a case in point: “O
God of Creation, Direct our Noble Cause...”. These show that underlying sports is religious faith and
motivations.
Sports include physical exercises, competition of physical skills of different types/games and even
health education, such as rest for the body. This is the crux of this study on the wisdom of physical
rest for church ministers, whose works demand a lot of physical exertion. It is commonly realised by

church ministers that rest is so vital for effective and sustained ministry. A parable is told of a Preach-
er whom God gave a horse to, in order to enable him evangelise to the whole world. The preacher, out

of too much misguided zeal, overused the horse to the point of its exertion and eventual death! When
chastised about his foolish acts, he realised that the horse represents the human body. God gave us the
healthy body to enable us move about in carrying out his assignments of evangelism. However, if we
misuse or overuse the body, it may result in untimely death—in which case the clergy who terminates
his life, by not resting enough would not accomplish God’s given task to him; just because he overuses
his body (the horse). There have been reported cases of sudden deaths of Clergy due to exhaustion and
stress. Man is comprised of Body, Spirit and Soul. All three components should be well nurtured for
the total man to be in good health. “I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as

your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2). Jesus Christ’s admonition to his disciples to come apart and rest is sig-
nificant for healthy lifestyles to ministers in contemporary churches especially in the Nigerian context.

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