–– Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Every four years, there are billions of eyeballs gazing at the pinnacle of sporting events, the FIFA World Cup. In Africa, the primary broadcaster of the competition is DSTV, which holds a subscriber base of over 14 million people, with millions more family members, friends, and customers joining in. 

In an effort to popularise the brand and sport in smaller markets, the World Cup is being held primarily in the United States of America. This presented a challenge for DSTV, in light of a 6-9 hour time zone difference, putting many of the games at 2 or 3 AM in Africa.  So they cleverly devised their catchy new slogan, ‘Everything Can Wait’, with a brilliant ad showing the African passion for soccer that means work, school, sleep, and cooking can wait, because one must watch the World Cup matches! 

Thankfully, this Sunday’s final is at 9pm in South Africa, so we are not forced to choose between church and football. However, this is often not the case.  Many Christians regularly put church on hold in the name of sport.  What is a biblical response to this?

Let’s examine three reasons why Christians should prioritise gathering with their local church, and answer two common objections.