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Good morning.Many of us will have watched a sporting event yesterday – whether live or on television. As an avid sport watcher myself I confess to watching a football match in the afternoon, after and before the more normal duties of a clergyman.It was on this day in 1931 that the House of Commons voted to allow sports to be played on Sundays. Some might suggest it simply regulated what was already a seemingly unstoppable tide of illegality, but most certainly, in the context of a country in deep depression, there was a loosening up of permissible activities on Sundays. The following year, the Sunday Entertainments Act enabled cinemas and places licensed for ‘public dancing, singing, and music to open on Sundays.Christians were divided about these developments as with all subsequent legislation affecting Sunday, the Christian Sabbath. Was it not a day of worship, quiet and rest, a day holy unto the Lord? While others pointed out that Jesus himself seemed to enjoy socialising, it was his Church that liked to say ‘no’.Many years on, the jury is still out on the effects, both enriching and impoverishing, of a modern Sunday. Like many, I want to eat my cake and keep it. I love seeing youngsters on playing fields, runners and cyclists panting uphill, and thousands making their way to a professional event. I’m aware too that a modern Sunday requires many people to work, including those who have little choice in the matter. Lord of each day, we pray for those enriched and renewed by yesterday, and those adversely affected by it. Enable us all to find times of recreation in this week, time to be with those we love, and time to acknowledge your love  towards us. Amen.