Church urged to reclaim Sabbath as family day

The Church of Scotland should reclaim Sunday as a family day, says a senior Kirk convener.

The Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Kirk’s Church and Society Council, said that restoring the Sabbath as a day to spend time with the family instead of working would benefit the whole nation.

“I’ve often spoken about poverty. But there is another kind of poverty, the lack of time spent with friends, family and others you could be with,” he said.

Rev Galloway pointed to the example of Germany, where Sunday trading hours are still heavily restricted and most shops remain closed.

He commented: “A couple of months ago I was in Germany and one Sunday I visited a town where not a single shop was open. People were out and about with their families. That is a value on Sunday that is above money.”

The convener challenged people to consider whether their lives were full of “meaningful accomplishments or just busy activities”.

“The truth is busyness does not guarantee fruitfulness,” he said. “It is the quality of what our lives produce that determines whether or not we are truly fruitful.

“It’s time to be with those we care about and reclaim the Sabbath for what it is.”