I’ve meant to write this blog post for a long time, but I always put it off because I didn’t want to cause any controversy. I realized that I’m allowed to say whatever I want on my blog, so here we go…

On Friday, a few people at the gym asked me if I was going to be running the Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday, and I told them what I tell everyone every year: no. I don’t usually elaborate any more than that, but one person pressed further and asked me why.

I told him that I wasn’t running the Pittsburgh Marathon because I refuse to miss church. I specifically refuse to miss partaking in the Lord’s Supper, or as some call it: Communion.

I’m a non-denominational Christian, so to me, the Lord’s Supper is something that Christians do every Sunday in remembrance of Jesus Christ. We eat bread and drink grape juice to symbolize Christ’s body and blood that He sacrificed for us in his death.

This scripture shows that Jesus asked his disciples to remember Him:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-24

This scripture shows that Christians are to partake in the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week:
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

Partaking in the Lord’s Supper is a huge part of why Christians attend church each Sunday morning.

I truly try to keep Christ at the very center of my life. I want Him to be #1 in my life. Always. To me, if Christ comes first, that means that I remember Him every Sunday morning by partaking in the Lord’s Supper.

That means that I don’t run races on Sunday mornings. I don’t sleep in on Sunday mornings. I don’t go to baseball games on Sunday mornings. I don’t miss church and partaking in the Lord’s Supper unless I absolutely have to (like if I was sick).

I believe that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins. He asked that I remember Him on the first day of the week through Communion. Why would I miss partaking in Communion to run a race?

I’m running in a much more important race throughout my life:
Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

This belief may seem strict, but I’m holding to it firmly.

Is the Pittsburgh Marathon “wrong?” No! I’d love to run it, but I won’t run races on Sunday mornings. There are plenty of races on Saturdays that I can run without missing the Lord’s Supper.

I’m not perfect. I sin every day. I’m not trying to judge anyone who runs races on a Sunday or isn’t a Christian. I don’t believe I’m better than anyone and didn’t write this post to make anyone feel bad or condemn people who ran the Pittsburgh Marathon.

I just felt like I needed to get that off of my chest and explain why I personally don’t run Sunday morning races.

Feel free to leave a comment or contact me by email (aks5313@psu.edu) if you have any questions!