Act of worship

 Recent opinions with regard to ban on Sunday shopping in Dimapur in particular evoke the fierce debates in western nations that were predominantly Christian. In general, people of Nagaland including most parts of the north east states that are predominantly Christian observe Sunday as a day of worship and also avoid any formal programmes and engagements on the day. Of course, with spread of globalism and job responsibilities, Sunday shopping has become unavoidable. Most of the shops except pharmacies, eating places and markets remain open in most of the north eastern states. A group had recently imposed a complete ban on Sunday shopping . Later pharmacies and restaurants reopened while vegetable and meat markets remain closed. In this regard, it may pointed out that hundreds of shoppers from Dimapur and other places go to nearby Khatkhati market to buy their kitchen requirements. It is believed that the Sunday ban has resulted in a massive economic boom for shop keepers and traders in Khatkhati. In that way, the ban proved to be like imposing the failed prohibition act in Nagaland. The Sunday ban is largely understood in the context of the Biblical commandment in the book of Exodus 20:8 : “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work – you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.” Messianic Jews observe the Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day of the week, for the blessing, and to be obedient to the Torah. Christians worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Historically Hebrew Christians are those believers in Christ, or the Messiah, that are Jewish but are not affiliated with Messianic Judaism. Messianic Jews, on the other hand, are those Jewish believers in Messiah who fully keep and retain their Jewishness in theology and practice. Jesus kept all the commandments in the Torah but then again in Mark 2:27 Jesus said to the Pharisees , “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” For the Gentile believer, Sunday, or the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), is not the same as Saturday, the seventh day. As per the Gregorian calendar, Sabbath is identified as Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Similarly, the first day of the week (“Sunday”) coincides with Gregorian Saturday sunset to Sunday sunset. Early Christians continued to pray and rest on the seventh day. By the 2nd century AD some Christians also observed Sunday, the day of the week on which Jesus had risen from the dead and on which the Holy Spirit had come to the apostles. As stated, imposing ban on Sunday shopping may be like prohibition which will be difficult to enforce. In the Old testament , the day is meant to be a total rest from any activity or movement including rest for servants and animals etc. The objective of worship is not confined to Sunday but for all days where adherents put their faith into practice and not be reduced to the state of being Sunday Christians.