Okay, so today is a football playoffs Sunday... not quite the Super Bowl but still high up on the chart of “where are all the people this Sunday morning?”
Some people have argued that sports have become the religion of America and sporting venues the new cathedrals of our generation. Perhaps in some way that is true. Considering all the Tebowmania this year, I’ve been wondering about it.
I’m happy to note that St. Andrew was fairly full this morning. If the Giants were playing the 3 o’clock game, might there might have been a few less? Hmmmmm.
To our credit, we seem to be able to pull a fair number of attendees for our annual congregational meeting which always seems to fall on Super Bowl Sunday, even though we have a fair number of football fans on the Church Council. Maybe it’s because we entice them in with lunch, and then the specter of the ULTIMATE football game keeps the meeting short. A 6:30 pm kickoff time doesn’t hurt either. I’ve always been somewhat proud of us that we put the business of the church as a top priority and recognize that we can do both… have an early afternoon congregational meeting and still leave time for football. If the Super Bowl was being held in Giants Stadium (ooops, sorry Jet fans, MetLife Stadium…or better yet, let’s just call it the Meadowlands and leave the corporate sponsors out of it), then perhaps there might be some squawking about the changing the meeting date.
Since the Broncos and Tim Tebow are now officially out of contention for the Super Bowl, it is interesting to reflect on the hype that surrounded that team’s quarterback. Was God granting success to the Broncos because of the faith of Tim Tebow? Doubtful. I don’t think God plays favorites in the football arena. Plus, there are plenty of other faithful athletes, but none so recently under the national media microscope.
But I do think God was/is there.
If the people will not go to the Church, then perhaps God has come to the people in the place they deem worthy to worship? If we remove God from schools, government, work places, public places and our everyday lives, then perhaps He has chosen sports as the place to walk among us?
God will not be silenced.
He equips the called and gives them voice. Through the acts of a faithful football quarterback, the eyes of a nation have been focused on the heart of an athlete… an athlete equipped with the quirky athleticism that makes secular football professionals wonder if something divine isn’t happening, and makes a nation remember that the God of all creation will find a way to walk among us and grab our attention… even when our worship has been misdirected.
Come and worship with us on Sundays: 8:30 & 10:45 am
Christian Education: 9:45 am
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
No comments:
Post a Comment