What a Great Game!

I was looking forward to the game. I’ll admit, in part, it’s because I think Jim Harbaugh, the coach of the San Francisco 49ers, is such a bad, bad sport! So, as I watched the frequent close-ups of him and his increasingly frequent facial tics as the Seahawks wiped up Century Link Field with their opponents… well, I enjoyed it immensely. So did the nearly 70,000 fans who saw the game in person.

Cyndi and I were out having a coffee, and it seemed every person that walked past us was wearing a Seahawks jersey. You could feel the excitement, the energy. I shared it. Like I said, it was a great game.

And it made me wonder: what could we in the church learn from passionate sports fans about being excited and engaged in the work of the gospel? Some of you are that excited. I have heard it in your voices. But others, perhaps… maybe not so much.

So, I’m serious! Would you share in this blog what gets you so excited about football that you will paint your body and scream yourself hoarse… and will you speculate with me how it might translate appropriately to the ministry of our church? Some things won’t translate, of course. We’re probably not going to sell Bud Light in the narthex—not even in the plastic bottles that won’t hurt your pastor if you throw them at him—but I’ll bet there are some things we could learn. What do you think they are?

We’ve all known churches that seemed to be chasing the latest cool fads, trying ever-so-hard to be hip and relevant and coming across as… well… kind of pathetic. And yet… yet… if what we are proclaiming is true—if Jesus really rose from the dead and wants to put us in a relationship with the God of the universe who dreamed up wonderful stuff like Mt. Rainier and football—maybe a little more enthusiasm is called for.

We will talk about it this Sunday as we look at Psalm 122. Pompoms are optional.

Pastor Mark