A Reality Check: The Morning After the Superbowl

~ Tracy Frederick

So, it is the morning after…the morning after the Superbowl. You may have hosted a Superbowl party after worship with great food and friends. We didn’t, but we did watch the last part of the game and then morning as we watched ESPN to catch the highlights, I heard the interviews with the players and just can’t shake what I heard.  Ok, I admit that I am not a pro football fan I do, however, enjoy rooting for my Sooners. But as I listened to the post game interviews, and heard the players giving credit to their God, I was shocked at their instance of how important the game was to their God, on how they were serving their God through their athletic abilities. Some would look at this and tell me to just relax, at least they were including God at all, and I get that, but their version of God, a God who is concerned about touchdowns and tackles just isn’t the God of the Bible who is worried about the weak, the hungry, the poor, those who are in pain and whose command is that I humble myself in service to others. Joshua asked the Israelites a critical question that we are still struggling with today: “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (24:15)  Our question becomes: Choose this day whom we will serve: the gods of the land who are made in our own image- the sports fan, the music fan, the celebrity fan? Do we really think God cares who wins the trophy, the award, the…whatever? Really? I love a good game, and am easily caught up in the competition, (some of you reading this know this well), but I also know that my God expects more of us than being a good football player, basketball player or..whatever. Perhaps you will think I am just too uptight. Ok, you’re probably right, but the God we serve will determine our focus, our children’s priorities- practicing for a game, or for heave. We must chose this day whom we will serve. I think the important word here is “serve.” I don’t think he means with a touchdown.