Church versus Sports

Some say the Nazis invented "Sunday Sports," to discourage church attendance.  Of course the numbers of Christian clergy sent to concentration camps most certainly advanced that result.

Still, I have a difficult time bringing myself to blame the Nazis, or whoever started it, for the current "Church verses sports" priority fiasco.  For the sake of sports, I have been asked to reschedule Bible Studies, Confirmation Classes, Church Dinners, and even Marriage Counseling.

One of my pastor brothers found a way to respond to this problem.  His church is a few miles from a MAJOR sporting event, which takes place on a Sunday.  Sooooo, he holds worship on the Wednesday night before the event, and then, everyone goes to the event on Sunday and works their Church Booth.

Right or wrong?  A discussion for another time.

The point is that the Children of God must be certain of their priorities - must sweep away the idols in their lives - and must make God's Will their own.

Being Super Bowl SUNDAY, last week I used football as a sermon illustration.  Football's coaches, trainers, coordinators, backing up the players on the field, compares with the fellow Christians backing us up when Christians are fulfilling our call in our field.  Greater still, we have the Triune God behind us, above us, around us... (A little St Patrick's Breastplate there.)

All this reminded me of an old standby illustration, that is a humorous way to look at a disturbing trend taking place at churches - excuses for not attending church.  Imagine if people considered their sports attendance activity, the way they consider their church attendance:

"I am not going to another sporting event because..."

• every time I go, they asked me for money.
• the people I sat with, didn't seem very friendly.
• the seats were too hard, and not comfortable.
• I went to many games, but the coach never visited me.
• the referee made a decision with which I did not agree.
• I suspected that I was sitting with some hypocrites.  I think they just came to see their friends and what others were wearing – not to see the game.
• some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home.
• the band played some music that I didn't like.
• the games are scheduled when I want to do other things. 
• I didn't get anything out of the game.
• I was taken to too many games by my parents, when I was a child.
• I recently read a book on sports, and now I know more than the coaches do.
• I don't want to take my children to any games, because I want them to choose a favorite sport for themselves.

Bye and God Bless.