IF FOOTBALL FANS WERE THIS FAITHFUL

Last Sunday, the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts played a football game that will be remembered for years.  Not because it was a great game but because the game was played in a “blizzard.”  The footing was slippery, the ball was cold and hard to catch and the yard lines were, at times, impossible to see but they played on.  In the stands were the “faithful.”  Fans bundled up against the relentless wind and snow, cheering on their team to victory.

Immediately, a meme of the game and its fans went viral on Face book.  The meme is a picture of fans, caked in snow with the caption, “IF CHURCH MEMBERS WERE THIS FAITHFUL.”  And all the Pastors said, “AMEN.”

Now, let’s really examine the meme in light of church.  Having been married to a football fan for 41 years, I will try to explain the excitement and anticipation they feel on game day.  We will begin with the SUPER BOWL.

When I mention SUPER BOWL, what immediately enters your mind?  Commercials?  Food?  Half-time show?  NOT TO A TRUE FAN!  Believe me, a True Fan doesn’t even realize what food he is putting in his mouth; his focus is on the game being played on the field.  Commercials are really bathroom breaks and Half-Time is the opportunity to discuss the great pass, the awesome runback, or the devastating fumble, and how their team  could be destroying the other team if they would just….

Now that you understand the fan that would set outside covered in snow to watch their team play with an inflated pigskin, let’s imagine this scenario…

15 seconds left in the game, the score is tied; it is 4^th and goal, with your team is on the 2 yard line, SUDDENLY, the Ref raises his hands and says, “Could the fans please stand, the players will serenade you on your way out.  Hope to see you next week.”

I cannot even imagine the “riot” that would take place and the poor ref had better make a quick exit, surrounded by body armor.  If it happened the next week and the next, I can guarantee the stands would be empty, the merchandise unsold and the owner’s bottom line would be all zeros.

Back to the Meme….Perhaps there is a reason some would rather sit in a frozen stadium watching their team rather than sit in a frozen church listening to a program.

We wake on Sunday Morning, full of excitement and anticipation.  We arrive at church, greet the usher, pick up our steaming cup of coffee and find our seat.  We stand for the “national anthem” place our hand over our heart; some may even raise their hands and sway as we lift our voices in unison.  Our ticket fees are received, a few public announcements, some carefully prepared words are delivered to encourage us to come back next week and we are dismissed to go about our day….WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GAME?  WHERE WAS THE MAIN EVENT?

Oh we have some moments, Jesus is just about ready to run out on the field but its half-time and the entertainers have prepared a great show.  OR…There have even been those times when we’ve allowed “Quarterback” Jesus to lead the team down the field, we are almost to the goal line; victory is in sight and the Ref calls “TIME!”  It’s time to take an offering, dedicate a baby, preach a sermon or maybe the clock says noon and dinner is waiting.  We go home the way we arrived, frustrated because the “game” was ended…unfinished.

What would happen if we arrived at church with the excitement and anticipation of a true fan, with only the “game” on our mind.  We bypassed the coffee bar and entered the sanctuary where we spent a few minutes communing with our “Quarterback” Jesus.  Then we began to cheer and praise; really get involved with the “game.”  No halftime show, no bathroom breaks, no public announcements because our team was marching down to victory.  There would be unbelievable plays, no interceptions or fumbles as we approached the goal line.  AND if we would linger just a little longer, trust our Star, He would lead us across the goal and into victory.

THEN….JUST MAYBE….there would be a Meme that said, “IF ONLY THE FOOTBALL FANS WERE THIS FAITHFUL.”