“He shoots he scores!”
When your team scores the winning goal, drains that last second 3, slams a home run in the last inning, or punches in a TD to win in overtime, what’s your response? You usually get up and cheer loudly, right? You want to show your support for your team and its players.
Then you go to church on Sunday, where your Pastor talks about the work Jesus has been doing throughout your community. He asks for the congregation to give the Lord a hand, and what happens? Major decibel difference.
Why do we cheer ten times louder when our team scores than when Jesus accomplishes a goal?
Why do we go out and celebrate a W but not when we hear of a dozen new souls that are spending their eternity in Heaven?
Quite often, I believe this has to do with our ability to see what’s close at hand combined with our inability to see what’s far off.
Myopia is a common vision condition that causes a person to see objects that are close clearly, while distant objects appear blurry.
When we watch sports, do we put on our myopic glasses?
While watching a game, we can see the outcome ahead of us clearly: if we get more points, we win. Otherwise we lose. Those are our choices, and they’re laid out plainly before us.
On the contrary, there is no definite marker to judge the Great Commission with. We can’t say we won “a game” against it, or that we’re halfway through the season. It’s an intangible goal, yet an accolade far more worthwhile than a Superbowl or a Stanley Cup.
What if I’m not into sports?
What we’re cheering for hardly matters if we’re cheering for it more than Jesus. Athletes aren’t the only ones who can be idolized. Think of your favourite singer, actor, or celebrity, instead. If you went to one of their concerts or got to see them in person, how loudly would you applaud for them?
The point is: what (or Who) is more worthy of praise?
Your sports team that just won its 10th game in a row, or Jesus, Saviour of the universe?
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Exodus 20:3 (NIV)
In the verse above, God tells Moses that the people are to have nothing between themselves and Him. Back when He spoke these words, physical idolatry was a big struggle for the Israelites. Worshiping images of pagan gods was an issue they dealt with again and again.
While we may not bow down to silver statues today, have we turned other things into idols?
Please do not hear me wrong – I am in no means blasting sports. I love watching and playing them as much as the next person.
What I am blasting is when we turn sports (and its athletes) into an idol. When we spend hours of our time researching, watching, and investing ourselves in “the team”.
Matthew 6:33 tells us to put God above all else.
How can we live this out in our lives? Here’s a suggestion of mine: next time your team scores, don’t not celebrate. We’re not boycotting here. Celebrate your heart out – but remember Who you’re really applauding.
Who gave those players their abilities? Who allowed them to make that incredible play? Was it achieved by their own strength, or by God’s? That is what we need to keep in mind when we’re screaming our lungs out.
We’re cheering for what God has done through the players, not what the players have done through their own works.
When we’re in church, cheering as loudly as we would for a game-winning score wouldn’t exactly be appropriate.
So please don’t start screaming “LET’S GO JESUS!” next time your pastor delivers an update (although that would be quite something). Volume is not what’s important, the heart is.
Maybe this doesn’t mean standing up and hi-fiving the people next to you, but perhaps it means going that extra mile in your heart.
To sum up: sports are not bad. Not in the least.
Idolizing sports and athletes is an issue. When we celebrate what sports players are doing, then go to church and hardly put our hands together for what God is doing, that’s plain wrong. Sadly, I’ve seen this time and time again in today’s society.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Sports (or fill in the blank) doesn’t need to be an idol. It’s only an idol so long as we devote excessive amounts of our time and finances to it. The good news: like all idols, there’s a simple tool to overcoming it.
When we step back and remember Who gave those athletes their abilities, we can in good conscience cheer for what they’re doing with the gift God has given them, instead of merely applauding who they are.
When we’re cheering for what God has let these players do, we’re no longer idolizing them – we’re congratulating God on the gifts He’s given them.
Nonetheless, it’s always worth it to give Jesus an extra hand too. He’s never going to say no (:
Who are you cheering for: the athlete, or the Almighty?
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