Come Let Us Worship and Bow Down.

Hello Friend!

How was your week?  Are you resting?   I had to run to the store on Saturday and when I did, I realized there was going to be a football game on Sunday.  The upside is I didn’t need to make lunch: I ate samples while I shopped.  The downside was that 7000 of my closest friends were doing the same thing. 

I have to confess I find football confusing.  The game, the commentary, the rules, pretty much the whole sport.  The only part I understand is the snacking: you have to be ready to consume your body weight in cream cheese products on game day and your sodium intake should be high enough to entirely change your blood chemistry.  That part is simple.

There is one more thing I understand about football, you don’t punch people in this sport.  Punching is a Canadian thing hockey players do to each other to ensure no one gets overconfident and out of touch with their mortality.  Football players don’t punch.  They do fancy dances sometimes, but mostly they keep their hands to themselves unless they are trying to crush each other while chasing down the football.  You would be surprised how much time that takes up. 

See?  The more I explain what I know, the more difficult it becomes. 

It isn’t confined to the game either, my confusion I mean.  Even discussing the sport is riddled with nuance and complexity.  This week I have been wading through articles in pagan and Christian journals about hero worship and how it affects our communities.  From the churches who acknowledge the games and try to incorporate the football culture, to the congregations who believe faith and football are at odds, and all the positions in between.  It can be a brutal discussion.

Truth is, hero worship isn’t confined to football.  We, as people, are made to worship.  Stick a 4 year old in front of a screen and watch how an imaginary character can take over a psyche.  Stick a 34 year old in front of the same screen and flip it a show of interest and watch the same thing happen.  It’s overwhelming.  When does something I enjoy become an idol? 

The best talk I ever heard on the subject stated that you can tell if something is an idol by what you sacrifice to it.  Medieval though it sounds, it was an interesting discussion.  What do I sacrifice to the thing I love?  Family time? Money? My to-do list?  Peace of mind?  I was to about to give up my quest for truth/self-improvement to take a nap when I happened upon a helpful scripture.   

Jesus is quoted in the Gospel of John,

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. Jn 4:23

I think it takes us back to the fruit of the spirit.  Everything you ever need wrapped up in a Sunday school song. The question becomes, does the time you spend on your activity yield the right fruit?  Does bring you closer to Jesus and your devotion to him?   

Love – not hate

Joy – not sadness

Peace – not anxiety

Patience – not impatience

Kindness – not meanness

Goodness – not bad tempered

Faithfulness – not inconsistency

Gentleness – not aggressive

Self-control – not lawlessness

As I write this, my friend has informed me her football team has lost and she is going into mourning.  She suggests her life might be over, though between you and I, she is prone to exaggeration.  I am sad as well, because this means I will not be going to her house anymore on Sundays to eat the tasty snacks she makes for company.  However, as a well-balanced church lady, I know she will bounce back after the appropriate amount of forgiveness and deliverance work.  I hope you too, rebound from your losses and spend some time in worship.     

So glad we serve one who cannot be defeated.

Praying for you this week,

xoxKaren