The Shoe

Not the kind you wear. As in the Horseshoe as the Ohio State Buckeye Football stadium is known.

I was blessed to receive a ticket to the Ohio State USC football game this past Saturday. Thanks to Ron Montgomery. We sat on the 10 yard line about thirty rows up and had a great view of a pretty good game.

I frequently have mentioned it at church-but there's something about over a hundred thousand people cheering for a common goal. The attendance that day was 106,033 people-a new stadium record. The place was rocking the whole game until a disappointing finish when USC won on their last drive of the game.

I understand now the rabid nature of the Buckeye fan and how exciting it is to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. It would be a dream come true to get that many people to be rabid about our faith in Jesus Christ. I've blogged about it before-but I am amazed at the similarities between a football game and the fan rituals and the life of a church. The big difference is we're worshiping a team and not the Living God.

There is the communal eating-in church it's Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ-the symbols of the Body and Blood-bread and wine. In football-it's the burger, the brats, the hotdog, the chips etc and beer, soda, wine, or liquor.

There's the gathering beforehand with people you're friends with to prepare for the worship service/game-tailgating-not unlike the fellowship hour at church before worship.

There's the praise band in the form of a marching band. In the case of baseball they even have an organ to play the songs.

There's the wearing of team colors and the cheerleaders (would that be like donning our Sunday best and the equivalent of our pastors and choir director leading the worship)?

The teams would be the little gods we make and worship-we certainly idolize them and value them more highly than other humans for their physical prowess and strength. We analyze their skills and measure them against one another and our own expectations-blaming them when something goes wrong and praising them when something goes well-not unlike humanity's tendencies with the Divine.

Like football fans Christians are called to celebrate-not a team but the Divine presence of the Holy Spirit.

Unlike God-our teams will let us down. Also unlike God-there are many teams to divide our loyalties. God desires for us to love God with our whole hearts, our whole minds, and all of our strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves-even if we wear different colors of skin, and even if we happen to call God by another name like Allah, or the God of Israel.

I was witness to one of the most impressive demonstrations of enthusiasm and unity in the form of a raucous Ohio State crowd in Columbus on Saturday. It is my hope that my role as cheerleader and coach will help inspire others to focus even a portion of their enthusiasm for football on the will to follow Jesus Christ.

For now I have to go-I have cheerleading practice.....

Shalom y'all,
Dwight