Why God Cares About Football

Full disclosure, I’m a Seahawks fan. I rooted for Dave Krieg and Steve Largent back in the day. I made fun of Brian Bosworth. I suffered through mediocrity until the coming of the Holmgren. I lamented the loss to the Stealers (I know what I wrote) in Super Bowl XL. I prepared myself for a time of rebuilding when my team started a rookie. I marveled when he took them to the playoffs in his first season. I was stunned beyond words when he won a Super Bowl in his second

Now, in Russell Wilson’s third season as he prepares to lead the Seahawks back to his second Super Bowl, people are talking about his faith. After the ‘Hawks beat the Packers in the NFC title game Wilson spoke through tears about how God had prepared him and the team for moments just like that. A few days later the quarterback he defeated, Aaron Rodgers, said he doesn’t think God cares about the outcome of football games. 

So? Does He? 

Is Wilson right? Did God prepare him for that moment? Is Rodgers right? Does God not root for any of the football teams out there? 

If I believed that God cared about the outcome of football games, I would first have to believe that God willed the Seahawks to be terrible for decades. I would have to believe that God influenced the refs to call touchdowns that weren’t in Super Bowl XL just so the Stealers would win (yes, I’m still bitter about that game). If I believe that God made the Seahawks win against the Packers in overtime, then I also have to believe that God made the Seahawks lose against the Packers in overtime in 2003. 

But neither do I think that God is a football agnostic. I don’t agree with Rodgers that God doesn’t care about football (or other sports). 

God cares about us. He wants each of us to use our unique skills, talents, experience, and opportunities to show love to our neighbors and to bring glory to God. If our job is as a plumber or a programmer or a preacher or a punter, God wants every one of us to use our job to love others and to love him. That’s the core of the Law and the Prophets (according to Jesus). 

I think God cares about football in the same way he cares about every job that everyone has. He cares that we use what we’ve been given – whether little or much – to obey him and love our neighbors. As a writer and a preacher, my job is to string words together into sentences and paragraphs that convey meaning. I could use that talent to make money writing self-help books and giving motivational speeches, but instead I take a moment to pray before I pile words together. I ask that God would give me the words to speak or write for his glory. If I believe that God will give me stories and sermons so I can do my job to his glory, then I have to believe that he will give football players similar opportunities to use their jobs to bring glory to him. 

I don’t think that God wants the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl more than any other team. But I do think that God can use football players for his glory, whether they win or lose. I do think that these men who have an amplified voice in the world can, through the platform of sports, make an amplified difference. Russell Wilson can help to fight childhood diseases and to encourage young people facing life-threatening illnesses. Richard Sherman can force us to have conversations about race and racial bias. Marshawn Lynch can make us all reflect on how much time we spend talking about doing our jobs rather than just being about that action (boss). And that’s just a small list of a few players on one team. 

I think God does care about football, but not who wins or who loses. God cares about us being whole people who use our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls to love him and to love our neighbors. If that happens through athletes playing a game, may God be glorified. If that happens through a writer penning some words, may God be glorified. If that happens through a plumber working hard for a fair price, may God be glorified. 

Also…

Go Seahawks! 

James T Wood is a writer, minister, and teacher in Portland, Oregon. He and his wife Andrea have worked with established churches and church plants all over the US. You can find out more about James and what he's up to at www.jamestwood.com.

Looking for God... in Seattle?

A friend pointed me to THIS ARTICLE the other day. It tells the story of the Seattle Seahawks selecting Garrett Scott, from Marshall University, in the sixth round of the recent NFL Draft.

Shortly after being drafted the Seahawks put Scott through a routine physical examination. "Garrett's examination revealed a rare heart condition that will prevent him from any on-field participation in the near future," said Executive VP and General Manager John Schneider."

Now get this... AFTER discovering his heart condition, the Seahawks still signed Scott to his rookie contract. What does this mean? That means Scott receives his signing bonus and first-year salary totaling about $555,000. The Seahawks showed Scott grace... and it's a beautiful thing.

It's not like half a million dollars less tax replaces a young man's dreams of playing in the NFL. It doesn't. But this is a generous action from an organisation that had no motivation to do so. Since the NFL salary cap this year is a huge $133 million, Scott's $555,000 represents only about 0.4% of their overall budget this year. This generosity is still surprising given that the team is a profit making organization, not a charity.

In 2007 Dan Kimball wrote a book titled, They Like Jesus but not the Church. He describes a generation of young people seeking spirituality but turning away from the institutional trappings that they associate with "church". In their eyes organized religion has grown big, bureaucratic, political and better known for those it opposes than it is for a message of Good News.

How can churches overcome the negative stigma that many attach to the body of Christ? Strangely, I think the Seattle Seahawks provide an example.

Why was this story passed around the internet?
Because it demonstrated compassion. It showed generosity. It surprises us because we don't expect large institutions to care for individuals. People associate with the emotional pain Scott must feel and appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who allowed him to spend a couple of days as part of an NFL team.

People still respond to kindness, to compassion, to grace, to love. In recent years churches have apparently failed to establish ourselves as places where these Godly attributes not only can be found, but can be found in abundance. The heart of God will always attract people. Churches must do a better job of revealing God's heart to the world.

Perhaps we can still surprise the world with a message of hope, love, and grace in a world so devoid of such moments that a football team can provide a spark of inspiration. I pray that the next time I read a story of grace it will come from a church. Perhaps it will even be your church!

We know what true love looks like because of Jesus. He gave His life for us, and He calls us to give our lives for our brothers and sisters.
If a person owns the kinds of things we need to make it in the world but refuses to share with those in need, is it even possible that God’s love lives in him? My little children, don’t just talk about love as an idea or a theory. Make it your true way of life, and live in the pattern of gracious love.

1 John 3:16-18 (VOICE)

Remember the Seahawks!

After last week's post a friend of mine, whose name I won't mention, who happens to be a Seattle fan took issue with the fact that I'd written about the losing Superbowl team. I acknowledged the validity of his point and promised him this post. :-) So here are some winning thoughts served with a slice of Manning pie.

Just as the Superbowl was about to kick off, my sister, who lives in Seattle, posted this facebook status,

"Still trying to understand the rules of this American football game. Why are there 12 players for the Seahawks and only one player for the Broncos (Peyton Manning)?"

I thought it was a brilliant comment on the way the two teams had been portrayed. I'm a big Manning fan, so if he had run out onto the field in the Superbowl in a Seahawks jersey I'd have been cheering for the Seahawks. I suspect that many others around the country allocated their Superbowl loyalties based upon their like or dislike of Peyton Manning. He became a larger than life character in this sporting drama.

In contrast, when I reflect on the persona projected by Seattle I keep coming back to the ideas of team and community.

1. Seattle has successfully embraced fan enthusiasm by honoring the crowd as The 12th Man. (11 players are on the field at any given time.) This relationship with fans has made Seattle one of the loudest stadiums in which to play and helped Seattle to only one loss over the past two season. Seattle actually holds the world record for the most crowd noise at a sporting event. That roar even created a small earthquake!! 

2. Although Russell Wilson has provided some great quarterback play and team leadership, the heart and soul of the team is it's defense. Richard Sherman has attracted a lot of media attention in the role of a bad boy with a big mouth. But the strength of the Seahawks defense has been a group of players labelled "The Legion of Boom". When compared to the singular focus Peyton Manning has received, the fact that Seattle's engine room consists of a group of players makes a significant point. Individuals can't win championships in a team sport.

3. As this story describes, even Pete Carroll, the Seattle coach, was willing to take a tackle for the benefit of the team. This style of leadership and commitment are contagious and help establish a team first mentality among the players.

There are so many ways to take these points and apply them to churches. I think I'll let you do most of the heavy lifting on this one. But here's a couple of summary thoughts.

1. The concept of the 12th Man is all about giving fans a slice of ownership in the team. As this article describes this ownership creates community that (at least for a little while) energizes a city. Churches need to have this same goal. Members want to be part of something bigger than themselves. People long for community and contributing to a greater good. How does your church communicate inclusion and value to each member?

2. Church isn't just about the individual. Yes, it's a community that God uses to speak into the lives of individuals, but it doesn't stop there. Being part of the body of Christ means that sometimes we'll put our bodies on the line for the benefit of others. That's teamwork. That's church. That's Jesus. As a church leader I have to regularly ask myself how I'm modelling this value.