Not a Spectator Sport

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 

--1 Corinthians 12:12-17

As fall approaches, the days begin to shorten, the mornings begin to cool, and people everywhere seem to be infected with a most curious disease called football.  Football, especially college football,  is like a religion in many places around the US. 

Rising before the sun, scores of faithful fans begin the trek across the state to spend all day tailgating in preparation for the big game. The crowds roar and are filled with a passionate frenzy that hits a crescendo if their team wins following a close contest. Many pastors have longed for people to “get ready for worship the same way they get ready for games.”

I don’t.

Football, by nature, is a spectator sport.  We show up to watch the players on the field.  We listen to the commentary.  We might even get a bite to eat.  When we return to our cars, we leave the game behind.  Win or lose, the contest is over, and it is time to get on with our lives.

I don’t want Christians to approach worship as they do football because following Jesus is not a spectator sport.

God has called us by name, claimed us in the waters of baptism, and empowered us through the Holy Spirit.  Each one of us has a role to fill; each one of us has a ministry for which God has prepared us.  Only as the whole church, the entire Body of Christ, answers the call of God can we fulfill God’s mission as intended.  No person is insignificant. Not a single person is unimportant.  We all have a place in this journey of faith. For in the life of a disciple, we can never be content to simply sit and watch. We are all part of the team, part of the Body of Christ, sent out for mission and ministry every day of our lives.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor James