Bow Down
Sports were a meaningful part of my childhood as a spectator and a competitor. No matter the season, I was on a sports team in middle school and high school enjoying the interaction as a teammate. Back in the 60's our family was known as one of two "tennis families" in Roanoke. Both families had a tennis court in their backyards and all their children traveled the Mid-Atlantic in the summers competing in tennis matches. Being the youngest in my family, by the time I was ten, I was on the court playing matches. The tradition was carried on to our six children and we have great memories from those days.
Football is a BIG deal in the South. Friday nights you wore school colors and were in the stands at your high school game and Saturday morning you doned a different outfit, grabbed your pompoms and your picnic basket as you headed off to tailgate before a college game. My husband was a successful high school and college player. The date of our wedding was determined by finding a Saturday in the fall where neither my father, nor my husband's alma maters had a home game.
Whew! The rivalries and unkind things people say about others' teams. (That's a whole different topic I could pour my heart out over.)
What I witnessed on TV Saturday night, after a college basketball game, is an image that sent such a wrong message to the masses. This particular team has one of the all time most successful coaches and this was his last home game. There was a huge celebration honoring this man after the game. While he certainly is a talented coach, he isn't a very humble human being.
The team mascot is a devil, hmm? What trouble me was as this coach took to center court after the game the devil ran out, hit is knees, and began bowing to the coach. The camera flashed to the stands where fans were seen bowing down as well.
Sports are great, the talent of dedicated athletes, artists, other accomplished individuals, even preachers should be noted and respected, but our worship is for only one.
If you want to read a chilling warning from Moses to the nation of Israel related to idols check out all of Deuteronomy chapter 32.
We choose our idols, including the teams and talents we like to follow. When it comes to Jesus there is no neutrality; no take him or leave him without eternal repercussions to make. There is a choice to make. We either choose Jesus or choose self.
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves & take up their crosses and follow me. Matthew 16:23–24
"The cross is a call not to forget our own names, but to live and die for the Name of Another. The cross is a call to renounce self-direction and shift leadership loyalties from our selves to our Savior." Alicia Chole
The Song “We Fall Down” Chris Tomlin
