Did you see the game? "No, did Payton hit a homerun?" Oh, that's baseball, I forgot. Really, the great American sport, millions of viewers and millions of dollars... screaming fans, hysterical commercials... it's almost a national holiday for crying out loud! The age of entertainment... the big game played in the poorest city in the US. That's ironic, don't you think? Billy Joel, Prince, they were there and didn't have any wardrobe malfunctions. It was good.
What I, personally, find amazing is that these are our heroes. These are the men that our kids look up to, and we shout at in front of the new hi-def. When I look at Biblical history, the heroes were men and woman of God. And at the center of it all was Jesus, who was cheered on, in the same city streets that He carried the cross in as He neared death. Not long before, for a brief moment in history, He road a donkey colt; the Ferrari of His time... He was the hero. He was a bit like a Barack Obama that day, he had this rockstar status that was based more on what He was going to do, then what He had actually done. Now don't get me wrong Jesus had a quite a ministry; healing, feeding the droves of listeners and followers, but nothing like being raised from the dead and conquering death. Barack, well he actually hasn't done much of anything at all; save vote on a few small pieces of legislation and admit to cocaine use. But he's just a rockstar... for the moment... where drug use is as acceptable as say adultery.
So what happened to Jesus? What happened to the throngs of cheering disciples? Was His performance overshadowed by the commercials of the day? Was the half-time show so controversial, that we forgot who was in the game anyway? Was the referee one-sided? To many penalties? What? Well, here is my guess. Their team didn't seem fit for the big game. No, He wasn't that important and appeared to be out of shape... a real long shot. A one-hit wonder of sorts. To the casual onlooker, He was a charismatic minor-leaguer at best. They loved the appetizers and hot wings of the day; the healing and the loaves and fishes. But all those rules, they weren't politically correct. But the food, that was good.
If we are honest about our churches, our lives and our relationship with God, we'll ask ourselves the hard questions. Why isn't Jesus exciting in our sanctuaries? Is our expression of Biblical Christianity really reaching people with a powerful message that is relevant? Or, are our programs just the hot wings of the day? What happens when the pre-game is over? Well you watch. Here is what I predict for the future. Jesus is practicing for the BIG GAME and when the greatest opponent ever steps onto the playing field, He'll be ready. Will you be rooting for Him, or for Payton What's-His-Face?
What I, personally, find amazing is that these are our heroes. These are the men that our kids look up to, and we shout at in front of the new hi-def. When I look at Biblical history, the heroes were men and woman of God. And at the center of it all was Jesus, who was cheered on, in the same city streets that He carried the cross in as He neared death. Not long before, for a brief moment in history, He road a donkey colt; the Ferrari of His time... He was the hero. He was a bit like a Barack Obama that day, he had this rockstar status that was based more on what He was going to do, then what He had actually done. Now don't get me wrong Jesus had a quite a ministry; healing, feeding the droves of listeners and followers, but nothing like being raised from the dead and conquering death. Barack, well he actually hasn't done much of anything at all; save vote on a few small pieces of legislation and admit to cocaine use. But he's just a rockstar... for the moment... where drug use is as acceptable as say adultery.
So what happened to Jesus? What happened to the throngs of cheering disciples? Was His performance overshadowed by the commercials of the day? Was the half-time show so controversial, that we forgot who was in the game anyway? Was the referee one-sided? To many penalties? What? Well, here is my guess. Their team didn't seem fit for the big game. No, He wasn't that important and appeared to be out of shape... a real long shot. A one-hit wonder of sorts. To the casual onlooker, He was a charismatic minor-leaguer at best. They loved the appetizers and hot wings of the day; the healing and the loaves and fishes. But all those rules, they weren't politically correct. But the food, that was good.
If we are honest about our churches, our lives and our relationship with God, we'll ask ourselves the hard questions. Why isn't Jesus exciting in our sanctuaries? Is our expression of Biblical Christianity really reaching people with a powerful message that is relevant? Or, are our programs just the hot wings of the day? What happens when the pre-game is over? Well you watch. Here is what I predict for the future. Jesus is practicing for the BIG GAME and when the greatest opponent ever steps onto the playing field, He'll be ready. Will you be rooting for Him, or for Payton What's-His-Face?
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