For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. (Psalm 96:5–6, ESV)
Yesterday, we watched the gods clash on the gridiron. The Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, led by the golden boy, are going to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is a spectacle. It is a great festival of worship. The loyal devotees of the winning god will celebrate the triumph of their god.
Football in so many ways is a modern day religion. Think about this for a moment. Think about what this sport (and other sports) mean to so many people.
Many of us will schedule our entire life around the time when our favorite team is playing. It is our priority to be in front of the altar (TV) at 1 pm EST on Sunday afternoon. Remember the kickoff time, by keeping it holy.
The worshippers wear their Sunday best. It is a uniform bearing the symbols of their gods. Even when we are not at the altar, we wear our religious attire to witness our faith to others. We want to show that our god is the greatest god.
We make financial sacrifices to participate in worship. One ticket to enter the temple (stadium) may cost hundreds of dollars. Plus there is food and parking. Imagine if it cost as much to get into church as it cost to get into an NFL game.
We sing praise songs to our gods. My team from Chicago has a rousing hymn of praise – “Bear down Chicago Bears!” All the devoted faithful know the words by heart. We sing it with gusto when our gods achieve the victory – although we didn’t sing it as often this year.
How many middle-aged men tie their emotional hopes around their team? When our team wins, it is time to party. When our team loses, it is a funeral. It is everything for our team to do well. How many of us will completely throw off any restraint when the oblong orb is carried into the holy of holies as the bearer of the orb genuflects to show off his glory? Touchdown!
We look back to the Old Testament and read about how people worshiped idols. They made statues of gold and silver. They bowed down to these man-made statues as gods. We think of these people as being foolish for devoting themselves to these “worthless idols.” But in Romans we read:
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:21–23, ESV)
Did you read that? Although they claimed to be wise, thinking of those ancients to be foolish, they exchanged the glory of immortal God for images like birds and animals! Like a Lion? Like a Bengal? Like a Seahawk? Like an Eagle? Are we any different?
These NFL gods are destined to fail. 31 gods come up short every year. Only one will win the ultimate prize this year. The god who wins this year will likely be replaced from its place of exultation next year. We may be able to put our faith in our team every few years, but it is a fool’s errand to place our hope in our team year-after-year. Even the best of the best will come up short more often than not.
The time! The money! The energy! The enthusiasm! Will we say at the end of our life that it was worth it to be such a loyal and devoted follower of our team?
Am I saying never watch football again? No! I love to come home on Sunday afternoon, and take a nap with the game on in the background.
What I am saying is consider if you see it as just a game, or as something more. All of life is spiritual. All of life is worship. The question is not if we worship. The question is what we worship. Do you worship the created things? Or do you worship the creator of all things? We all allow worthless idols to creep into our lives. Some of you reading this may have no interest in the NFL, but you likely have your own worthless idols. Exchange the worthless idols for that which is of greatest worth! Worship the one with splendor and majesty and whose strength and beauty are in the sanctuary.
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