ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 9, 2023
Prayer For This Day: O God, you are holy and good, and for those reasons you seek righteousness on the field of play this night. By your grace, the Horned Frogs will vanquish their enemy and take home a long overdue championship. You love the underdog, and tonight will be another David and Goliath moment…
Years ago, I knew a college chaplain who would pray before sporting events, calling upon the heavenly powers to bring victory to his beloved college. Many people missed the intended sarcasm, a prayerful parody through which he was attempting to make a point. I couldn’t imagine anyone taking him seriously because he was so ridiculous, but the use of satire is often overlooked by those who are too close to the topic being satirized.
Tonight, Texas Christian University will be playing for Footballs National Championship. I’ll be watching the game, and while a few of my pleas directed at the TV could be construed as prayers, I don’t believe God has a dog in this fight; I can’t imagine God weighing the prayers of one team over another; I tend to believe God has chosen to work in the universe in ways that do not provide victory to one team simply because its name contains the word “Christian” in it; I sort of believe God’s energy will be spent in some of the real battles this night – the battles taking place in hospital rooms, in war ravaged parts of the world, and where injustice continues to bring incredible suffering.
May the passion we have for our clubs, our communities, our colleges, and our cliques always be properly prioritized among the things for which you have invited us to be passionate. O God, may it be so. Amen.
