Tension, suspense, anticipation, expectation and anxiety are the elements of excitement and this is the stuff that makes life, well . . . lively. There is far too little of these elements in our churches today. As one person said to me recently, church is boring . . . but does that mean God is boring?
It would be great to have the energy of a professional sporting event at church. There are few things the American culture offers that is more exciting than going to a hockey game with a bunch of Christian guys. Except maybe when the tying goal is scored with 10.9 seconds remaining in the game. That is exactly what happened last week! The Capitals were down by a goal and the game was in its last minute . . . we were all standing up and screaming and begging for a tying goal, and we got it with exactly 10.9 seconds left to go in the game. It was total bedlam! If you could have harnessed the energy and excitement in the Verizon center in Washington D.C at that moment . . . it could have powered the entire country I live in for a month!
I had so much fun at that hockey game, words fail me! But a hockey game is not real life. The energy there is selfish and focused on winning and crushing the opponent. Unfortunately many people find that to be their existence . . . an intense competition to win, move ahead, crush others and get more than anyone else. That is a sad truth.
On the other hand there are similarities between the Capital/Lightening hockey game and real life. The one I want to focus on here today is the time factor. The point where a professional sporting event and life intersect most closely is that there is a limited time factor. The intensity of the hockey game in that final minute was palpable. You could have cut the tension with a dull butter knife! The roar of that tension could be heard all the way down into the subway tunnel! I am surprised that you did not hear it!!
We all are running on limited time as well. The Church is also running on limited time! I am running on limited time. Anyone of us could be down to the last minute. Our neighbors and friends could be in their last minute. Time is running out . . . where is the urgency in our lives . . . and where is that tension (excitement) in our church?
It would be great to have the energy of a professional sporting event at church. There are few things the American culture offers that is more exciting than going to a hockey game with a bunch of Christian guys. Except maybe when the tying goal is scored with 10.9 seconds remaining in the game. That is exactly what happened last week! The Capitals were down by a goal and the game was in its last minute . . . we were all standing up and screaming and begging for a tying goal, and we got it with exactly 10.9 seconds left to go in the game. It was total bedlam! If you could have harnessed the energy and excitement in the Verizon center in Washington D.C at that moment . . . it could have powered the entire country I live in for a month!
I had so much fun at that hockey game, words fail me! But a hockey game is not real life. The energy there is selfish and focused on winning and crushing the opponent. Unfortunately many people find that to be their existence . . . an intense competition to win, move ahead, crush others and get more than anyone else. That is a sad truth.
On the other hand there are similarities between the Capital/Lightening hockey game and real life. The one I want to focus on here today is the time factor. The point where a professional sporting event and life intersect most closely is that there is a limited time factor. The intensity of the hockey game in that final minute was palpable. You could have cut the tension with a dull butter knife! The roar of that tension could be heard all the way down into the subway tunnel! I am surprised that you did not hear it!!
We all are running on limited time as well. The Church is also running on limited time! I am running on limited time. Anyone of us could be down to the last minute. Our neighbors and friends could be in their last minute. Time is running out . . . where is the urgency in our lives . . . and where is that tension (excitement) in our church?
2 comments:
The problem with your hockey/world analogy is that it might lead to a desperate kind of performance-based lifestyle that's inimical to the true life of the Spirit.
I wrote about this very problem in one of my daybook entries. Check out http://donhuntington.com/Gratitude/11.htm#1109, if you get time.
Don H.
Dave that was an awesome game....remember the GOAT?!
-andrew
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