TODAY'S EMAIL IS PROBABLY NOT MY BEST IDEA
THERE ARE TIMES IN THE OVER 18 YEARS ERIN AND I HAVE BEEN TOGETHER THAT SHE HAS SAVED ME FROM MYSELF, and I am sure that if I had checked with her about the idea for this Wednesday's Word she would have probably convinced me it was not in my best interest to get anywhere near this topic. Well... 🤷🏻♂️
In case you missed it, and I do not believe for a minute there is a citizen in this great state of ours that missed it, this past Sunday there was an absolutely egregious officiating mistake in the New Orleans Saints-Los Angeles Rams game in New Orleans that could plausibly be said to have cost the Saints a chance to play in the Super Bowl. From every available view, there is no doubt there could have been three penalties called on the Rams' player.
Look, I'm not one to begrudge people their passions. Anyone who has spent much time with me knows I am a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan and a passionate Pittsburgh Penguins fan, and there's nothing like seeing a team compete for a championship. If I were a Saints fan I'd be EXTREMELY aggravated, frustrated, and disappointed.
HOWEVER, there is a time and a place for this kind of stuff, and a time to move forward. I was not going to get anywhere near this subject until I saw in yesterday's news stories about people buying billboards in Atlanta (not an inexpensive proposition, to say the least) and filing lawsuits against the NFL. Again, I begrudge no one their passions, but there are two questions we must consider when dealing with the passions involving our favorite sports teams or other entertainment avenues:
WHAT BOTHERS US MORE:
THE SAINTS GETTING HOSED BY AN INDEFENSIBLE NON-CALL IN THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OR THE FACT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE HUNGRY, NAKED, AND HOMELESS WITHIN OUR SPHERES OF INFLUENCE?
THE SAINTS GETTING HOSED BY AN INDEFENSIBLE NON-CALL IN THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OR THE FACT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW OF THE GRACE, PEACE, MERCY, AND LOVE OF CHRIST?
Again, I begrudge no one their passions. I, too, am an avid fan of a few teams. There must be, though, if we are truly followers of Christ, just a little bit of perspective about these matters. Maybe instead of buying billboards and filing lawsuits it might be a little more redemptive and a little more productive to instead take those monies and donate them to organizations in your town that help the marginalized. Maybe instead of taking the time to buy billboards and filing lawsuits we instead volunteer that time to help ministries in your town meet the needs of the marginalized.
Nothing wrong with loving football, and loving the Saints. Just keep it in perspective. After all, we worship a savior who was done wrong on Good Friday, and when he was going through it simply prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they've done."
Grace and Peace, Lamar