Tailgating with the Spirit - Part 2

If you missed Part 1 of my "Tailgating with the Spirit" series, I encourage you to give it a glance before reading Part 2 just so you have a frame of reference for what I will talk about in this post.  As a quick reminder, in Part 1, I began building the bridge between the gathering of fans in a football stadium and the gathering of disciples in a church building.  This week, I will look a little bit closer at the similarities between groups of fans and groups of disciples.

When we think of groups of fans tailgating for a game, what are some of the images that come to mind?  For me, I think first of the visuals (tents, colors, flags).  Then, I think of sounds ("pump up" music, cheers, even vulgarities sometimes).  Lastly, though, I picture interactive events such as games like corn hole, washers, ladder golf, football tossing, etc., as well as people gathering around large spreads of food and beverage that cover an array of tastes and flavors.  What is the point of all of this?  Why do many people consider these things necessary when pulling for their team?  I think the simple answer is because these things seem to increase our excitement for our team as well as make us feel like we are a vital part of what goes on inside the stadium.  Let's face it, while sitting and watching a game in the quiet of our own home can be quite enjoyable, rarely do we feel as connected to the outcome than when we share it with others.  This, too, is the same for our connection to what happens at church each week.

As mentioned above, individual game watching is nice, but it is not nearly as rewarding as experiencing the outcome of the game with a larger group.  Similarly, if we simply attend church each week as individuals with no connection to the larger group of disciples, which I have been guilty of in the past, then often we are not as energized by the outcome of church as we would otherwise be when sharing that experience with the larger church community.  So, how do we enhance our experience of church?  Tailgate more!  No, I don't mean stand outside of church and play games while eating and drinking to your heart's content.  I mean get involved in the different "tailgating" opportunities that your church offers.  A more appropriate word for tailgating opportunities would be church ministries.  These ministries might include but are certainly not limited to Bible studies, men's and/or women's groups, proclaiming the Word of God as a lector, Eucharistic ministering, altar serving, singing and/or playing liturgical music, service opportunities outside of church, teaching religious education, etc.  The list goes on and on.  If your church does not have something that you are interested in, then look into bringing that interest to public view.  As we "tailgate" more with our church communities, we will find that our energy for church will increase, and as a result, our love for God and others will increase as well.  Don't we see that our love for our respective teams increases the more we spend time tailgating with others?  The same is true, and I'd argue, even more important when we give ourselves the same opportunity with our churches and their ministries.

Remember that when we experience church as an individual we put ourselves at risk of receiving more than we are giving, and we know that God calls us to unending service.  As the Prayer of St. Francis so eloquently states:

 "[...]For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

Because at the end of the day, though our teams may win or lose, we know that in God, we NEVER lose.

May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.