Last week, we experienced two great celebrations. On Thursday, many of us gathered with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving, and on Sunday, at mass, we celebrated the feast of Christ the King. In today's post, I'd like to look at the meaning of these two feasts from a bit of an "unconventional" view.
As we all know, Thanksgiving Day is a great time for us to call to mind that which we are thankful for in our lives. Whether we believe in God or not, we can all at least recognize areas of our lives in which we are fortunate. Over the Thanksgiving break, I found myself sitting with my brother on the couch enjoying some time to relax. At one point, he was checking out the website of his beloved Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (To the Top!). On the home page was a video sequence of several student-athletes sharing what they are thankful for and what sports team they represent. I thought this was nice, but after listening to five or six athletes say the almost the exact same thing (that they were thankful for their friends, family, and opportunities to compete for USM), I became a bit jaded in the repetitiveness of these responses.
In reflecting upon this further, I realized that just like the student-athletes, we are easily thankful for the things in our lives that are positive contributors (i.e. family, friends, talents, opportunities, etc.). However, in light of Jesus' message that we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), I asked myself if maybe I should try to find gratitude in my life from more negative contributors (i.e. rivals, people I don't like, weaknesses, failures, missed opportunities, etc.). After all, if I can thank God for my enemies, I am in essence finding a way to love them as Christ does. So, why should we be thankful for such negative people and things? Well, these negative factors challenge us to reflect upon how we can become better loving people in the midst of them. We can not afford to allow ourselves to become complacent with the status quo of things being "good" in our lives. Complacency can limit our perspective on bigger and more important issues on which we can potentially have a positive influence. Not to mention, by being thankful for the negatives in our lives, we are hopefully able to look inward at ourselves to see where we may be contributing negatively to others and try to be better there, too.
On the feast of Christ the King, we get a chance to see Jesus defy the traditional role of a king. Jesus' "kingship" consisted of looking at the negatives in his life (as well as the positives) and ultimately dying for them in order to positively affect them in the best possible way. If this "positive-negative" paradox is not reflective of "the mystery of faith," I'm not sure what is. Keeping this in mind, I'd like to challenge us to redefine what a king is based on the life of Jesus. The "King of Kings" and the "Lord of Lords" whom we sing about and laud so much this time of year "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45). So, the next time we enter a large church with ornate designs, expensive furnishings, grand chalices and candles, and other "glorious" pedestals on which we put Christ the King, let us remember that Jesus did not call himself a king. Rather, we have given him that title throughout history (and for good reason), but I think Jesus wanted nothing more than to show us a kingdom made of servants not masters.
So, as we enter into this Advent and Christmas season, let us strive to be more humble, more thankful (for our allies and our enemies), and more king-like as servants of others.
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Championship Spirit
While I have spent much time talking about football, I'd like to devote this post to the other great fall sport in our nation: cross country. Right now, we are fully engulfed in the championship part of this fall distance running culture. Many teams are vying for their local, state, and national titles. But for the average sports fan, cross country may not be the most popular sport, but anyone who has spent a fair amount of time around this heart, mind, body, and spirit-draining sport could confirm just how powerful and inspiring it is for all involved Cross country is arguably the most team-oriented sport that exists. In most other sports, one could make arguments toward how one athlete could single-handily influence the outcome of a competition. In cross country, this is not the case. In order for a team to achieve success, five runners must hold their own within a given race to ensure the best possible score for their team. While a team may have one or two stellar individuals, the team score is not complete without the efforts of the three other runners. Team success requires an understanding, chemistry, dependence, energy, and spirit among its members that transcends physical preparation. Runners discover these things each day in practice along the "Trial of Miles" and the "Miles of Trials" as John L. Parker, Jr. says in his novel Once a Runner. Cross country teams are only as good as the collective identity of its individuals.
In an earlier August post entitled "The Spirit's Comfort Zone," I referred to the athletes whom I coach at Clarke Central High School in Athens, GA. In that post, I recognized the early success and chemistry of my athletes as we began our season. I commented that "The spirit of their positive efforts [was] contagious." This indeed proved true throughout the season. In the past couple of weeks, I've watched the boys and girls in our cross country program accomplish things that have not happened at Clarke Central in nearly a decade. Both the boys and the girls qualified for the State Championships. While the girls qualified last year (with almost an entirely different team), the boys had not qualified since 2007 and both teams together had not reached the State Championship since 2005. These teams, while very different (the boys were led by 5 seniors; the girls were led by 5 freshmen), both exhibited a type of drive, grit, and compassion that I'd suggest could only come from God. This season was not the seamless wonder it looked like it might be from the start. We reached a part of the season where things seemed to be falling apart when we needed them to unite the most. Our goals appeared to be in jeopardy as we faced untimely injuries, poor decision-making, and other unfortunate circumstances. However, the resilient spirit of our athletes somehow transcended these imperfections. I realized that this is exactly where I could expect the Spirit to show up, and it did. The Spirit seems to always meet us at our worst in order to bring us to our best!
In looking back over our successful season, I truly believe that the Championship Spirit, through the wonderful sport of cross country, has empowered another group of young people to become better versions of themselves. I hope we can all find that which challenges us in the same way to find our Championship Spirit.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
In an earlier August post entitled "The Spirit's Comfort Zone," I referred to the athletes whom I coach at Clarke Central High School in Athens, GA. In that post, I recognized the early success and chemistry of my athletes as we began our season. I commented that "The spirit of their positive efforts [was] contagious." This indeed proved true throughout the season. In the past couple of weeks, I've watched the boys and girls in our cross country program accomplish things that have not happened at Clarke Central in nearly a decade. Both the boys and the girls qualified for the State Championships. While the girls qualified last year (with almost an entirely different team), the boys had not qualified since 2007 and both teams together had not reached the State Championship since 2005. These teams, while very different (the boys were led by 5 seniors; the girls were led by 5 freshmen), both exhibited a type of drive, grit, and compassion that I'd suggest could only come from God. This season was not the seamless wonder it looked like it might be from the start. We reached a part of the season where things seemed to be falling apart when we needed them to unite the most. Our goals appeared to be in jeopardy as we faced untimely injuries, poor decision-making, and other unfortunate circumstances. However, the resilient spirit of our athletes somehow transcended these imperfections. I realized that this is exactly where I could expect the Spirit to show up, and it did. The Spirit seems to always meet us at our worst in order to bring us to our best!
In looking back over our successful season, I truly believe that the Championship Spirit, through the wonderful sport of cross country, has empowered another group of young people to become better versions of themselves. I hope we can all find that which challenges us in the same way to find our Championship Spirit.
Thank you to all of my friends, family, coaches, teammates, and athletes who have inspired me and continued to inspire me to believe so much in the power of cross country!
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Tailgating with the Spirit - Part 4
Over the last few posts, I have tried to draw connections between our country's football culture and one's faith culture. In Part 1, I compared a football stadium and a church building. In Part 2, I tried to connect tailgating activities with church ministries, and in Part 3, I looked at the similarities between an active "fanhood" and an active prayer life. I hope that these connections have enabled all of us to re-examine our priorities this fall season and hopefully re-commit ourselves to things that are much bigger than ourselves (relationships, church activities, school activities, community service, etc.). As a result of this re-examination, I pray that we are able to recognize that having an unhealthy obsession with our favorite teams and developing a healthy passion for our faith lives and church communities require different levels of attention. This being said, I'll leave us with a few questions for reflection:
1. Do we take sufficient time each day to recognize that God uses our everyday activities and interests (such as football) to teach us the power of God's remarkable love?
2. Do we make a conscious effort to be mindful of the things in our lives that are truly fruit-bearing?
3. Have we dismissed things or people in our lives that were positive gifts from God because we found ourselves too engulfed in other things? If so, how can we reconnect with them?
4. Are we willing to re-prioritize our lives in an effort to help ourselves see the beauty of God in all things?
As you reflect on these questions, let me add one more item for thought. In light of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there have been football players and their families housed in hotels, basketball games postponed, and a marathon cancelled. Regardless of personal opinions on these matters, one thing is consistent: life finds a way to transcend sports. Does yours?
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
1. Do we take sufficient time each day to recognize that God uses our everyday activities and interests (such as football) to teach us the power of God's remarkable love?
2. Do we make a conscious effort to be mindful of the things in our lives that are truly fruit-bearing?
3. Have we dismissed things or people in our lives that were positive gifts from God because we found ourselves too engulfed in other things? If so, how can we reconnect with them?
4. Are we willing to re-prioritize our lives in an effort to help ourselves see the beauty of God in all things?
As you reflect on these questions, let me add one more item for thought. In light of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there have been football players and their families housed in hotels, basketball games postponed, and a marathon cancelled. Regardless of personal opinions on these matters, one thing is consistent: life finds a way to transcend sports. Does yours?
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)