Just two days until Super Bowl Sunday in America—that most sacred of high holy days. Last year 111 million people in the US paid homage to the great ones by watching the game on TV. And this year, of course, we Eagles fans have a special interest the grand athletic contest.
And let me add: I’m a big sports fan. I get all caught up in the competition, whether it’s football, hockey, tennis, golf (etc.). Like last Sunday at about 6:30 a.m. when Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic in five sets to win the Australian Open (I watched while I ate my Raisin Bran). And when the Eagles played the Vikings on January 21, I found myself pacing while watching—just too engrossed to sit back and relax. I have to keep telling myself, “It’s only a game!”
And yet, our response to sports has meaning. There’s something deep inside that moves grown men and women to shriek and jump up and down and climb light poles and pour out passionate praise on elite athletes. It’s this: we’re made in God’s image and wired with a longing to know and worship true greatness. God made us for himself, and our hearts yearn and grope and grasp until they finally find the joy of applauding the Hero of the Universe.
Trouble is, all too often we carelessly let our hearts chase after lesser gods—like sports, art, music, academics, style, status, wealth, looks, thrills… The list goes on. Of course, Satan is eager to lure your eyes away from the Eternal Superstar and fix them on famous figures right in front of us. Now I’m all for sports—we learn a lot about life and our own limits and the value of cooperation from sports. Plus, God made us to take delight in using our skills to attain excellence—in sports, or in business, medicine, etc. But there’s a dark side.
A major take-away from the present sports-mania moment is simply this: Don’t confuse the good and the great. Don’t let your heart chase after fleeting, earthly acts of greatness in such a way that the All-Glorious Sovereign God is eclipsed. How odd and tragic it would be to worship the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). We do well to learn from the angel in Revelation who says, “Don’t worship me! Worship God” (19:10; 22:9). So this Super Bowl Sunday, first things first: Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
