As the season begins to change, moving from the dog days of summer into the crisp, fall weather, I find myself reflecting on several things all at once. A few of the foremost can probably be summed up by three words beginning with "F" that encapsulate the mood of the season: Faith, Family, and Football. Many people in our culture believe that a fall Sunday is not quite complete without each of these three elements. The routine is, 1) Go to church in the morning, 2) Spend time with family throughout the day, and 3) Make sure that football is turned on either in the background, or even as the primary focus of the afternoon.
However, I was reminded that a great portion of our culture has removed “Faith” from that list. I heard an astounding bit of evidence of this just this morning. An advertiser, cajoling us to soak up the enjoyment of the football season while we can, made the audacious assertion that a Sunday without the gridiron becomes “just the day you go to the grocery store and stock up on oat milk.” It is a regrettable but self-evident fact that we live in a post-Christian culture in which the church is not the central social hub it used to be. In the absence of a churched culture, a variety of other “religions“ have hastened to fill the void. One of these is football.
Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I love football! Even when my Michigan State Spartans are having a crummy season (or even several in a row, as currently seems to be the case), I relish the opportunities I have to watch them make big plays. Our family does watch quite a bit of football on Sundays, and fantasy football has become a fun part of the fabric of our life together. I love football… but it could never come close to becoming a substitute for the relationship I have with Jesus.
Relationships thrive on communication. God tenderly invites us into relationship and communion with Him by taking the first step. He calls US at baptism to BE His beloved child. He calls out to us! And He welcomes us, and invites us to call out back to Him, both in times of joy and sorrow, both in thanksgiving and in fervent request. I love how David puts it in Psalm 27: "My heart says this about You, 'You are to seek My face.' Lord, I will seek Your face" (vs. 8, CSB). To learn the contours of God's face through what He says and does is meant to be a delight, and His presence shines on us when we take the time to pay attention to Him. He wants us to pray fervently as we eagerly hear His Word and seek to learn His heart. He wants to hear from us, even though He knows us inside and out much better than we know ourselves. In many ways, this is the essence of being family, and God calls us to be part of His. He wants YOU! For always! For keeps!
So while the fall is an opportunity to engage in family and enjoy football, my encouragement to you is also to let this be a new season of engaging in your faith, especially when it comes to the practice of prayer. We are going to be leaning into this in a variety of ways in the coming months, and my prayer is that you would so grow in your personal practice of prayer that you see the absolute blessing it is to live in relationship with a God that just doesn’t talk at you, but invites you to talk and walk with him. He has vibrant life in mind and in store for you, a life full of all the best things. A growing, dynamic conversation with the One who made you, died for you, and lives for and in you will inevitably confirm the fact that...
Adventure is out there!
Pastor Aaron