The Super Bowl. I hate the Super Bowl… Mainly because my team never makes it there, but I hate the Super Bowl. I didn’t always hate it, but ever since Facebook, and Twitter, and over-saved Christians making the Super Bowl a spiritual topic… I’ve grown to hate it.
It’s not the event itself, not the spirit behind it, nor even the fact that some people worship the sport of Football that causes me to hate it. I hate the Super Bowl because of the spiritual dump site it has become. People talk about how we should spend time at church rather than go home and watch Football. Or that if we make a big deal out of watching the Super Bowl, they say that we are worshiping sports. It makes me sick!
Here it is: God isn’t a killjoy. He’s not sitting up in heaven waiting to rain on our parade and stomp on our fun. Sure, His house and the fellowship with believers should rank above sports, but fellowship can take place at your house as much as at God’s house. The church building is nothing more than a location designated for our gatherings of worship.
Do I think it’s wrong that some churches don’t have Sunday evening services to allow the congregation to watch the Super Bowl? No. Their minds and hearts will be with the game whether their bodies are or not. It’s our attitude that makes the difference. If we really wanted to be in church the night of the Super Bowl, we would find a way to make it happen. Even if all we could do was host a Bible study or something that night, if we really wanted to, we would. But we love sports, they relax us, excite us, and bring us joy and laughs.
If given the choice between the Super Bowl and church, Christian sports fans would feel obligated to be at church, but their heart wouldn’t be there: what would be the purpose? Am I saying that it’s right to rank Football higher than church? Well, yes. At least, it’s logical if nothing else. When church fails to be more exciting, joyful, and relaxing than a Football game, by all means, go watch Football.
Are you getting this? People are more relaxed in their own homes than at God’s house. People get more joy out of worldly, fleeting things than the everlasting hope and promises of God. People get more excited about a touchdown than salvation of souls by Christ Jesus. What is wrong with this picture?
Beyond the explanation of why people would rather watch Football than go to church, humans need a break every so often. Fellowship with believers isn’t a bad thing, it’s an element necessary to the growth of a Christian. If that can be accomplished by a Super Bowl party better than it can at a church service, why not?
Lastly, it’s not our job to convict other believers about what God wants them to be doing. The Holy Spirit will work in their life to convict. If it’s blatant sin, we have a responsibility to call them out in the presence of witnesses, but this isn’t a direct or indirect sin. If you can’t live with the Super Bowl, live without it; but to make a deal over the way people treat it only angers them and frustrates you.
Enjoy the games. And if you are not planning on watching the Super Bowl, I hope you are putting use to that time.
As always, thanks for reading.
—the anonymous novelist
the anonymous novelist 