On football, theology, and lots to think about...




Well, my bracket remains unbusted for one day, anyhow. We have a fun-only bracket thing going with students in our Fun Friday SportsTalk group. Suggested buy-in is a candy bar. I won't win, mostly because I will not jinx my team by putting them in the winning spot for the Super Bowl, but I filled out the rest of it just to see how I do. I follow football, so I'm not exactly picking teams based on their mascots or uniform colors, but I'm not a guru, either. We'll see how today goes. (nojinxnojinxnojinx)

I also have a pile of papers to read and grade, and some house chores to do. I'll make a beef stew-- thinking about putting it in the dutch oven and letting it do the low and slow thing. But first, church. I'm the lector for the 8am, so I'm up and caffeinating. The first reading from Isaiah is pretty bold stuff, and I couldn't help thinking how it could be misused as justification for domination by a single person or political party. It's the one where the Lord says, "here is my servant...my chosen one...he shall bring forth justice to the nations..."-- now, we all know there are some zealots who would claim that God himself is talking about none other than their champion. It's mind-boggling how some people purport to follow the teachings and life of Christ, but then shun everyone and fund hurtful things, and later, cheer abuse and murder like it's a sporting event and their hateful team is winning. 

The Gospel for today is the Baptism of Jesus; he wasn't so full of himself that he felt he could skip the ritual, even when people told him he didn't need to do it. He was enacting Servant Leadership, and that's where some of the zealots miss the mark by a football field or more. Servant Leadership is doing all one can for the greater good, helping those who are suffering, scared, confused, sick, or lost. It is not about slapping one's name all over everything everyone else has done. It certainly is not about claiming the "right" to other people's goods, etc. (Cue this up: the crew that does this also waves the Ten Commandments around like rally towels.) 

I'm not a guru in matters of theology, either, but I listen. I've made a lot of mistakes and mis-steps in my life, and I always feel bad when I've hurt someone, whether it was accidental or as the result of rash behavior. We are not on this planet to hurt people. 

I wish everyone could see that we have limited time, each of us, to make a positive difference. To secure someone else's well-being is Servant Leadership. We should be raising each other up, not stomping faces into concrete streets. I know, the "arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" (Theodore Parker, Unitarian minister and Transcendentalist). I just wish it would bend a little faster, so no one else must suffer indignities, abuse, or death on the path. 

Have a good Sunday, folks. Lots to think about, lots to pray about. Hold your loved ones deep in your heart. 

C














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