Small Gods ~ Pitchers Report
Baseball is in the Bible: Genesis 1:1 “in the big inning…”
Greetings Dear Reader,
For those who do not know what it means for Pitchers to report, it signifies the beginning of the beginning of baseball season. I am excited because we are getting a full season again this year and my beloved Braves are in good shape. Pitchers report this week.
I overheard someone talking about this at church on Sunday. My mind recalled a Sunday many years ago. It was the Sunday before the Super Bowl and I was helping hold the doors for our small church. I listened as many of the men in the congregation reminded the pastor that they had to be home in time for kickoff the following Sunday.
This pastor never went past the agreed-upon time for the service. He was never long and never kept people unnecessarily. Still, I heard regular church attenders worshiping the small god sports by pressuring this humble pastor about his service time.
There was a time when Baseball was a small god for me. It took precedence in my conversations, planning, and availability. I watched every game I could. I listened on the radio when I could not. I knew the standings, statistics, and had an opinion on every game. Baseball was my large-small god.
When we make sports our small god, we dedicate ourselves to entertainment. We allow leisure to take the place of following Christ. Leisure is not wrong and neither is sports. Making anything more important than our faith and following is dangerous.
It seems that the impotence we place on sports, even in church is out of place. We get preoccupied with competition and teams to the point that there can be real division. I do not doubt that there is value in friendly rivalry and competition. I do think that we go too far and turn entertainment into worship.
Anything that takes the place of the Father in our actions is a small god. We have to give account for all of our actions. I do not wish to put my love for Baseball ahead of my love for the Father. The litmus for me must be if I care for the things of God over my care for the activities surrounding this small god. If I choose the latter, I will always strike out, Dear Reader.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, “That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
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Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.
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Baseball is in the Bible: Genesis 1:1 “in the big inning…”