Last weekend, Kenzie’s volleyball team, the Hill Country Lady Rams, played in the state finals for the championship. Needless to say, I was excited. This was the game of the year, equivalent to the Super Bowl fur us. We got there early, carefully chose our seats on our team’s side, and as the game started I stood there and began to clap and cheer for the Rams, along with the other fans.
Within a few moments, a man from behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey, would you sit down? My wife and I would like to see the game.” I said, “Excuse me, could you repeat that?” He said it again. I looked at Pam in disbelief and said, “This guy is asking me to sit down.” The funny thing is, all of this was caught on camera so you can see our discussion.
At that point, I had a couple of options. I could have said, “Forget it,” or “Sure, I’ll sit down,” or gotten violent, but remembering that I’m a pastor, I moved out of the way and stood with the students to cheer on our team. You see, I wasn’t there to just observe, I wanted to participate. I was a part of the team and I wanted to help our team win. This other guy wasn’t a part of either team. He was just there to watch. He didn’t have a vested interest in either side.
And it occurred to me, it reminds me of what happens at church every Sunday. You’ve got some people who get there early, find a seat where the action is, stand up ready for God to do something amazing, cheering on people who are making life-changing decisions. They want the team to win and they are going to help make it happen.
But there are some people, usually those who’ve grown a little too comfortable, who show up and sit and soak. They look around at all the people who are pumped up and they say, “Why do these people have to be so excited? Can’t they just chill out and take a seat? We just want to quietly observe and not get involved ourselves.” Don’t be that guy!
It’s been amazing to watch as more and more people at The Connection Church come ready for something great to happen. We don’t want to just go through the motions. The interesting thing is, the total experience is different for those who get involved instead of just staying passive and checking out.
And the game? The Lady Rams are the 2012 TAPPS State Volleyball 1A Runner-Ups!