A Big Fan?

We had some fun in church on Sunday.

As I shared how fanatical we are about our favorite team, I happened to mention that growing up in Denver, I am a Bronco fan.  Someone in the back let out a bit of a 'boo' because they were rooting for the New England Patriots on Sunday.  Everybody laughed.  It was good natured ribbing.  (Of course now that the game is over, I get the last laugh!)

In a good way it fit into my message which was to suggest that we might want to be just a bit more of  a fan or fanatic about the gospel as we are about the rule of the NFL.

Now I'm not suggesting that we die our hair or wear outrageous costumes, but what keeps us from showing others that we are a fan of Jesus.  Even as I was going to a gathering with a group of guys from the church last night, I had no concerns about wearing a Bronco ball cap, but I'm not sure I would have felt at ease wearing some BIG cross around my neck.  I knew that a Bronco hat might offend others, and that did not dissuade me, but the idea that I might convey the wrong message publicly affirming my faith… well that was a different matter.

Are we afraid to be too boisterous about our faith because of the abuse in the past.  I mean we have all encountered that obnoxious fan who just won't shut up in the stands or around the water cooler.  Nonetheless, we don't allow that to silence our own support of the team.  And of course, we all have suffered through seasons where our team didn't do so well, but we nevertheless wear our jersey with pride to show we are not a fair-weathered fan.

So why am I more reluctant to publicly acknowledge my allegiance to Jesus?  Could it be that we are more knowledgeable about the in's and out's of football, and we don't want our ignorance of spiritual matters to be exposed?  Perhaps.  Maybe it is because a person's faith is very personal, and we just don't want to step on somebodies toes about something so close to their heart.  That too could play a role.

I'm thinking, however, that we don't express our fanaticism more, because we are afraid people might expect more from us.  As a Denver fan, the expectation is that I will wear the right attire, let out a few cheers, express my concern about the play of the Middle Linebacker, and I'm done.  As a member of the Jesus team, people hope that there is something more to us.  They expect us to be a bit, shall I say it, better.  Sometimes, this is just me, but I'd prefer to remain anonymous just so I don't fail in the eyes of others.

Maybe it is in times like those, that I simply need to remind myself that God's work in this world will continue no matter what I do.  I, however, will miss out on the opportunity to share in the experience by choosing to sit on the sidelines.   I believe that somehow, I want to get into the game, because that is where the real action happens to be found.

I will continue to be a Denver Bronco fan, but I believe I will not be quite so timid a fan of Jesus and his work in the world, simply because I took time to reimagine this reality once more.