GAME DAY!

                 Tomorrow....Sunday....the Lord's Day.....is Game Day! I'm using the title of this post as a colloquialism. Unfortunately tomorrow will be a different kind of game day for tens of millions of Christians in America. How many NFL home games will there be tomorrow....fifteen? If so fifteen stadiums in major American cities will be filled....and probably about a third of the fans will be evangelicals....supposedly so worried about where America is going....and the coming election....but not worried enough to stop them from screaming their lungs out for their team!
                 I've spent about half of my Christian life with the majority....thinking that Sunday was church day....and then family or fun day....and not necessarily in that order. My testimony....in retrospect....is that there is no comparison. As weak as I still am in holding to the apostles view of the Lord's Day....I would never want to go back to thinking that it was just a day that we go to church. Worm that I am as I crawl into church....(figuratively speaking....for due to a family situation with an elderly loved one....I have not attended church since Covid....we stream)....worm as I am....the Lord's Day is now really something special! 
                  Everything in moderation....except our Christian faith. Sports in moderation....exercise in moderation. I spent thousands of hours in stadiums in my youth....and was a giant Pitt fan. I found out only three days ago that the Pitt football team is 5 and 0 so far this year. They could have been 0 and 5 as far as I knew. Good for them.....but it is only a game.
                  Here's a trivia question for the football fan. Penn State won the national championship back in 1986. Who was their quarterback? Here's a hint. In high school and college he was 65 and 1....(if memory serves)....65 wins....and only lost one game. You would think that you would remember his name but most will not. John Shaffer! He did not have great physical skills....but on game day....he was there.
                  I still remember the Fiesta Bowl that year....for the national championship. Miami football players were slouching around all week....wearing army fatigues for some reason....brash and arrogant and over-confident. While the Penn State players were in a suit and tie every time you saw them. Penn State showed up on game day.
                  So we Christians go through the six days leading up to game day....beaten up at times....frustrated at times....crying at times....and no more so than today as our country and the world is in a tailspin. And then comes game day....the day given to us for worshiping God....for exalting in the glories of our Lord and Savior and coming King! It's game day for the pastor. His whole life is supposed to revolve around this responsibility of feeding us....exalting in what Christ has done for us....and encouraging us and warning us when necessary! It's game day for us also as this is the day when we show up....and cheer....albeit with the joy in our hearts....knowing that Jesus Christ had his body ripped apart on that field on Calvary....for us! We were headed straight to eternal damnation....deservedly so....and He....Christ....out of pure mercy and love....plucked us up out of the fire! Glory to God for designing it as such....and to the Son for living for us....and dying for us....He is risen! And to the Holy Spirit for giving us eyes to see and ears to hear and a new heart....and a mind to rejoice in our Savior!