The Game

The Rev. Joseph Winston

February 4, 2007

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
In a few short hours, the pre-game shows will start. CBS kicks off their almost
six and one-half hours of entertainment with a one hour program that highlights
the best plays of the last NFL season. Following this show are several other pro-
grams that present an in depth look into the two opposing teams. Experts of all
sizes, shapes, and colors will wax and wane over the strengths and the weaknesses
of the defense, the offence, the special teams, and the coaching staff.
The entertainment extravaganza preceding the Super Bowl is not limited to the
programs that CBS presents us. Before the coin toss that signifies the official start
of the game, the crowd gathered in Dolphin Stadium will see the showmanship
of Cirque du Soleil. Once this act clears the playing field, Billy Joel will sing the
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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“Star Spangled Banner” while Marlee Matlin translates the National Anthem into
American Sign Language.
Finally, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino will come to the
center of the field with the referee and representatives from both the Colts and the
Bears. The ref will flip the coin in the air and let it land on the playing field. The
Colts will call the toss and the winner will elect either to receive the kickoff or to
kick the ball to the opposition.
Now the football game can really begin.
The story up until now in Luke has been one of preparation for the big game.
During Advent, we heard the cry of John the Baptizer, “Make ready the way of the
Lord.” We heard John tell us of the upcoming economic reality of God’s kingdom
where no one will have either too much or too little. Next in our lessons, we
listened to Mary’s song of praise for her Son and Lord who will bring God’s
kingdom into the world. Christmass came with the message of Jesus, a new Leader
who gives life and light to everyone. The calendar year closed out with the young
boy Jesus in the temple where He astonished the experts with His knowledge of
God’s ways.
In Epiphany, John the Baptizer once again reminded us of one of the Messiah’s
basic job descriptions. Jesus will remove the evil that is present in every one of us.
While the common people felt comfortable with God’s role in their lives, Herod
did not. So, he locked God’s messenger, John, up in prison. Luke then tells us of
Christ’s baptism and of the Father’s pleasure for His Son. The next readings from
the Gospel according to St. Luke showed us Jesus in the synagogue teaching that

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God has come to help the outcasts of society. The men that heard this Good News
wanted nothing to do with a God that helps the downtrodden.
This summary of the story might be sufficient for a regular game. But it would
never be enough for a playoff game or the Super Bowl. In order to understand the
behavior of the players and the of coaches during the all important game, a good
sport’s show goes deep into the past history of the team and its leaders.
Because of the erratic and often unpredictable ways that we read the Bible
in church, we have skipped around in the Gospel according to St. Luke. And in
doing so, we have missed several key insights into the way that Jesus acts under
game-day pressure. Luke places the story of Jesus’ temptation by the devil before
He does any public ministry. This account must be heard at this time in Christ’s
life because it tells us that Jesus has already defeated the enemy. The opposition
has attacked Jesus with their best man and the devil came up empty handed. All
that is left is finding out how the story ends. We have also completely missed
three healing stories. Jesus has thrown out one daemon, healed Peter’s mother-in-
law, and rebuked several other daemons. Again, it is very important to understand
Jesus’ behavior. Who would want a key player in a vital game that is all talk and
no action? Through His care for the oppressed, Jesus shows the viewing audience
that He has the moves to back up the Words.
The two teams that play on the field this evening are only a small portion of the
men and women that make up the organizations that are the Bears and the Colts.
We will not see all of the trainers that prepare the players for game day nor will we
know about the many individuals who analyze the strengths and the weaknesses

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of the opponents. The fact is for every player that we see on television there are
many others who are not seen.
This is the reality both in today’s Gospel lesson and in our church. The com-
mand to go out and fish some more is given in the plural. We all know that three
people are not enough to man at least two boats. For that reason alone, we can
safely say that other men joined Simon, James, and John as they followed Christ’s
command and went back into the Sea of Galilee. Be that as it may, there are many
others who are supporting the fishers. There are wives keeping the house running
and there might be children helping their parents’ work. Today at Trinity, there are
a large number of people who remain behind the scenes. Families are volunteering
to vacuum and to pick up trash. Upkeep on our building is done by people who
contribute their time and talent. At least one person is preparing the Lord’s Table
and cleaning up after our Meal. For all the hidden people in our midst, we say
thank you.
When the special teams take the field for the opening kickoff this evening, we
fully expect both the Bears and the Colts to have full squads. After the kick, it
goes without saying that the defense and the offense be fully manned. Because
this game is like all other NFL games, we know that there will always be twenty-
two players on the field. In fact, if either team tries to slip an extra person onto the
field, they will be penalized.
But have you ever stopped to think how strange our Gospel lesson really is?
The creator of the world, the power that causes everything to exist, the provider
of our every need stops what He is doing and invites three ordinary men to help

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God.
Jesus is recruiting a team to play for Him.
Our confusion over Jesus telling us that He needs us in the mission to save the
world might be compounded by the fact that we live in the “Bible Belt.” Many of
our friends and neighbors have a completely different view of the Bible.
One of their favorite sayings is, “God said it. So it must be so.” This statement
is often used when they are justifying some portion of their beliefs. For example,
they steadfastly believe in a young earth of about 6,000 years because that is the
number you get when you add up ages recorded in the Bible. The problem with
this attitude is not that the earth’s age differs from what science finds but that they
refuse to fully engage the different viewpoints found inside the Bible itself.
In general, when they use this saying they tend to remember God’s power but
they forget about God’s weakness. One example that comes to mind is the contrast
between the image of God presented in the creation accounts verses the sketch
drawn in the middle of the book when Jacob wrestles God (Genesis 32:24-32).
In creation, God is strong and decisive. The day is separated from the night. The
water is divided from the land. The days and the seasons are laid out. However, a
completely different representation is found when Jacob struggled with God. God
only won that fight because God played dirty. Another example deals with God’s
judgement. These people love to show God’s righteous wrath against the people
who oppose God. But they forget the God who acts like a lovesick teenager who
cannot wait to see his sweetheart, even when she is unfaithful to him. This way
of uncritical thinking leads to a god that crushes the opposition and demands our

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blind allegiance. The god does not need us to follow him because he will tell us
exactly what we need to do.
As Lutherans, we embrace the complexity found in the Bible because it mir-
rors the world that we live in. We believe that God is both strong and weak. We
trust that God is both just and forgiving. We follow Christ’s command because
God has asked us to help Him.
A second unique characteristic of living in the “Bible belt” is the belief that we
“find” Jesus. Perfect strangers will come up to you and ask if “You have accepted
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Apparently, these individuals have never
carefully read today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus never asks Peter if Peter has “found”
Jesus. Instead, Jesus commands Peter to follow Him.
We Lutherans teach that Jesus calls each of us to follow Him. We take the
stories of God finding Abraham and Paul literally. God went to Abraham, God
called Abraham out of Ur, and God promised to be Abraham’s God. If the father
of Israel could not discover God, how are we expected to find God? We do not
believe this. We know that God comes to us. Paul’s story is similar. Jesus found
Paul on the road to Damascus. Jesus told Paul to continue on to Damascus where
Paul would be told what to do. There in Damascus, Paul learned directly from
Jesus that Paul was to follow Jesus. Even though our calling might not be as
dramatic as Abraham’s, Peter’s, or Paul’s, we still believe that God has called
every one here to follow Jesus.
The prognosticators on CBS and on the other media outlets know basically
two things about the big game tonight. First, the Super Bowl will have a winner

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and because there will be a winner we know that we must have a looser. The rules
of the NFL require that at the end of the game, one team to have a higher score
than the other. So, it should come at no surprise that on Monday morning we
will have a winner of Super Bowl Forty One. Second, during the game, as in all
games, mistakes will be made. Ahead of time, we do not know what these mistakes
will be, but past performance gives us an idea of what will happen. Players will
miss tackles. Blocks will not be thrown. Handoffs will be fumbled. Passes will be
dropped. Plays will be forgotten. Coaches will make bad calls. Even the officials,
with all of their technology, will blow calls.
Simon Peter does not want to even look at Jesus because by his own admission,
Peter is a sinful man. But what does the word “sinner” really mean? Throughout
the years, the church has done us a great disservice by not correctly defining sin-
ner. Many of us were told that a sinner was a person “doing” something dirty
or breaking a law. However, the true definition of sinner goes much deeper than
simply performing some indecency or indiscretion.
The word sinner has its root in archery. In Hebrew, a sinner is a person who
shoots at a target and misses.2
It does not matter why we have missed the mark. Maybe we missed the tackle
because we did not try hard enough. Perhaps we did not defend Jesus at the office
since we did not feel like it was worthwhile. We might have fumbled our witness
to a friend. Our passing on the faith may have been rushed by the defense and we
missed the receiver. Our leaders may have not paid attention to what was happen-
2
?, .

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ing on the field. Each of these actions is missing God’s target that has been set for
us. Every time that we fall short of God’s expectations, we sin and we hurt both
God and the rest of the world.
Just like a referee who has the ability to control the plays, the players, and
the coaches at the Super Bowl, God has complete power over sin. If we do not
turn God away, God will wash every one of our sins from us. God’s control over
sin does not end with a clean slate. When we confess our sins to God, as we
did this morning, sin looses its control over us and our lives.3 Because of God’s
forgiveness, we are totally freed from sin’s curse.
You are forgiven of every arrow that has missed the target. You will live forever
with God.
For many Americans, tonight’s football game will be the highlight of their
year. These fans have purchased the new HDTV, they have bought enough food
and drink to last from the first pre-game show to the final credit, and they will be
entertained by the game, the advertisements, and the half time show.
Our own game plan is slightly different. For us, every day is a good day be-
cause we know that Jesus will be with us. Our HDTV or even our plan old TV
does not hold that much of an attraction because we know what is really impor-
tant in our lives: God, family, and friends. We believe that God has provided our
food and drink and we trust that He will continue to give us our daily bread.
Even our daily entertainment is not the same as a normal football fan because
we are watching a different program. And what a strange sight this show is. Jesus
3
?, .

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has called you and me to go out and work with Him.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”4

4
Philippians 4:7.