Reflections on Worship, April 27

Sunday's service felt a little flat to me. Perhaps I was just tired (and I'm discovering exactly how tired I must have been). Or perhaps it just seemed quieter than last Sunday's joyous celebration.

Listening to Sunday's sermon, I cannot help but feel that it was a little "preachy." And I do not mean "preachy" in a good way. It seemed heavy-handed. It also, frankly, seemed like I wandered a bit in the middle of it and probably inserted part of another sermon.

On the other hand, I do very much like the overall analogy of the sermon comparing Christian faith to a football game. (I should confess that I once attended a Billy Graham crusade in Indianapolis where he developed nine(!) points in an extended faith and sports analogy; if pushed, I cannot remember any of the specific points, sadly.) We are called to be "fourth-quarter Christians," just like a championship football team is called to be a "fourth-quarter team." Champions play their best when the clock is running down and they have to make plays (see the most recent Super Bowl for a dramatic example of this).

It seems to me that we as Christians are also called to play our best faith plays at this point in our lives -- to minimize our mistakes, to protect the ball, to keep an eye on the clock, to keep moving the ball forward at a healthy clip, etc. In faithful terms, we are called to not sit on the sidelines but to get out on the field of life, to strive to bring healing and comfort, encouragement and teaching, a faithful example and service to those we meet. We are called to make our days count.

This is not to be confused with the century-old "Muscular Christianity" movement. While I believe that it is healthier for us -- both physically and spiritually -- to see to our physical fitness (to eat better and to exercise), I think that God is not calling us to be health nuts as an evangelism tool. Instead we are to exercise our spiritual bodies, to ensure the fitness of our muscles of faith, hope, and love, and in our spiritual health to be an example to others.

To my mind, this is an intriguing way to think about faith. Perhaps it is for you as well. It certainly gives new meaning to the term spiritual exercise.