It's acceptable to be a Phillies Phanatic but a fanatic about Jesus? Not so much.
Be sure to read the comments, as some of them are gold Jerry, gold!
What I witnessed at the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Colorado Rockies game on Thursday afternoon was a bit overwhelming. Tens of thousands of Phillies phanatics hooting and hollering, drinking and enjoying the merriment gave no thought to the truth that lies buried in our society. But never yet having been to the Citizens Bank Park, my husband was looking forward to seeing the Phillies play in the second playoff game of the season. Excited that he won two Phillies game tickets at work, he asked me to go with him. He had to convince me a bit because I feel differently than most people about sports games and what they represent. Knowing how much he wanted to go, I gave in. But before I did, I asked him if he was sure he didn't want to take someone else. His response to me was an emphatic but loving NO. He didn't realize what he was in for. Neither did I.
Since we don't live far from the ball park we planned to leave our house a little more than an hour before the game started but we ran ten minutes late, or I should say, I ran ten minutes late. I'm not sure if that made much of a difference or not but I somehow doubt it.
It didn't take long before my eyes saw for themselves what I haven't given much thought to for years. Knowing something and seeing something are two totally different things. You see, I knew that people went to ball games but I had no idea how many went, who went and what they looked like. Knowing it was a weekday afternoon I was overwhelmed by the masses. Young and old made their way anxiously through the streets of Philadelphia towards the ball park. Parking lot after parking lot was filled up and closed. I witnessed adults and children alike dressed in Phillies shirts and Phillies baseball caps, men approaching people in their vehicles in an effort to buy their tickets, street vendors selling t-shirts and soft pretzels, a man dressed in a red suit with a cane and karaoke machine singing on the street corner, tailgaters in the parking lots grilling food and drinking, police directing traffic and many people walking down the street with an open bottle of beer in their hands. I even saw one man set a beer bottle, empty no doubt, on the corner as he walked across the street. And when it dawned on me that this was a weekday afternoon I realized that everyone either took a day off or like us, were privileged to get time off from work to go to game, though I'm sure that was not the majority. And the kids? Just out of curiosity, how did they get out of school to go to a Phillies game? Is this an acceptable excuse now?
Thoughts went racing through my head as I tried to imagine all these people taking four, yes four, hours off plus driving time, to sit in traffic and pay for parking to go watch a game. This is in addition to purchasing tickets, food, drinks, programs, t-shirts, and other Phillies merchandise. These fans were spending more money than I thought most people had in our "recession". What recession? Just go to a professional sporting event and chances are you won't see any signs of one. Is this a sign that the recession is over or is it a sign of our mixed up priorities?
My mind was being flooded with thoughts about how fanatical these fans were about the Phillies and I wondered how fanatical they are about our God and Creator. Given what I saw, I thought this was a legitimate question. My intention wasn't to criticize or judge anyone but to simply question how long would these fans sit and get excited over a discussion about our Lord? How much money would they give to help those in need - their neighbor who lost their job or someone out of work because of an illness, not to mention the millions of babies and children who are starving throughout the world through no fault of their own. How much money would they give to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It saddened me when I realized I knew the answer to my question and how grim the truth looked. My heart became heavy and I was compelled to pray.
I have always had a soft spot for the underdog especially when teammates or fans would appear to be disrespectful to the opposing team. Booing someone has always seemed wrong to me. Does a competative spirit come from God? Didn't Jesus teach that whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant? And what about putting other first? So why do so many have the strong desire to win and be first? I can tell you for sure, it's not from the Spirit of God but from the flesh.
Worldly competition contradicts what Jesus teaches. I was taken back when the Colorado Rockies hit a home run and the Phillies fan who caught the ball threw it back onto the field. I questioned my husband about this and asked him why they would do that? He said they do this because they don't want to keep the ball that represents the opposing team's home run. This reaction demonstrateed the kind of sportsmanship we breed and even the lack of love, if you want to go deeper into it. Even if the Rockies were our enemies, we are to love them. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, not hate them. I know that hate is a strong word and that many would say they don't hate the opposing team, they are just rooting for theirs. I understand the difference, however, does God differentiate?
With each inning, it became more and more apparent to me what was going on. I felt like I had a new pair of eyes though it wasn't easy to see. My observations were making me a bit upset and it wasn't until later that I appreciated the experience that would help me grow and one that would become a topic of conversation. The activity was constant and every second was filled with either a boo, a jump to your feet, making noise, watching the "kiss cam", the "flex cam", being on the "kiss cam" or "flex cam", or waving the rally towel, the symbol of the Fightin' Phils which, by the way, replaced the wave. Though I have to say, with the constant activity I was more attentive to what was going on around me than I was in participating with the crowd. The helicopter that hovered around the stadium no doubt was covering the game, the excitement of the fans, the Phillies Phanatic executing his routine, the men who rushed onto the field to refresh the dirt, the cameras and news media who were there to get a story were just a few things I could't help but notice. What a big affair! What a big to-do!
I have to admit I had a hard time with most of what I saw and unfortunately some of my thoughts spilled out of my mouth and into my husband's ears. At first, he wasn't too pleased to hear what I had to say but later understood because the Lord revealed to him things he needed to know and see. Funny things is, my husband told me that he had prayed before the game, that if there was anything God wanted him to see that he would listen. It took him a little while to remember that God was just answering his prayer and then he, too, appreciated the experience. That's when he told me that he was glad that we went. I guess that makes two of us!
Be sure to read the comments, as some of them are gold Jerry, gold!
