Are You Ready For Some Football?

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life."

Earlier this week I arrived home from work and as I stepped out my trusty ol' commuter car I could smell the distinctive odor of someone burning brush nearby.  Two things struck me.  The first was that the purveyor of this smell was not following the county's recent ban on burning brush, but that is a little off point.  The second was that the smell this criminal-at-large was providing was wonderful.  It was certainly a smell of Autumn and an indication that the season change was on its way.  Of course, for most sports fans, Fall coincides with the magical time of year named Football Season.

I have watched bits and pieces of a few preseason games and, of course, I do have my favorites that I root for.  I even have those special few teams that I root against.  The feeling of the sporting event is electric.  The crowds are adorned in the latest merchandise of their favorite teams and they share the elation of a touchdown with high fives and hugs.  They also work together to let the referee know the crowd consensus of his botched call with the bellowing of a steady "BOOOO".  Something that can always be found in this fantastic atomosphere is hidden for the majority of the game, but if you pay attention on a field goal attempt or point after kick, you will be sure to see it.  Watch the ball as it turns end over end and heads between the uprights, follow the downward arc and look slightly beyond the ball into the stands.  There, I can almost guarantee, you will see someone holding the sign that reads "JOHN 3:16".  That is it.  Nothing else.

It is one verse out of the greatest book ever written.  How can one verse hold so much weight and importance, that most of the people watching the televised event and seeing the sign for only a moment, know the verse by heart?  In my view the verse sums up the relationship God wants and has with each of us.  He loves us.  He loves us so much that He was willing to lose everything to restore our relationship with Him. 

There is a song that makes me think of this verse and its importance everytime I hear it.  I have to add a disclaimer here, I am a Christmas junkie.  I love the colors, the smells, the sights, the general change in people's demeanor, and especially the music.  So, when the first signs of Fall are on the horizon, I fire up the Christmas music on the ol' iPod.  Because I know my wife will likely read this, I might have to admit that it can occur often before the first signs of Fall....just slightly...July or so.  Anyway, the song is Joseph's Lullaby by Mercy Me.  If you have not heard it before I suggest you give it a listen.  While listening, reflect on the verse John 3:16.

The song tells the story of Jesus' birth from His earthly father's point of view.  Joseph sees his new Son, just as all fathers see their children, with love, compassion, and an overwhelming sense of duty to protect.  Imagine if you knew that your child would bear the burdens of the world on their shoulders.  That they would restore the faith of the world, but the price that would have to be paid is your child losing his/her life.  How many of us would be willing to let that happen?  Would we not run to the far corners of the earth and build the strongest structures to protect are children?  Joseph has faith in God's plan and knows that Jesus will be a hero and that he cannot be selfish in his protection of Him, but he prays for a moment of peace for this new baby.

Now we have to take this to the next level.  God has given Himself to the world in the human form of His only begotten Son.  He who can control all things, has not only allowed, but designed, His Son to be Crucified for the sins of all of His other children.  Because God showed this love for us and He wanted us to come back to Him, His only Son suffered.  This is certainly not the sign of an angry father, but one of great compassion.  Maybe the posterboard in the endzone should read John 3:16-17.  For then it would include the meaning of God's love, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."