the continuing problem with sport…

After a weekend of Sportsfesting, Jono Palmer continues…

It is only through the Gospel that all people – including sportsmen and sportswomen – can be redeemed. When we understand the Gospel we realise that it is God who gives us our talents and that the right response is to humbly thank him. Instead of worshipping our talents, we are reoriented to worship the one who has given us our talents.

The crux of the matter is that Christ has gone through death and come out the other side; he has been resurrected. So despite injury, aging limbs and ultimately death, we have confidence that we too will be resurrected with a new and glorious body. Christ’s triumph over death is the sure hope we have. Thankfully, our identity is not determined by our sporting prowess but by our relationship with Christ.

So how do we bring glory to God though our sport and at events like Sportsfest? What does a Christian response to sport look like? C. J. Mahaney, a pastor at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, talks about sport in the context of 1 Corinthians 10, where Paul says, “…whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Mahaney points out that bringing glory to God through sport necessitates being informed about God. We cannot hope to glorify God unless we have an accurate understanding of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. If we walk onto the sports field aware of the majesty, glory and supremacy of Christ we are less likely to esteem ourselves. Only a fool would want to glorify himself when presented with enormity of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

We should view our sport as an act of worship. It should be an opportunity to honour God and reflect the character of God.  Too often we are more willing to celebrate winning for our own glorification than cultivating godly character. It will be the work of the gospel in our lives that will be celebrated at the end of this age, not sporting accolades. We therefore need to play with humility and not self sufficiency or self worship. When we fail to play with humility we glorify our gifts above the one who gave them to us thereby committing idolatry.