Pro Bowl or Super Bowl Church?

The Super Bowl turned out to be a decent game. And plenty of us watched it. But 7 days earlier was the Pro Bowl, a game which many of us did NOT watch. The game was even moved from it's traditional time slot one week after the Super Bowl in an effort to boost viewers. But the problem is not the time slot...the problem is the game. The reason I (and many others) don't watch the Pro Bowl is simple: there's nothing at stake. It doesn't matter. It's just for show. Plenty of talent and skills, but nothing's on the line.

Contrast that with the Super Bowl. Everything's on the line. Teams have worked all year, and many players have worked their entire career for this game. Everything is at stake. Every play matters. And THAT is what makes it so "watchable."

It got me to thinking about church. Is church like the Pro Bowl, or the Super Bowl. A Pro Bowl church has plent of talent and skills, but week after week, it's as if nothing is on the line. On the other hand, a Super Bowl church realizes that what they do matters. A Super Bowl church understands that EVERY week, EVERY thing is at stake!

• What's at stake is the young child who has yet to learn that Jesus wants to be their "forever friend."
• What's at stake is the adolescent who experiences a God who accepts them, even when their peers won't.
• What's at stake is the man who's had success at work, but is searching for a life worth living.
• What's at stake is the couple wondering if God can restore their crumbling marriage
• What's at stake is the spiritual explorer looking for a place to ask tough questions about faith and God
• What's at stake is the woman who's blown it big time and is searching for a God who will give her a second chance.
  

Every week at Seneca Creek we serve and sacrifice because of what's at stake! We take to the field to ensure that people can find a pathway to the God who created them, the God who loves them, and the God who longs to redeem and restore them for a life that matters. And we "suit up" in order to blaze the trail to the adventure of following Jesus in every aspect of life. In short, we refuse to be a "Pro Bowl" church. This week, the Super Bowl is on again. Get your game on!