The best thing I did in seminary was play football. Well, sports in general, but it started with football. There is a big inter-seminary football tournament at Gettysburg Theological Seminary called the “Luther Bowl”, and a particularly intense part of our orientation to life at the seminary was getting ready for the big game. We had weekly practice to prepare, and it was understood that regardless of interest or physical ability, the Luther Bowl was something we were going to do together.

I was always the epitome of moderately athletic growing up. I was rarely the worst, but I never excelled, nor did I ever grow to love any particular sport. Seminary changed all of that. I feel in love with football practices, and a small band of us got started playing soccer, ultimate frisbee, basketball and believe it or not, an ancient Gaelic sport called Hurley, which remains my favorite sport of all time. For the first time in my life, I loved playing sports, and I still yearn to play pick up games when I have the time to do so. It feeds my soul.

I went to seminary for Jesus and all that Churchy stuff, but I was surprised by joy with something that was always in the background of my life, which was organized sports. I learned a surprising amount about how to grow a Church by embracing this love and learning to spread the good news of seminary intramural sports with my peers, and I am so relieved that the Luther Bowl is back from a five year hiatus.

When a group of us would try to get a critical mass to play ultimate frisbee, we really needed eight to have a good game. A few of us would be particularly into the sport, some would be good sports and join the game if time allowed, but we often had to engage with people that were flat out convinced that athletics were not for them. Then it became our task to reframe what sports could be. It was not about being the best, performing well, and not making mistakes. We were going back to the foundations of sports itself. It was about fun, relied on team work, encouragement and sportsmanship. Some of the most memorable things we did on the field was to take someone determined to hate the game and make them feel valued.

This is evangelism!!!! Take whatever baggage you may carry with that word, and throw it out the window. There are scores of people hungry for a spiritual home but believe that they aren’t cut out for it, because like those reluctant ultimate frisbee players they were taught that this was far too serious and scary, and definitely not for them. By falling into love with sports and needing people to play with I learned to share my enthusiasm and invite people into something they assumed was not for them.

Instead of scoring goals on the field, our objective is to attempt to embody Christ’s love for the world. Sometimes loving each other as Christ loves us is easy, but when it is difficult we are met with a unique opportunity to love that much more boldly. It is always my intent to embody this love, and lead by example. It is not a matter of if, but when I will fall short of this expectation. The past two weeks, I have gotten push back, sometimes intensely, from people whose political lives are on the right and the left, and I honestly can’t tell if it’s me or you. It is never my intention to isolate anyone, nor is it my intention to ignore our common goal, which is to love God and to love our neighbor.

If we differ, then I hope we can use our difference to exemplify what Christian charity looks like. If we agree, then I hope we do not devolve into a chain reaction of self-righteous indignation. Our mutual faith-filled lives will never be totally without controversy, but I don’t think we should fool ourselves into thinking that we are that much different than the Virginia Theological Seminary Football Team. If we take ourselves too seriously, then we may miss the point, but at the end of the day, we need every possible person on the field to get a proper game going, and it is up to us to make sure that they know they are valued when they show up.

Blessings,

Nick