We were fortunate to even be there. It is an amazing structure, rising up out of city, soaring high to become part of the beautiful skyline of Denver Colorado. It is an edifice built by beef and beer called Coors field and is the home to the boys of baseball called the Colorado Rockies. These days we call them Kid Rocks because of their young and tender age. The Rockies were the hottest team in baseball as the season came to a unique and exciting ending. The Rockies and the San Diego Padres ended in a tie. A single playoff game would break the tie to see who would take the next step.
My wife, Glenda, was able to get online just moments after the final game and purchased 4 tickets to the game. There we were with 50,000 of our closest friends, cheering on the boys. We were all on our feet during the game to cheer on the pitching staff to get the last out of an inning, or to encourage the boys at the plate as they would swing the lumber at the streaking white speck called a baseball. It was an epic battle that ended up tied in the ninth inning. Then came the 10, the 11, 12 and finally the top of the 13th inning. The Padre’s with one swing of the bat, surged ahead by 2 runs. Although a sense of quietness seeped its way into the stadium, these fans did not lose hope. There had been too many games, especially in this phenomenal run at the end of the season, where they had come through with a miraculous comeback. Could it happen again? YES! We had faith in these boys.
Sure enough, the score was tied by a gargantuous triple by our favorite candidate for MVP, Matt Holliday. No outs score ties, Matt on third base. The noise was deafening as all 50,000 were on their feet to give our praise and affirmation to the boys. Helton came to the plate and was walked so that the pitcher could face a less formidable batter. Josh Carroll, the steady and reliable utility player comes to the plate. A shallow fly ball is hit to centerfield. Nobody in their right mind would dare test the arm of a center fielder on such a shallow fly ball, no player, no coach, not the best of third base coaches. BUT this is the Rockies. The crowd holds their breath for a brief moment as matt tags the base and launches his athletic body from the base. As he streaks toward the home plate, the noise in the ball park rises in intensity. Would he be thrown out at the plate, would he by some great miracle make it home? There is massive cloud of dust as matt, the ball all meet at home plate. There it is, even from the left field stands we could see it. The ball squirts away and he is safe!!! The roar is heard in Kansas! Fireworks explode behind us. Jubilation erupts not just in Coors field but all over the state!
It suddenly occurs to me that what was most amazing is that we would be this excited over a game. Grown men and women acting like little kids and getting carried away with extreme emotion. People doing whatever they could just to make it into the local temple of baseball. Tell me why is it not like that in the local church? Why do we almost beg people to come? Why are we tempted to manipulate people and circumstances to create some sort of artificial excitement so that they will come? What’s up with that?
There was a time when the church was filled with that kind of excitement, that kind of enthusiasms and energy. You could not keep people away. There was an explosion of growth in the church. People were talking, walking, living in such a way that every single day, crowds of people who were not previous fans, joined up to be a part of this most exciting group call the church, the way, the body of Christ.
We read about it in Acts 2:47 where is says “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”. I am convinced that the reason there was such excitement was the fact that people made confession of faith daily. It was a baby church with lots and lots of baby believers. These days we almost call it a miracle when an unbeliever happens to be in church. Perhaps out of a sense of resignation, we have made church all about believers and not those who are yet to come. What about the “the church that is not here yet”. Do you want church to be exciting again? Let’s do all we can to make it about new birth, new believers, people added daily to the church. That is what I want to do? Will you join me?
My wife, Glenda, was able to get online just moments after the final game and purchased 4 tickets to the game. There we were with 50,000 of our closest friends, cheering on the boys. We were all on our feet during the game to cheer on the pitching staff to get the last out of an inning, or to encourage the boys at the plate as they would swing the lumber at the streaking white speck called a baseball. It was an epic battle that ended up tied in the ninth inning. Then came the 10, the 11, 12 and finally the top of the 13th inning. The Padre’s with one swing of the bat, surged ahead by 2 runs. Although a sense of quietness seeped its way into the stadium, these fans did not lose hope. There had been too many games, especially in this phenomenal run at the end of the season, where they had come through with a miraculous comeback. Could it happen again? YES! We had faith in these boys.
Sure enough, the score was tied by a gargantuous triple by our favorite candidate for MVP, Matt Holliday. No outs score ties, Matt on third base. The noise was deafening as all 50,000 were on their feet to give our praise and affirmation to the boys. Helton came to the plate and was walked so that the pitcher could face a less formidable batter. Josh Carroll, the steady and reliable utility player comes to the plate. A shallow fly ball is hit to centerfield. Nobody in their right mind would dare test the arm of a center fielder on such a shallow fly ball, no player, no coach, not the best of third base coaches. BUT this is the Rockies. The crowd holds their breath for a brief moment as matt tags the base and launches his athletic body from the base. As he streaks toward the home plate, the noise in the ball park rises in intensity. Would he be thrown out at the plate, would he by some great miracle make it home? There is massive cloud of dust as matt, the ball all meet at home plate. There it is, even from the left field stands we could see it. The ball squirts away and he is safe!!! The roar is heard in Kansas! Fireworks explode behind us. Jubilation erupts not just in Coors field but all over the state!
It suddenly occurs to me that what was most amazing is that we would be this excited over a game. Grown men and women acting like little kids and getting carried away with extreme emotion. People doing whatever they could just to make it into the local temple of baseball. Tell me why is it not like that in the local church? Why do we almost beg people to come? Why are we tempted to manipulate people and circumstances to create some sort of artificial excitement so that they will come? What’s up with that?
There was a time when the church was filled with that kind of excitement, that kind of enthusiasms and energy. You could not keep people away. There was an explosion of growth in the church. People were talking, walking, living in such a way that every single day, crowds of people who were not previous fans, joined up to be a part of this most exciting group call the church, the way, the body of Christ.
We read about it in Acts 2:47 where is says “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”. I am convinced that the reason there was such excitement was the fact that people made confession of faith daily. It was a baby church with lots and lots of baby believers. These days we almost call it a miracle when an unbeliever happens to be in church. Perhaps out of a sense of resignation, we have made church all about believers and not those who are yet to come. What about the “the church that is not here yet”. Do you want church to be exciting again? Let’s do all we can to make it about new birth, new believers, people added daily to the church. That is what I want to do? Will you join me?
