I'm Tired of Practicing

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

James 1:22 (NIV)

I do a lot of driving everyday. I do more driving than a typical pastor commuting back and forth to the church. On any given day, I am in the car at least an hour a day. That gives me a lot of time to listen to the radio.

Typically, I am listening to sports talk radio. I enjoy all kinds of sports, so keeping up with conversations that are sports related are of interest to me. Couple that with my interest in the three major sports teams in Western Pennsylvania, and it makes for good listening.

I listen to sports talk quite a bit, and therefore I often think in sports metaphors and have been found to use them as I speak. Naturally, if someone else uses a sport’s cliché or metaphor in conversation, it might cause me to tilt my head in interest.

During a recent conversation, I heard someone describing another individual by saying that he/she was “not a practicing Christian.” I know what that means, so I didn’t have to ask the person to describe what they thought it meant. People often use that to describe individuals who are not “actively involved” in their congregation or that they don’t go to church but claim to have a faith in a higher being. Sometimes people use the statement that someone is not “religious.”

(I will leave the whole conversation about being whether you can have an active faith if you are not actively involved in worship, for another day. Suffice it to say, “being a good person” isn’t going to get it done.)

What caught my attention was this phrase, “practicing Christian.” Again, people use this phrase to describe those who don’t come to church regularly, if at all. However, as it was said, I began to think about this idea of being a practicing Christian, even when it is used to describe those of us who come to church several times a month. Not only did I think about it, I came up with a conclusion.

All of us should be more than just practicing Christians! Here’s why.

Practice suggests that you are doing it at half speed. Since we are still in pre-season for both college and professional football, I will suggest that practicing means that you are sometimes only going through the motions. You run though plays, either with others, or you practice them in your mind. But practice doesn’t involve real contact. Sometimes practice means that you don’t even use pads. (Work with me here – I know that sometimes during the week, they do use pads.)

Practice suggests that you are simply looking at game film. Practice means that you are still learning. Practice means that sometimes others will come in and take your place. Practice means that you can go over to the sidelines when you want to take a break (as so many of you have done this summer)

When I was little, I loved to play little league baseball. I looked forward to baseball most of the year. I loved everything about playing baseball. But to be truthful with you, I wasn’t really looking forward to practice at all. I loved to play the game. I wanted to get dirty, I wanted the full action. I wanted to play at game speed, when things really mattered.

Actually, practice isn’t inherently evil. In fact, it is necessary, even for those who play the game. And just because you’re playing doesn’t mean that you don’t have to practice too.

The book of James talks a lot about the difference between hearing and doing. James is talking about taking our faith and taking it to another level. It is not enough to simply listen and have faith if the faith isn’t doing anything. It isn’t enough to simply believe in God and believe that you are saved by grace through that faith. You must also go and do.

A pastor in our connection has said, “The world will see the relevancy of the Gospel when the people of Jesus fully embrace and live the biblical mandate to live like Jesus. John Wesley called it the demonstration of “social holiness.”” (Mike Slaughter, Change the World)

Sunday morning is for “practice.” It is the day for us to come to worship, to hear God’s Word spoken and proclaimed. Some of you meet in small groups to grapple with the play book a little bit. But after that, if you don’t put that playbook into action on the mission field, its like you are just going through the motions. When James writes that we must stop merely listening and do what it says, it means that we must go out and do all the things that the Gospel proclaims, up to and including sharing that Good News with others so that they can join the team.

The time has come for this church to stop “practicing.” We have to begin to put the words into action and become the hands and feet of Christ. That's what it means to be a Disciple of Christ.

When I was a kid, I remember hearing a song played around the baseball field. The song was by John Fogerty and it was entitled “Centerfield.” Its message was simple. “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play today. I can be centerfield.”

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to play. I’m tired of practicing and I’m ready for the regular season to start. I am looking forward to seeing you come back from the “off-season” as we share not only the message, but the work of Christ on the field.

See you at the game!

Pastor Greg

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

If I had the time and the creativity, I think that I would write a parable about baseball. Specifically, if I could get away with it – I would write it about the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Some of you know that I love baseball. It was the sport that I played when I was a boy. I fondly remember going to McKnight Elementary late in the winter for little league sign-ups. My parents would pay my registration fee and we would get a packet of raffle tickets that would offset the cost. I would run around the neighborhood selling those tickets for the athletic association.

Then practice would start and we would have those days that were rained out in early spring. I hated those days. I loved playing and running around so much that every opportunity to get my glove on and run the bases was a good day.

I remember the fields on which we would play, the league names and even remember some of the coaches. There were also the opposing coaches – the ones who would sit on that overturned bucket with a cigar in their mouths. There were always the older kids in the league who looked ominous on the mound. Would I get beaned by this pitcher? Would I get a hit? Would my father call me out on strikes if he was the umpire?

I also remember waiting patiently for my parents to arrive at the ball field during a game. I was probably distracted until I saw either their car or their faces in the stand. From what I remember, my parents were pretty faithful about attending my games. My father may have missed an inning or two because of work, but they were there. They may have missed a game or two because of conflicts with my sibling’s schedules, but they were always there in my mind.

Now that I am a parent, I can easily say that they came because they loved me – not because the baseball was any good. For all I know, they could have been talking to the other parents the entire time. That is of course with the exception of the times that my father was a volunteer umpire and he would call me out on strikes!

I love this time of year! The baseball season has begun. I recall all of those great memories of winning seasons, and lost games, but most importantly the Pirates have started to play.

I am one who often jokes about the Pirates and their losing ways, but to be truthful, I love the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are my team. They are the team that I grew up watching and loved to watch as a child. They were the players that I wanted to emulate. I wanted to hit like Willie Stargell, steal bases like Omar Marino, and catch like Tony Pena. In spite of their record over the past years – 15 to be exact – I still love them.

I have become like my parents. I go to the games not because they are the greatest team in the league, but because they are my team.

That makes me think about God and the ways that he loves us. God loves us unconditionally. He watches us grow and say that we want to change, and yet when we don’t – he is still there, still watching us, still loving us. We can’t execute a simple squeeze play in the ninth inning, but nonetheless he still loves us. He is our God, and we are his people.

There is an oft used phrase that says, God loves us just the way we are, but refuses to leave us that way. I think that’s very true not only with me as a Pirate fan, but in our relationship with God. God comes to us even in our current state. But can you imagine what Joy there will be when we finally get it right.

Parables always close with statements like this. There will be much rejoicing in heaven over one winning season, when even a team who has lost for 15 consecutive seasons, finally gets it right.

I know that’s true with God, now lets just hope that the Pirates can work toward at least a .500 season!

This week, I will be sharing a brief message on the story of the Gate Keeper entitled “Just Honk the Horn.” I will be sharing a story about my time in the rural community and my run-in with a heard of sheep. We look forward to also welcoming Reflection from Geneva who will be sharing their gift of music.

Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you.
Greg

Weighing in on 755

Saturday night, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, tied a longstanding record for career home runs in the Major Leagues by hitting number 755. He tied the great Hank Aaron who broke the record long before I was a baseball fan.

I love baseball and have ever since I was a kid. I love going to the ball park to watch games, and I really do love to see a great game. The Long Ball makes games exciting, and so being in the presence of some great players and watching them crush a ball can be a thrill.

I'm not a baseball purist, that is to say, that I do not mourn the breaking of records. Records, as they say, are meant to be broken. They are great milestones in history and it can be exciting to watch it happen.

That being said, I can't really say that I'm all that concerned with this one. Yes, it's too bad that the controversy surrounds it and it has to happen this way, but normally I would like to see history in the making. I don't feel that way with this one. I guess I'm ambivalent!

I would, however, like to see Bonds' record be broken. That may actually happen very soon.

Then maybe we will have something to celebrate in Baseball.