I\u2019m a \u201csoccer mom\u201d through and through. Personally, I only played the game once when I was in second grade. Mostly I kicked dirt and turned cartwheels on the field, because I learned quickly that getting to where the ball was located at a particular second, only to then to see it kicked away or taken by a different player, was frustrating and simply not worth the effort.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Still, I married a man who loves and has played the game most of his life. Consequently, both of my kids have played the game since age three. My daughter tapped out in ninth grade, but my now fifteen-year-old son continues to play at a highly competitive level. Over the past 9 years, as his skill and competitiveness amplified, I\u2019ve spent more time Sunday mornings on the sidelines of a pitch than in church itself.\u00a0The community we\u2019ve formed through scorching sun and driving rains continues to be resilient and true, something I have not found in many church settings. Whether on or off the pitch, our family has found a place of belonging in our soccer community. We have been present in the lives of others and have invited them into ours. Few moments in my life are more holy than when I\u2019m standing on the sideline, sharing the hard of life with a fellow parent, and watching our boys warm up for a game on a crisp, blue-sky and damp grass Sunday morning.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201c4 Billion People<\/p>\n
One Tribe<\/p>\n
One Passion<\/p>\n
One Faith<\/p>\n
More Disciples Than Any Religion<\/p>\n
More Stars Than Hollywood<\/p>\n
More Power Than Politics<\/p>\n
Love<\/p>\n
Pride<\/p>\n
Wonder<\/p>\n
Belief<\/p>\n
Redemption<\/p>\n
Chance<\/p>\n
The Universal Power\u2026<\/p>\n
Of The World\u2019s Most Loved Sport.<\/p>\n
This is Football<\/a>.\u201d<\/a>[1]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recently released by Amazon Prime Video, \u201cThis is Football\u201d is comprised of six global stories highlighting the majesty and reconciliatory power of a game that transcends socio-economic and political boundaries, ethnicities, and cultures.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sit with that reality for a moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now contrast that message to the 2008 statistical evidence that 3% of the total UK population professes to attend religious gatherings, with 71.6% of that 3% being Christians.<\/a>[2]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Great Britain is a country where religion is woven into the very fibers of its being, where evidence of the Christian faith can be found from architectural elements to the foundations of national government. Monuments of the faith stand as \u201ca magnificent testimony\u201d of God\u2019s faithfulness through centuries of historical upheaval. Thousands of tourists flock to London and the surrounding areas to stand in the sacred spaces of worship. Their paid admittance fees and donations help keep the lights on and the maintenance on track for these architectural wonders.<\/a>[3]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Great Britain is a melting pot of the world\u2019s population, a mecca for asylum seekers, refugees, and multitudes of others simply looking for a better life. In London especially, evidence of this diversity is experienced when partaking in the wide array for food options available, or hearing the countless languages spoken when walking down the street.<\/a>[4]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Beneath the surface of this milieu lie the structural components of what it means to be British, such as: speak English, maintain order at all times by obeying the rules, keep to the left, partake in elevenses and high tea daily, be patient in the queues, embrace political tolerance, and recognize class differences, just to name a few.<\/a>[5]Another British character trait is \u00a0\u201cavoid displays of strong emotions\u201d except\u00a0<\/i>when in football (soccer) fan mode, and then public scenes of emotion are fully welcomed.<\/a>[6]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is this last British cultural norm that has grabbed my attention.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why is it churches stand empty while football stadiums are full? Or that football season tickets are handed down throughout the generations, but faith traditions are failing to be passed along? What is it about being in a football stadium or local pub, wearing a particular jersey that brings a sense of unity? Why is it that thousands of people differing in age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and political persuasion can unite under the banner of a football club, or even more broadly, a game? Why is it that this marvel of a game seems to outshine the wonder of the Gospel and person of Jesus Christ?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have to believe that somewhere along the way, we in the Christian faith have lost our ability to be fully ourselves, to be authentic, to show a range of emotions in a way that is received well by those around us. The \u201cavoid displays of strong emotion\u201d and obligation of maintaining order stem from the Brits deep belief in the \u201csovereignty and separateness of the individual\u201d and a desire to \u201cprotect oneself from involvement in other people\u2019s difficulties.\u201d<\/a>[7]This deeply woven belief of individualism was carried into the world, and in many ways is evident in the American way of life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Often times in our Christian religious structures, we discuss individual salvation and a personal relationship with Christ. While those aspects of faith are important, the communal aspect is just as important. I have to believe that if true, meaningful, and redemptive community was happening in the walls of our churches, more people would be spending time there than in stadiums and on sidelines of the pitch, looking for the holy of God that comes from rich authentic relationships forged in the scorching sun and driving rains while players pass a ball around on a field.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s more to following Jesus than just being individually secure in one\u2019s salvation. I wonder what would happen if instead of criticizing the allure of the secular world for the demise of our religious constructs, if we took a hard look at the beauty that lies within the secular world, indeed the football world, and figure out ways to incorporate foundational principles of unity into our communities of faith? Is it possible that the line between the secular and sacred is actually more blurred than we’d like to believe? That the Holy of God lies in all things rather than just in a few places or people? Would our sacred buildings, which stand glorious but empty, as a testament of God\u2019s faithfulness, once again be filled? Or is it possible that a stadium filled with the beauty of humanity could actually become a cathedral where redemption and reconciliation reside? Or maybe we figure out ways to care for and disciple people that allow them to stand glorious, both within and outside the walls of those man-made structures, to be a testament of God\u2019s faithfulness and love to all?<\/p>\n I think if we are able to do this, one-day someone just may craft a series that reads more like this:<\/p>\n 4 Billion People and Counting<\/p>\n One Tribe<\/p>\n One Passion<\/p>\n One Faith<\/p>\n More Disciples Than Any Religion<\/p>\n More Stars Than Hollywood<\/p>\n More Power To Transform Than Politics<\/p>\n Love<\/p>\n Pride<\/p>\n Wonder<\/p>\n Belief<\/p>\n Redemption<\/p>\n The Universal Power\u2026<\/p>\n Of the Love of God through Jesus Christ<\/p>\n As Lived Out Through God\u2019s People.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [1]\u201cThis is Football\u201d Trailer, Amazon Prime. Accessed September 4, 2019.\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Season-1-Official-Trailer\/dp\/B07T8KTY5L\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=AP1P39PRL04H&keywords=this+is+football&qid=1567626525&s=instant-video&sprefix=this+is+%2Cprime-instant-video%2C215&sr=1-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [2]Terry Tan.\u00a0<\/span>Culture Shock Great Britain: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette, Great Britain<\/em>(Tarry Town, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2008), 33-34.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [3]Tan, 26-34.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [4]Tan, 176, 257.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [5]Orin Hargraves.\u00a0<\/span>Culture Shock: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette, London<\/em>(Tarry town, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2006) 2-4, 52, 181-182.<\/p>\n