This evening, many in our nation will be focused on the
Super Bowl. Some will root for one of the teams, some
will mourn the absence of their team, some will only
watch the commercials, and some will focus on the food
and drinks being served. At the same time that so many
are gathered around big televisions and bigger tables,
many in our nation will be hungry. That’s why our
church, like thousands across the country, participates
in Souper Bowl Sunday, collecting canned goods and cash
for our local food banks (ours is the Westside Food
Bank).
There will be amazing displays of athleticism and
artistry at the Super Bowl, and it is right to admire
and enjoy them. But this also creates the opportunity to
put that in perspective and consider the other displays
that happen every day that are even more worthy of our
notice – displays of compassion, charity, and
selflessness.
True champions are not those who seek to fill their
own trophy cases: True champions are those who seek to
fill the lives of others with love, forgiveness, and the
Word. Those who give joyfully to those in need with no
expectation of receiving anything in return. And through
the grace and by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, we
can be those champions. We can fill the hearts of
friends and strangers by letting them see God working
through us and working with us to give all His children
what they need.
If you brought canned goods this morning, thank you
very much. If you didn’t, please stop in the narthex to
place a donation in one of the soup pots our students
will be holding: You’ll be filling stomachs and
hearts. And may the love of God and the passion to serve
Him fill us all, today and every day, so that we may go
forth and serve Him, champions through His grace.
“For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me
in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and
you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to
visit me.”
Matthew
25:35-36
