If you’re not a fan, take off the hat

Spring is here and with spring comes baseball season. Opening day is on the same level as a national holiday for me. From my youth I have been a huge baseball fan, and having grown up near Boston, I have forever been and will forever be a Red Sox fan. Yet living in Texas, I don't have a lot of fellow BoSox fans to celebrate with or commiserate with, but when I do meet one, I sense this instant bond. I love chatting with other like-minded fans, talking about their favorite players, fond memories, and how this season will play out. I'm always on the lookout for someone wearing a Red Sox hat or jersey and initiating a good baseball conversation.

But sometimes it doesn't always work out the way I would hope.

On more than one occasion I have encountered someone wearing Red Sox regalia and begun my spiel only to be interrupted with a response something like this: "Oh, I'm not a Red Sox fan. I just picked up this hat real cheap at a garage sale." As the disappointment sets in, I think to myself, "If you're not a fan, take off the hat!" I don't want to see someone ostensibly being a Red Sox fan and then find them cheering on the Rangers or even worse, the Yankees! In my warped fanatical mind, your clothes should match your heart. What people see and what you really believe ought to match.

That may or may not be true with our sports allegiances, but it is undoubtedly true for those of us who call ourselves Christians. As we wear the name Christian, it is important that our lives validate our conviction. We all know the damage that is done when a spiritual leader is caught in a moral failure. It seems to happen much too often, and when it does, it wreaks havoc to the cause of Christianity. But that's not true only of church leaders. It's true for everyone who bears the name Christian. If you wear the hat, your heart should follow.

The New Testament urges us to live holy and honorable lives, knowing that the strength of our witness is to some degree tied to our behavior. The apostle Peter writes to believers and encourages them to, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:12, NIV) Jesus himself tells us to, "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, NIV)

As the saying goes, "You may be the only Bible some people will read, you may be the only Jesus some people will see." As disciples of Jesus, we don't just want to speak all the right words (although we do need to verbalize our faith) or wear Christian regalia (and I have a closet full of Christian t-shirts). We want our lives to confirm the message that we serve a holy God that gives true joy, real hope, and abiding peace.

Out of the shade and into the light

It’s been cold outside! Last week I walked into the office and commented that it's not fair that we have to suffer through the hot Texoma summers AND these sub-freezing temperatures. But here in Texas the snow and ice quickly melt away—except not in some places.

On my commute to church there is still a small patch of ice at one particular corner. It's odd that just about everywhere else the snow has seeped into the ground and the patches of ice have been transformed into puddles of water, but not there. And it doesn't take a meteorologist to figure out why. That little used intersection never sees direct sunlight. The trees above block the sun from shining on it and while the ice has melted all around it remains in this small patch of road that never feels the warmth of the sun.

We all go through cold and frigid seasons when our souls grow weary. Storms settle in and our hearts can grow cold. But thanks be to God the sun always comes out to thaw even the most frozen of hearts.

Even so, some remain cold because they never feel the warmth of God’s love. But unlike that shaded intersection we have a choice—a choice to move ourselves into the light and experience the ice-thawing joy of our Creator’s care.

This morning, I pray you feel it. Through our songs may the sunshine of the lyrics and the warmth of the melodies brighten your soul. In our prayers may the words we lift to God melt away doubts and concerns. May the Lord’s Supper chip away the ice of despair that can easily capture our souls. May the word proclaimed be a warm breeze driving away the chill of indifference. May the fellowship of believers defrost the biting cold of loneliness.

Thank you God for this gathering. Melt away the ice in our hearts and lead us into the glorious warmth of your presence.