Arena

My cutie husband.... 

This fall we had the awesome opportunity to go to a Chiefs game. My, oh my, what an experience. I had never been to a professional football game before, great new experience that I really enjoyed. Especially now that I know just a little about the game and can actually understand what those guys are doing out there. And to say that the Chiefs are Zach and my father-in-law's favorite team is an understatement. We had perfect weather, we won (bonus!) and it was just a wonderful time all around. 

The week before we went Guinness World Records had deemed Arrowhead stadium as the loudest outdoor stadium in the world.... this place is roaring. We got to the game early and watched as the die-hard (to an extreme) fans tail gated and walked around with their crazy hats, shirts and costumes. The stadium itself holds nearly 80,000 people and on the day we went I would estimate nearly 85% of those seats were occupied. 

I quickly learned the deafening war cry of the Chiefs and proudly sang it at the top of my lungs, as did Zach causing him to lose most of his voice the rest of the week.  We screamed the loudest I have screamed in a long time, we cheered, we high-fived the strangers sitting all around us with every good play and every touchdown that brought us closer to victory. An outsider looking in would clearly know who you were rooting for, who's team you were on, what your thought was in that moment- the Chiefs victory! Defeat of the opponent. We belonged to the Chiefs. We belonged to Kansas City. We belonged to that fan base that filled 80,000 seats- strangers or not. And we were proud of it. 

At some point that day Zach looked at me and said, "What if this stadium were full of people cheering for Christ?"

What would that look like? What would that sound like? What if those all around us knew Who's team we were on?  What if our cheers for Jesus made us lose our voice for a week?  What would the world look like if the Church continued to join in unison as one large fan base of Christ and cheer for victory at the top of our lungs? 

To cheer for defeat of the enemy and the victory found in the salvation that Christ offers.

Our lives are an arena. Our cheers are worship. This is a daily act, a daily sacrifice.  

The questions posed to us in a recent sermon was: “Am I willing to give up my pursuits and worship of lesser gods? Will I allow myself to be overcome with giving God glory? Because the things I turn my attention to will determine the substance of my life.”

One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. I want to be a catalyst in leading people to the cross. I want my attention to be so in tune with Christ that the substance of my life reflects His calling. I long for the day that a loud football stadium will severely pale in comparison with all peoples from all nations praising the Lord.