Home

Weekly Devotional

January 30, 2012

God’s Peace be with you all.

Philippians 3:10-14  ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,  ¹¹ if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  ¹² Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  ¹³ Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Next Sunday will mark the biggest sporting event for this entire year.  Here are some fun facts about next week’s game:

• 8 million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday
• 14,500 tons of chips are eaten along with that guacamole
• Of the top 10 most watched American television programs of all time, nine of them are Super Bowls
• The Super Bowl is measured in Roman numerals because a football season runs over two calendar years
• Over 700,000 footballs are produced annually for official NFL use and 72 of them are used for the Super Bowl
• It is the 2nd most watched sporting event in the world. More than 100 million people worldwide watch the Super Bowl every year. In fact, Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 unseated M*A*S*H's series finale as the most watched show in television history with over 106.5 million watchers.
• One 30-second commercial aired during the Super Bowl costs at least $2,800,000
• The NFL has a policy against holding Super Bowl games in stadiums that have a climate of less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, unless it is an enclosed stadium.

As much attention as this game gets though, it is actually a shame that the attendance rate for church’s is only half of the viewership rate for this game.  It is no surprise that church membership is down over the last century, while sporting events continue to see their numbers rise.  Why?  Is the world walking away from God?  Or are we just looking for excuses?

            This week many of you will be doing some planning for this big game.  Carrie and I talked just last night about what kind of food we want to have while we watch the big game.  It reminded me of when I was in Seminary.  All the guys (and a few girls) would get together to watch the Monday Night Football games.  We did something different than unusual though, in that we had a bible study during halftime.  Perhaps that is a way that you too can celebrate the Super Bowl this year.  Let’s remember that when it comes to the Sabbath, our purpose and our task is to rest and to worship.  So as you watch the big game, and as you stuff yourself with food like I plan to do, I hope you also take a moment and give thanks to God for the things that you have that enable you to enjoy this Sunday and the game.

In our prayers this week: Ann, Daniel, David and Brent Schaeffer, Scott S., Mike C., Pat’s sister Barbara, Barbara Cantrell, Charles Petitt, and Wendy Scalzo (Hazel’s daughter)

God’s Peace,