Excitement, ebullience, absolute lunacy...my name is Tiffany and I am addicted to the Auburn Tigers! Ever since Auburn beat Bama in 1 second (don't ever believe that a second doesn't matter!) I have been deliriously, perhaps pathologically, happy. An Auburn Tiger victory, SEC West Champs, beating Bama, changes my reaction to everything! My son neglected to brush his teeth for 3 days...it's a holiday weekend, who cares? My daughter forgot her basketball shoes? Happy to make an extra trip. I lost a tennis match; the joy was all mine!
My personal belief, having spent many years on the loveliest village on the plains, Auburn is a bit like paradise.. a spiritual assembly of thousands gathering to celebrate and toast a history of excellence. Not in a stuffy, arrogant manner but in a down-home, southern, Jim Beam meets Coca Cola pull up a chair, have some pound cake, and tell me your name, kind of way. It defies age, race, gender, economics...it is heartfelt, it is pure, and unless you experience if for yourself, it is indescribable.
I have an odd form of Tourette's syndrome today, I randomly shout,"Davis has the ball...he's at the 10, the 20, the 30...he 's going to go all the way!!" To which my son sternly yet patiently responds, "Mom....STOP." Sometimes I start to mimic the startling triumph of Auburn's radio announcer screaming, "Auburn wins, Auburn wins!" This joy is fun, childlike, heartfelt. Personally, this intense euphoria, and likewise to other sports' fans whose teams defy all odds, could even be described as worship.
We are embarking on a series at church called The Advent Conspiracy. Pastor Troy did a great job reacquainting us with the idea of worship. In church I primarily think of it as singing but in the biblical description, when the wise men "worshiped" they were bowing, face to the floor, in front of the Christ Child. The question posed to the congregation, "When have you been overcome with joy?" "What do you worship?" "How do you worship?" Pastor Troy had me listening, and he had me convicted. We all worship something and often this time of year our worship is about "doorbusters," the latest tech gadget, the football games and polls, the athletes, our children, money, glitz, glamor, shopping and festivities.
We are embarking on a series at church called The Advent Conspiracy. Pastor Troy did a great job reacquainting us with the idea of worship. In church I primarily think of it as singing but in the biblical description, when the wise men "worshiped" they were bowing, face to the floor, in front of the Christ Child. The question posed to the congregation, "When have you been overcome with joy?" "What do you worship?" "How do you worship?" Pastor Troy had me listening, and he had me convicted. We all worship something and often this time of year our worship is about "doorbusters," the latest tech gadget, the football games and polls, the athletes, our children, money, glitz, glamor, shopping and festivities.
This was my church attire today...my 2010 Black Friday special t-shirt! Yes, still worshiping, still thrilled about our victory!
What if this raw emotion, viral on sport threads and networks today was the way we worshiped Christ? What if we were, as Chris Davis described following his epic run, "relentless" in the pursuit of what really matters. Relentless in giving to those who truly need it; relentless in serving the lonely; relentless in seeking justice for "the least of these?" Relentless in prayer; relentless in keeping our hearts focused on the goal and meaning of Christmas. What if we conspire to inspire our families to care more about the things that matter from an eternal standpoint. What if the celebration of Christmas involved strengthening relationships, service, generosity, and rejoicing. More time to the lonely, more aid to the impoverished, more care for our service members. Those are reasons to celebrate too!
This is what JOY looks like! May we conspire to inspire rejoicing for Christmas.
What if I hugged, fist-pumped, jumped up and down, fell to the floor overcome with the joy of Christmas like I did following the Auburn victory? Yes, I would probably be deemed crazy but as an Auburn fan and as a Christian, I believe that type of joy is perfectly acceptable and to be encouraged. When we seek joy this Christmas know that it was found thousands of years ago; not on a high def television, but in a simple manger. Whether we see the star or not, it is there, although sometimes "pollution" (Ipads, billboards, cellphones) obscures the view. We potentially spend too much time looking down at our texts and facebook posts, rather than looking up at the Star. My hope, my plan this Christmas is to clear the air, clear the environment. To be relentless in my pursuit of the Star worthy of my worship and celebration.
Thank you for reading. War Eagle and Merry Christmas!
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