So I thought I’d get started by explaining the title of my blog. First of all, I’m a football fan. I’ve always loved college ball (Go Hokies), and I’m just really starting to get into NFL. Needless to say, I’m very excited that it’s football season again.
In thinking about a title, I started thinking about football analogies to faith and the church, and thus, “Third and Goal”. For you non-football people, third and goal means it’s the 3rd down, and there’s no place to go to advance the ball but the goal line, resulting in a touchdown. In HokieNation we call every 3rd down when we’re on defense a “key” play, where the whole stadium rattles their car keys and yells as loud as possible. It’s a key play because if the defense holds, the offense will usually either punt (which means your team gets the ball back) or try for a field goal (3 points instead of 6 for a touchdown). It’s key if you’re on offense as well, for if you convert on 3rd down (get the yards needed for the 1st down) your team gets to keep the ball and keep going to the endzone.
So, naturally, 3rd and goal is a pretty intense point in the game. You either get the ball in the endzone, or not. You either make your stand with your back against the wall as the defense, or not.
The lectionary a couple Sundays ago was from Luke 12, where Jesus calls the crowd a bunch of hypocrites for knowing how to predict the weather, but failing to interpret the present time. 3rd and goal is how I interpret this present time for us as Christians, as disciples of Jesus Christ. We’ve got the ball, the gospel, the Good News. We’ve been marching down the field, through the years, sometimes going backward, sometimes getting intercepted, sometimes getting the “ball” stripped from us. But now we’re at the goal line. It’s time to get the ball in the endzone or not.
What strikes me is how many churches, pastors, and Christians are simply settling for a field goal, or worse, they don’t realize the opportunity they have and simply turn the ball over after making it down the field. I’m not thinking of the end zone as the end times, more as the opportunity of evangelism. After all, what happens when a team scores a touchdown? The stadium goes nuts! Should’t we get just as excited when we witness our faith or the faith of another bearing fruit in an unbeliever’s life?
However, third and goal is just as important to the defense as well, and it’s their job to block and pull and push and do everything possible to keep that ball out of the endzone. What a defense we have to go up against when making disciples of Jesus Christ! To paraphrase Paul, not a defense made up of sweat, helmet and shoulder pads, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Moreover, we’ve got plenty of folks who seem to be playing for our team in the church, but in reality are playing for the defense.
So there’s a few thoughts on why this blog is titled “Third and Goal”. It’s where we are in the game. It’s time for a key play.
Do you agree? What’s your thoughts?
1 Comment
September 8, 2007 at 9:44 pm
I like the analogy of 3rd and goal…