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Holy Games
Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 | 8th Sunday after Pentecost
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What's Up This Week
There are many facets to the life we have in Christ, but one of the most important is joy. Joy is intrinsically connected with the Christian experience. However, many of us miss out on it. We may have the reverence part, the seeking-after-justice part, or even the devotion part, but many of us miss out on joy. Frank Ramirez explores the notion of play in worship and the joy it can bring with it in "Holy Games." Scott Dalgarno illustrates the joy we can experience knowing we're following the path and vocation God has set out for us in, "What Can Brown Do for You?"
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Holy Games
by Frank Ramirez
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn."
-- Matthew 11:16-17
Play is an essential activity for humans, no matter what form it takes. Yet the church remains a little leery of fun. It's not unheard of for a church to host a Super Bowl Party, usually with a big screen and plenty of snacks, and perhaps a testimonial at halftime, but for some, sports and faith are an uncomfortable mix. There is this feeling that games must be justified, that there must be a moral or a lesson. Heaven forbid if children think of the church as a building where play takes place.
However, it must not be forgotten that the ancient Olympic Games (and the Corinthian Games that inspired some of the apostle Paul's metaphors) were a religious festival. An even closer connection can be found on our continent.
A thousand years ago the Hohokam cultures of ancient America occupied what is now southern Arizona in a region that encompasses modern-day Phoenix and Tucson, and extending toward Flagstaff in the north. They were great artisans, leaving behind impressive pottery and small sculpture. They were wonderful architects. The ruins of their towns even now, hundreds of years later, rise impressively from the arid desert.
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