A Prayer for the Super Bowl
O God, today as we come to worship, we are not quite sure if you are the head coach or referee; We are not quite sure if we are on the offence or the defense; We would like to think that we have achieved some special skills. At times—perhaps most of the time—even dream of being super best.
O God, as we review the replay of last year, we learn very quickly that we fumbled far too much, that our well-planned plays often failed, that at times we should have taken a time out to rest, and perhaps changed our game plan; that at other times unfair penalties seemed to defeat us, and that all too often the breaks seemed to go to someone else.
O God, the clock moves irreversibly forward, and while we suspect too much time is spent in commercial, we come at last to the place where we are sure of only a few basic things: that in the league called Church, if we are to achieve any goals, there must be some work and we must assist one another.
And when we are warned that there are only two minutes to go we discover, almost when it is too late, that the Christian life is not played up in the stands with the spectators, but on the field with the participants.
O God, instill in us the wisdom of the head coach, the integrity of the referee, and the enthusiasm of the players, so that we may better serve you in this game and the next.