I was on retreat with our church staff when my wife called with the news! "The Bears just made a trade for Jay Cutler from the Broncos!" I was ecstatic. You would have to be Chicago Bears fan for a very long time to understand the magnitude of this information. Since their Super Bowl win of 1985 the organization has had over 20 different starting quarterbacks. It is the largest number of quarterbacks in the entire NFL. This has made the team's winning very inconsistent or in some seasons non-existent. Knowing that we were receiving a well know quarterback with a great record from another team is huge. It doesn't hurt that he is a local boy from Santa Claus, Indiana. How could I possibly describe my feelings after I hung up the phone. The fall season was now one filled with hope, and promise and joy and future success. My team was given a new lease on life that will carry them to new horizons.
And to think, that is only football. What about your outlook toward the future. Is it one filled with hope and promise and future success? In Psalm 100 we are called on to "Shout for joy to the Lord," and "to enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!" What are the places in your life that you go to with such enthusiasm? There are sports events, concerts, movies and theater. What about worship?
Worship is not supposed to be a downer experience. It is not to be an event that we dread. We are designed by God to be in such a relationship with God that we cannot wait to gather with others to sing God's praises! Worship is designed to be an environment where we let go of our overflowing love and devotion for a God who loves us and sent his son to die for us! Jesus is the ultimate quarterback for our game of life. He is the number one draft pick of God who was sent to our "stadium" to lead us with hope, and promise and future success.
How has your attitude toward worship been lately? Have you been excited to be a part of it? My guess is that when our attitude toward worship slumps, it is not only caused by ineffective worship planning. It can also be because we have not had any fresh experiences to get us excited. We become refreshed as we come to worship again and again looking for the One who give us new hope and promise and future success. His name is Jesus. He always shows up.
After all these years of following the Bears' up and downs, my consistency as a fan has paid off. After all of these years of being loved by God and entering into his presence, I have never been let down. My real hope comes from my relationship with Jesus. Today, I hope you receive a phone call to lift your spirit. If not, call your pastor or a friend or a family member and allow them the privilege of offering you hope and then inviting you to worship.
Sharing in Faith,
Rev. Craig W. Duke
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