Many fans of the scarlet and gray squad from Columbus, Ohio, are counting down the days until their beloved Buckeyes will attempt to pull off a national championship in the highest level of collegiate football. However, their last game, that they needed to pull off first, had its interesting moments. While Ohio State’s offense seemed to be humming along just fine to open the game, one of their star running backs in TreVeyon Henderson, who also happens to be a rather verbally-proclaiming Christian, seemingly punched an opposing player after the Buckeye was tackled. The ensuing penalty appeared to completely halt the potential onslaught of scoring for THE team.
And then, just before halftime, Henderson gave the impression of responding with his own athletic form of redemption, at least: taking a pass for what came off as if to be the entire football field, all the way for a touchdown after the opposition had just tied the score and was insistent on seizing all the cherished momentum. Some of the “experts” believe that if it wasn’t for that play, it’s quite possible there would be no representation from Ohio for the matchup in Atlanta this upcoming Monday.
With that as the background, after the game, Henderson was asked about the radical turn of events for him on the field:
Yes, it was a battle, especially after making this mistake on the field, you know, with the penalty.
Just spending some time with the Lord on the sideline, asking for his forgiveness and helping me to repent, to turn away, because that’s not the person I wanna be, and you know, his hand is always there.
And man, he picked me up in that moment, and my teammate, man, he told me just focus on Jesus
and so, I’m just thankful, man, for my brothers in Christ to be there to pick me up and help me to focus on the Lord. Yeah, God made a way.
They just keep seeking Jesus together, you know, to keep trusting him and to keep growing with him and you know, and just surrender, you know, his will be done and not ours.
Granted, one of the biggest complaints of most church leaders, including pastors, is our faith not being expressed beyond the church walls nearly enough. Henderson does so and then some. There is something to be admired about that: to be more fully aware of God’s presence in our lives and in the world around us. However, I think when such a faith is proclaimed on a near national stage (although this interview is more so with a Columbus-based reporter), we always need to be careful of what exactly is being proclaimed to people who wonder about God, Jesus, the church, faith, etc.
For starters, I’m always leery of the surrender word. I know there’s that cherished refrain: “I surrender all.” I know we constantly pray “Thy will be done.” But I never want children of God to be under the impression that they need to be submissive to an almighty, all-powerful, most intimidating, wrathful God. I know that was an image projected from pulpits and Sunday school classrooms and all forms of church communication for God-only-knows how long, and is still proclaimed far too much to the detriment of vulnerable people, who should be more fully assured of a loving, gracious, mercy-filled, God.
Of course, we sports fans (aka fanatics) always need to tread lightly with just how much God truly desires to shape the outcomes of athletic events. As if it was God’s will that the scarlet and gray squad made it to Atlanta, but not any other team (although a decent argument could be made that God wouldn’t mind the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to join Ohio State on Monday, but minor detail). We need to be careful with the theology that everything that happens in this world is exactly how God orchestrated or desires it to happen when so much despair happens to far too many on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, perhaps the Gospel was also proclaimed on Henderson’s eyeblack, which many players wear just below their eyes and may even write something on it for other players and millions on television to see. For Henderson, it was “Romans 3:22,” which reads: “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction” (NRSV). That so happens to be in the middle of the second reading (3:19-28) we hear every Reformation Sunday for us Lutherans. It is the Great News that reminds us that no matter how well we fulfill whatever set of commandments or laws, we will still fall short of any level of glory. Instead, the most glorious gift of grace is freely unleashed upon us in Jesus Christ.
And I firmly believe that although the temptation to such a Gospel might be to just give up entirely on following whatever desires of God for social justice or better treatment of neighbors, including opposing players, because we’ve already been given the gift of grace, not to mention God will take care of it all some other divine way anyway; instead, God also insists that our own free will is a part of the beautiful grace-filled equation. For God desires to see our faith in action, our humble but integral response to the Gospel.
In the end, we do not proclaim that you must surrender everything about yourself, and think that God demands to control every single movement. That doesn’t seem to be so gracious, after all. But we will do our best to “focus on Jesus…keep growing with him,” to be sure, as Henderson said. And even the best of us will make mistakes, but God will always insist on other teammates of work, church, family or whomever else, picking us back up, because God cherishes all of us who have fallen short. Thankfully, Christ knows then, knows now, and always will know, how to take us the rest of the way with a love that saved us and set us free to help bring a glimpse of that love to life now. Thanks be to God, indeed!
In Christ,
Pastor Brad