Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
People always complain about rubberneck drivers.
You know who I mean....
those people who slow down to view a traffic accident,
thus slowing traffic on the highway.
But let's admit it,
we are all born curious,
we all slow down...
we all take a look.
It's the same way with a fight.
You may not like violence,
but somehow it's hard not to look.
I understand that there are bound to be onlookers.
I just didn't expect so many would become cheerleaders.
The old joke is
I went to a fight,
and a hockey game broke out.
Last week,
I did go to a hockey game with some friends.
We arrived late,
and before I could get some concessions and find my seat,
it was 2-0,
with one fight.
Soon after, I was munching on my chicken strips ,
it was 3-0, then 4-0.
In football,
that is the equivalent of being ahead 28-0.
Rout on.
And that's when fight #2 broke out.
Hockey is unique in that it is the one team sport
that allows fights to go on.
In fact, it is fair to say
that fights are an expected part of the game.
Head guards, gloves came off...the usual.
#27 of the visiting team became the enemy.
I didn't think much of the fight..
I was a bit surprised though,
not so much that the crowd as a whole got into it,
but how everyone seemed up for a good brawl.
Grandmothers were screaming words
that are never heard during Sunday school.
Young children were jumping for joy
that the game had become
an ultimate fight.
Soon after,
the home team continued the punishment,
One quick trip to the restroom
and I missed 2 goals
and 3 more fights.
(I hate to think what I would have missed if I were a woman )
The situation continued to escalate
as the home team
raised the score to 7-0.
Things were getting, as they say,
a bit chippy.
Fights #6 and #7 broke out,
and #27 had become arch enemy #1
to 10,000 people.
Cameras were flashing,
(mine included)
People were standing shaking their fists at #27
treating him as if he was Darth Vader.
In hockey, that have the equivalent of a time out chair,
it's called the penalty box.
By now they were adding overflow seating
in the penalty box,
to accommodate all the testosterone driven naughty boys.
The announcer after each fight
would read off the penalty list,
which grew longer and longer.
It would have been quicker to say:
Everyone's in the penalty box except the mascot,
and even he was pushing it.
You know you are in desperate times
when a mascot named Cocoa
is calling for blood.
The refs (who let the latest fight go on for 10 minutes)
called the captains to mid rink
and told them to play nice.
Nice lasted about 2 minutes.
By the time fight #10 arrived,
the crowd was pretty jazzed.
I think I even saw the peanut vendor
take out the cotton candy guy.
I can't even write what the hot dog boy said......
We are all subject to being influenced.
We may not admit it,
but each of us has those things
which grab our attention,
things which seek to change us from who we are intended to be.
Jesus said we are to be salt and light,
elements that change the world,
rather than allowing the world to change us.
John called those things
that seek to make us less then we are false spirits,
things that wish to make us slaves,
rather children of the King.
Those spirits can and will pop up anywhere and anytime,
at hockey games,
while driving the car,
in the middle of a sleepless night.
Penalty boxes don't solve the problem.
Only a recognition that the One who lives within us
and is greater than any false spirit,
gives us hope.
So the next time you find yourself rubbernecking
rather than praying for the accident victim,
the next time you find yourself
cheering on a fight,
rather than availing yourself to be a peacemaker,
the next time you find yourself
listening to a false spirit,
rather than the One who marched into Hades on your behalf,
remember who is the one who is greater.
Remember who is the one who won the fight by turning the other cheek.
Remember whose you are.
You are from God little children,
and have overcome the false spirits;
because greater is He who is in you,
than he who is in the world.
They are from the world;
therefore they speak as from the world,
and the world listens to them.
We are from God;
he knows God listen to us;
he who is not from God does not listen to us.
By this we know the spirit of truth,
and the spirit of error.
I John 4:4-6
People always complain about rubberneck drivers.
You know who I mean....
those people who slow down to view a traffic accident,
thus slowing traffic on the highway.
But let's admit it,
we are all born curious,
we all slow down...
we all take a look.
It's the same way with a fight.
You may not like violence,
but somehow it's hard not to look.
I understand that there are bound to be onlookers.
I just didn't expect so many would become cheerleaders.
The old joke is
I went to a fight,
and a hockey game broke out.
Last week,
I did go to a hockey game with some friends.
We arrived late,
and before I could get some concessions and find my seat,
it was 2-0,
with one fight.
Soon after, I was munching on my chicken strips ,
it was 3-0, then 4-0.
In football,
that is the equivalent of being ahead 28-0.
Rout on.
And that's when fight #2 broke out.
Hockey is unique in that it is the one team sport
that allows fights to go on.
In fact, it is fair to say
that fights are an expected part of the game.
Head guards, gloves came off...the usual.
#27 of the visiting team became the enemy.
I didn't think much of the fight..
I was a bit surprised though,
not so much that the crowd as a whole got into it,
but how everyone seemed up for a good brawl.
Grandmothers were screaming words
that are never heard during Sunday school.
Young children were jumping for joy
that the game had become
an ultimate fight.
Soon after,
the home team continued the punishment,
One quick trip to the restroom
and I missed 2 goals
and 3 more fights.
(I hate to think what I would have missed if I were a woman )
The situation continued to escalate
as the home team
raised the score to 7-0.
Things were getting, as they say,
a bit chippy.
Fights #6 and #7 broke out,
and #27 had become arch enemy #1
to 10,000 people.
Cameras were flashing,
(mine included)
People were standing shaking their fists at #27
treating him as if he was Darth Vader.
In hockey, that have the equivalent of a time out chair,
it's called the penalty box.
By now they were adding overflow seating
in the penalty box,
to accommodate all the testosterone driven naughty boys.
The announcer after each fight
would read off the penalty list,
which grew longer and longer.
It would have been quicker to say:
Everyone's in the penalty box except the mascot,
and even he was pushing it.
You know you are in desperate times
when a mascot named Cocoa
is calling for blood.
The refs (who let the latest fight go on for 10 minutes)
called the captains to mid rink
and told them to play nice.
Nice lasted about 2 minutes.
By the time fight #10 arrived,
the crowd was pretty jazzed.
I think I even saw the peanut vendor
take out the cotton candy guy.
I can't even write what the hot dog boy said......
We are all subject to being influenced.
We may not admit it,
but each of us has those things
which grab our attention,
things which seek to change us from who we are intended to be.
Jesus said we are to be salt and light,
elements that change the world,
rather than allowing the world to change us.
John called those things
that seek to make us less then we are false spirits,
things that wish to make us slaves,
rather children of the King.
Those spirits can and will pop up anywhere and anytime,
at hockey games,
while driving the car,
in the middle of a sleepless night.
Penalty boxes don't solve the problem.
Only a recognition that the One who lives within us
and is greater than any false spirit,
gives us hope.
So the next time you find yourself rubbernecking
rather than praying for the accident victim,
the next time you find yourself
cheering on a fight,
rather than availing yourself to be a peacemaker,
the next time you find yourself
listening to a false spirit,
rather than the One who marched into Hades on your behalf,
remember who is the one who is greater.
Remember who is the one who won the fight by turning the other cheek.
Remember whose you are.
You are from God little children,
and have overcome the false spirits;
because greater is He who is in you,
than he who is in the world.
They are from the world;
therefore they speak as from the world,
and the world listens to them.
We are from God;
he knows God listen to us;
he who is not from God does not listen to us.
By this we know the spirit of truth,
and the spirit of error.
I John 4:4-6
.
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