"Cultural Idle-atry"

Recently I had an old acquaintance, a former church member from days long ago ask to be on my facebook friends list. I knew better because of our past history, but went ahead anyway and let this person on. Perhaps, I thought, maybe something good can come of this to bring him back to truth.
Wrong! In no time at all, this individual began posting things on my wall that indicated their all-consuming passion - sports. Every comment was sports related; it was as if nothing else really mattered in life if not connected in some way to sports. One comment that finally got to me was to the effect that "God gave us Monday night football." That's when I lost my cool and responded with a comment "Are you sure that's what God had in mind when He created Monday?"
As a preacher and a church planter I know only too well the competition that God and the church have with America's sports fetish. When I hear of churches that cancel regular Sunday services to gather around a big-screen TV because it's "Super Sunday" (the Super Bowl), I want to scream! And when I remember that this former member left us and elected to become a member of one such church, I could only respond as I believe any man of God would have done; in a pastoral manner that would hopefully result in some personal introspection and a course correction.
So I vented and said, "Can't wait to see what 'sports' there are in heaven ... I can only imagine it might be something like seeing how far you can cast your crown! When does one cross the line with loving something so much that it becomes idolatry? I think passion for God should be second to nothing. Am I a fanatic? Yes or No ... (Say YES, please ...)"
To which came back the response, "Some things never change ..." and went on to say "... don't be a hater ..." Finally, I was informed that heaven was just one great big "football game in the sky"! And I thought to myself, "Yeah, you fault me for never changing, but I see that some things never change for you, either. You still love football more than God; just listen to how excited you get talking about it! You aren't so excited about God, or Bible truth, because you've left the truth. Sports were in the way of your walk then, and they still are, from what I can see!"
Similarly, I drove by a church that had a sign out "Have Breakfast With Santa This Saturday." That peaved me. So I posted this on my facebook; "Went by the [ ]church, saw a sign 'Have breakfast with Santa.' What, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em? So now it doesn't matter that Jesus came into the world to bring 'peace on earth' 'cause we got a fat man in a red suit running around giving goodies to all the girls and boys, and that's what Christmas is all about! The church is fine with that because people are fine with that; nobody cares for truth anymore!"
I can't help but wonder what an O.T. prophet would think if he were suddenly granted a visit to our time and he saw the state of the church in this day and age? What would he think of Christianity that sold out to the idolatry of the idleness and vanities of it's culture? What would he think of churches that replaced the nativity story with the Santa story? What would he think of Christians that were so confused in their love of sports that they saw Heaven as a giant football game for eternity?
I further went on to note that "Some things shouldn't change. I love life and I love God with a jealous love; I believe He should be number one in life. What O.T. prophet was appreciated for his opposition to cultural interests that interfered with religious duty? I'm in good company. Reserve your best passion for God, or else!"
I'm glad I haven't changed in this respect. Even George Foreman, former heaveyweight champion of the world two times over, had this to say about his love for the sport in his book God In My Corner; "... it can never become more important than God. if it ever does, the task becomes an idol. The way to prevent idolatry is to love the Lord with all your heart."
Now, I'm not saying it's wrong to have passions and interests in life not related to God and the church. I love art and painting, and playing music, and there are lots of things I enjoy, but you should see me when I'm teaching someone a Bible study; that's when you'll see my truest passion! I always put my best forward when it comes to church; I refuse to be more excited about anything than the work of God!
I can't help but think such cannot be the case where love for sports is a passion and an obsession. What if someone were to say to such a person; "I need a Bible study, and I want you to teach it. Only you; and I can only have it on Monday nights." The time slot is just when Monday Night Football is on, and you're going to miss it for the next twelve weeks of this study! What do you say to this soul who needs salvation? See me when football season is over?
That's the reality from a preacher and a soul-winner's viewpoint. And I think of others who have left us in the past, but when the doctors tell them "You've got two weeks to live" then they want to reach out and reconnect with us, because they know that "some things never change", and just now they're glad that we haven't ceased being who we are, our passion for God where it belongs, and still preaching the Old Time Gospel just when they need to hear it most! And that puts it into perspective, because what we do here on earth is really only preparing us for eternity, and how do such all-consuming cultural vanities and "idle-atries" fit in with eternity?
Go get 'em, preacher! Grr-r-r!