World Cup Soccer

"World Cup Thoughts"

In my younger years I heard a lot about football.  I knew something
about the Super Bowl, even though I'm not much of a football fan (I'm
from Kentucky, after all).  Soccer?  I suppose I heard it mentioned
now and then, but I'm not sure I ever saw people playing soccer until
I was in graduate school in Wisconsin.

The world has changed.  Or, to be more precise, the United States has
changed.  Soccer, referred to as "football" in almost every other
country on earth (for some it is "futball"), is likely the most
popular participation sport in the world.  If you doubt that, just
turn on your television beginning tomorrow and sample some of the
month-long coverage of World Cup Soccer.

Teams from 204 nations have competed for the last three years for the
right to be in the World Cup.  32 teams remain, and coverage will be
extensive on sports channels.  Though many of us know hardly anything
about the sport, that's not true in most other places outside the U.S.
Even in the African nation of Cameroon, The Indomitable Lions, the
nation's team, is cheered enthusiastically.  According to one article,
"one in four people in the known universe will tune in" to watch.

Soccer in general and the World Cup in particular illustrate once
again how people view things differently.  I doubt that I'll watch
more than a few minutes of the action during the whole event; but I
don't watch much American football either.  I've witnessed, however,
crowds of people on a Sunday afternoon in Lima, Peru gathering around
a rough playing field to watch men of all ages play the game.  I've
seen fellows from Latin America and from Africa who now reside in my
hometown devote long afternoons to playing with "their team".  Others
take very seriously what I barely notice.  The United States, as much
as I love it, is not the center of the universe.

Jesus was the first to advocate a global perspective.  His Great
Commission, given to His apostles, instructed them to "Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
These apostles were like many of us: fiercely nationalistic.  They had
little, if any, interest in people outside the borders of Judea.
Jesus meant to enlarge their vision.

Peter, though slow to learn, finally embraced the concept: "... In
truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  But in every nation
whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by Him" (Acts
10:34,35).  Paul would later elaborate in clearer terms: "There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus"
(Galatians 3:28).  Every person on earth has equal access to salvation
through Jesus.

Jesus' purpose was not to make us all look and act alike.  He would
not endorse one nation above any other.  His desire was to teach us to
see the value of every other human.  In spite of our differences,
there is a soul inside each body.  God loves every soul and He urges
us to do the same.

We may have no interest at all in soccer or the World Cup.  But let's
realize that many others do.  Perhaps we should turn on a few minutes
of World Cup action just to see the faces of people not like
ourselves.  They're not inferior to us because they are different.
We're all special in God's sight.

Timothy D. Hall