February 10, 2021
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…" I love Paul's greeting to the Galatians and I love the people of Covenant Church. I love how worship is essential to your lives, whether it's in-person worship or online. I love how you love our church, our community, and your families. And those things are all true because of your love for Jesus Christ, because of how much he loves you. It's all a beautiful thing.
Another thing of beauty is your response to "Souper Bowl Sunday." The total is:
* Tampa Bay - $531.50
* Kansas City - $266.50
The real winners are food ministries here in Lenawee County. $798.00 will feed a lot of families. Thank you for all you do, in such excellent ways.
For personal reasons, I didn't watch or follow the NFL in 2020. But two things changed that. 2021 and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. I watched the Tampa Bay games against New Orleans and Green Bay, and then the Super Bowl. I'm glad I did. Having lived in Kansas City back in the mid-1980s, I was glad the Chiefs won last year, but I will never not root for a Brady-led team.
Contrary to the Covenant Church "Souper Bowl" result, most sportswriters, broadcasters, and pundits picked Kansas City. Probably 75% of them. I couldn't be happier with the results…both our generosity and the game results. It was a fine day.
One of my favorite bits of trivia from Sunday was the fact that Calvin Johnson {Detroit Lions wide receiver; loved the guy and his work ethic} came into the league the year Tom Brady played in his third Super Bowl and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, the same year Tom Brady played in his tenth Super Bowl.
On a negative note, I thought the commercials were mostly garbage.
For what it's worth, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are owned by a Jewish family. Some of their players are devout Christians. One of their defensive standouts, Jason Pierre-Paul, is the son of Haitian immigrants. Vita Vea {good luck remembering his full name} is a nose tackle whose parents are from Tonga. The head coach, Bruce Arians, is 68-years-old {a senior citizen!}. His 95-year-old mother was at the game. Their offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich, is a young black man. Todd Bowles, their defensive coordinator, is a middle-aged black man. Assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust is the first woman to earn a Super Bowl ring at a coaching position. Joining her is Maral Javadifar, assistant strength and conditioning coach. Her parents fled Iran after the 1979 revolution.
I point these stories out because they are America. Skin color, ethnic background, religious heritage, age, none of these things matter. It's simply that people generally work hard to get where they are. America truly is a land of opportunity. The only thing that matters to me is how I see and interact with others. Am I joyful and peaceful and patient and kind and loving and good and faithful and gentle and self-controlled, most of the time, in most situations and circumstances? That's how we all work together to make this a great country.
And now your moment of Spurgeon:
Some minds are like stained glass windows; they shut out much of the
light, and the little light that does struggle through, they colour after their
own manner.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Richard