This is the time of year that I settle down on Sunday afternoons, evenings, and Monday nights to watch contests on the gridiron. During the Exhibition season, I watch as those college athletes who made it to the NFL learn their new roles. I also scan the rosters to see which players are returning for one more year, which have been traded or which ones have been cut by the team.
I am usually surprised by some of the changes in personnel which happened in the offseason. Big-name players like quarterbacks and wide receivers make the news when they are traded. I’m talking about linesmen and special team players. Officials for the game also review the rules from the year before, introducing new ones and clarifying how current ones will be enforced. It takes me a few weeks to adjust to the newness of the season, learn the new players and calls before I can sit back and be a fan, commentator, and coach at the same time.
This year, the start of the NFL, like all other events in our lives, is different. There were no preseason games. In most stadiums, there are no fans. Players, coaches, and those officiating the games are tested for COVID daily. All coaches are required to wear masks. Local bands will not be invited to provide half-time entertainment. I’m not sure if the announcers are on-site or broadcasting from another location. Players received a workout regimen on a tablet or computer to prepare for training camp. New coaches were required to learn their systems quicker than usual.
And somehow football is still football. Teams that ended last season on a winning note are already 2 and 0 with the potential to be in the playoffs again this year. And the teams which struggled to find the endzone last year haven’t solved the problem yet. We are still watching and cheering for our teams.
As many churches begin in-person service again, we realize that being in our worship spaces is different as we continue to journey through the pandemic. There are guidelines posted in most buildings informing us of current restrictions. Masks, singing, social distancing, fellowship time, how we enter and exit the building, along with other considerations have made us mindful of how we gather together in the same space.
Hear the good news. Church is still church. We attend worship, whether online or in-person, to praise God, nurture our souls and affirm how we are living out our call to make disciples for the transformation of the world. We are inspired by sermons that are thought-provoking, empowering, and affirming. We pray for one another and have created new ways to connect with one another. We are recognizing the needs in our faith communities and neighborhoods, changing our mission focus to respond to how COVID is affecting our lives. We are still marching in the light of God. We are journeying into a new age for our faith. We are called by God to share what it means to be Christians at this time in our world. May you be blessed in all that you do. And Amen.