I’ll admit it.  I don’t care for sports.  Whenever someone brings up sports my eyes gloss over and I stop listening.  I would say at some point my mind wanders to other subject….even physically sliding away from the conversation.

So it happens sometimes with devotionals and sermons.  The preacher or speaker, who also happens to be a sports fan, uses a football or basketball analogy.  I’ve heard more football analogies during my Christian life listening to sports sermons, compared to baseball and basketball.  I guess if I lived in Kentucky I might hear more basketball sermons, but its a moot point.

I guess the general public enjoys the sports.  People around here drive to Knoxville on Fall weekends to watch UT play (when they’re good).  Every office seems to have a Final Four office pool.  Fantasy Football is a thing.  NASCAR seems to be a topic of choice with a certain group of church members.

So it is no surprise that ministers try to appeal to a significant interest of their flock.  I guess I’m the lone man out being in the (perceived) minority that doesn’t enjoy sports.

I guess sports analogies have been happening since Biblical times.  As in 1 Corinthians 9:

²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; ²⁷ but I ^[l]discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Probably sports analogies (read races) might be in the top ten analogies in the bible with agricultural themes being first.  The Corinthian writer’s and preacher’s goal is to present a Biblical theme in a way that would make their audience understand.  Hence the sports perspective in today’s sermons.

I however wish there were other ways to present a lesson…in a more broader appeal.

John 15:1-2

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 

I have a neighbor that, since 2006, when I moved into the neighborhood, has pruned their trees twice, both seemingly during a short time from each other.  Pruned trees look awful.  They look like something off of another planet…more like in the forbidden zone in Planet of the Apes.

However pruning does extend the life of the tree.  Just as in the case of our vinedresser pruning those who bear fruit so that we can bear even more fruit.  Sometimes I wonder if pruning means hardships to make our faith endure….so that we can bear even more fruit.

Whereas just like the separation from the wheat and the chaff in Matthew 3:12, and Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree in Mark 11:12-14,20-25 and Matthew 21:18-22 the vinedresser will take away the branches that don’t bear fruit.

So what’s the fruit we’re to be bearing?  Good works.  We always should have a good attitude toward a Christian life.  And even more so we should be trying to bring others to Christ.  That is the true meaning of bearing fruit.

“Lock in?  What’s that?” I said to my youth minister 30 years ago.

“We used to do that at Fort Walton Beach.  We stay at the church building and stay up all night playing games.”

And so the Lock in was born (at least at my church).  I was intually confused due to the nomenclature thinking that they actually locked the doors to the building where no one could leave.  In reality folks could leave with parent’s permission.

This article takes a good stand on why lock-in are counter productive.  I’d tend to agree now.

Way back in my 20s I was under the delusion that I just had to be somewhere on New Years Eve for it to be worthwhile.  The church lock-in, which always needed volunteers, was a low hanging fruit.  Now I look back and understand that lock ins are counter productive.

It is EXHAUSTING.  Sure it’s fun for a bound 3-4 hours, but around 3AM you’re just sitting around waiting for the sunrise so you can go home.

As the article points out, nothing good comes after 3AM.  You have to police these young people, making sure couples don’t go off alone to a classroom.  To my knowledge we never had this problem.  But it sends wrong messages to young people in that it’s ok to fall asleep with your significant other in a church pew, just not each other’s bed.

There might be a short devotional at the beginning of the lock in…or maybe around midnight.  But overall the night was devoted to movies and sports.  So the spiritual aspect was lacking. It was more or less an activity to keep young people safe and off the streets.

Consequentially you do have youth group members who are less involved spiritually to attend the lock-in, and bring friends.  As one commentator pointed out, there is an opportunity to sow the seed…and sometimes it takes a while to see growth.  But somehow lock ins seem so far from spiritual aspect it makes it difficult to justify it.

My lock in days are over, thankfully.  I sympathize with those adults who chaperone, but I’m glad I chose to be at home on NYE.

I’ve heard it said before frequently at church that “We’re all a family here.”  We sing that upbeat hymn “We’re Part of a Family….”  The idea is Biblical in nature.  And it’s true that first century Christians did refer to each other as brothers or brethren. I am reminded that individual churches were small as many met in houses or even underground.  It wasn’t difficult to get to know fellow Christians.

But when we speak of treating each other like family, I am uneasy about it.  I belong to a 1000 member church.  There are plenty of people there who I don’t know, and somehow they’re asking me to trust these people with my spirituality?  Sorry, I can’t do that.  I don’t know these people from Adam, nor should I be asked to trust these people if I’ve never had a conversation with them.  In order to let these people into my life I need to know them on a more intimate friendship level.  Just because we go to the same church doesn’t mean we should be best friend or even trust one another.  Trust is earned and not given, even in a church setting.