Super Fans
John Fischer

Honestly, I didn't think anybody in Seattle could get this excited about anything. I don't have any real grounds on which to make that statement other than coffee grounds. People who brought us the espresso and the cappuccino don't seem to be the type that would scream their lungs out at a football game, but maybe their subliminal animal natures are just coming out. At any rate, watching that divisional playoff game Sunday night pretty much made me a believer, if not in the Seattle Seahawks, at least in their fans. Wow, were they pumped, or what?

I've come to expect a high noise level from Green Bay and most east coast fans (they have to make a lot of noise just to keep warm), but the west coast is generally more subdued. With generally milder weather, there are simply more options for your interest here in the fall and winter other than football. But these people in the Northwest have definitely gotten behind this team.

What about this whole football thing? Is there anything worthwhile in it or is it just a diversion? Is there anything valuable in all the hype we will be exposed to in the next two weeks?

Well, first, there's nothing wrong necessarily with being diverted. God doesn't only smile on work; He smiles on play too. He made us capable of enjoying aspects of this life on earth, and He is not the great killjoy in the sky that some people make Him out to be. The Psalms and Proverbs give indication of a kind of common grace that God allows human beings to experience regardless of their commitment or lack of it, to Him. David even laments this on occasion, when he sees evil people enjoying the benefits of this life. Having the right purpose in life means that everything else falls into its proper place. It does not mean there is no other enjoyment possible.

There is also the fact that the Super Bowl is something that a majority of people in this country will have in common. So that if you do choose to follow it, you will have a point of reference with friends a work, neighbors or even acquaintances, and anything that gets a conversation going is helpful when it comes to our need for relationships, and the spreading of the news about God in and through them. It may even be an opportunity to have neighbors over, or to go to their house (whoever has the bigger TV). Super Bowl Sunday is a good excuse to enhance relationships in our communities and neighborhoods, and whatever you might think about the game, that's worth getting excited about!

PDL