WORSHIP

Anglican

ALL SAINTS EAST DALLAS / allsaintseastdallas.org

Sunday worship 5:00 pm / Live in God’s Presence. Live Out His Love. Meeting at Central Lutheran Church / 1000 Easton Road

Baptist

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

Bible Churches

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / 214.348.9697

Wed: AWANA and Kids Choir 6:00 pm / Student Ministry 7:00 pm

Disciples Of Christ

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

Methodist

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

Presbyterian

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

8:30 & 11:00 am / Church School 9:35 am / Childcare provided.

Unity

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sundays: 9:00 am Early Service, 11:00 am Celebration Service contests — whether contests of ideas or sport.

The Republican Party is going through an agonizing season right now, searching its soul in light of Donald Trump’s nomination and all the chaos that has attended to it. Many Democrats also lack enthusiasm for their candidate. Whether they are unhappy with Hillary Clinton or with the way she has been caricatured by others, there isn’t much liftoff in her constituency. One will win, the other lose. Some hopes will rise and others fall.

The Texas Rangers had an outstanding season, winning 95 games — the most in the American League — and setting records for come-frombehind and one-run margin victories. It was thrilling, until it wasn’t. The Toronto Blue Jays swept the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. Our baseball team has given us great effort and entertainment, but in every sport only one eventually wins and all others lose.

Brad Sham is the longtime radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys and sports broadcaster extraordinaire. Brad grew up a Cubs fan, and he has called play-by-play for the Rangers, his adopted team. He recently posted on Facebook a reminder that should add sensible perspective. This is for not only my fellow Rangers and Cubs fans, but all sports fans.

But these teams’ fan’s especially. These teams do not owe us results. For our money and emotional investment, they owe us their best effort. These two teams have already over delivered this year. We should thank them and congratulate them. Be very happy if they win. Be as sad as we wish if they lose. But they’re doing their best against other professionals, as they have since February. Let there be no sniping or acrimony from us. We have struck out no one, we have delivered no hits nor run down one screaming liner in the gap. We have sat and cheered. Thank you Rangers. Thank you Cubs. You are examples and inspirations whatever happens next.

The word “fan” is short for “fanatic,” which the dictionary describes as “a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.” Or sports. I would quibble with the word uncritical; hypercriticism is often the problem. But the larger problem is the degree of devotion and emotion we invest in our parties and teams. We make what is supposed to be functional or fun fundamental.

Politics is important because it has real effect on everyday lives. It shouldn’t be elevated to religious ultimacy or trivialized to banal entertainment. Sport is meant to entertain us. But when our lives rise and fall with our teams’ results, we should check our values to see if they have drifted too far.

Spiritual wisdom warns against putting anything at the center of our lives that is transitory. Only God is eternal.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.