September 28, 2017 My dear Friends: When I was seven years old, I got introduced to reading the paper every day through reading the sports pages (and the comics—hey, I was seven; what do you expect?). We lived in Houston, Texas, and I was a big Astros and Oilers fan. That was a good time to pay attention; the ‘Stros were on the rise and would land Nolan Ryan in 1980, and the Oilers had Earl Campbell, the Hall of Fame running back. But reading the sports page was not only a time to collect data and statistics, which I love; through the years, it has been a time of escape and enjoyment. I still love sports and read the sports page (both in regular newspapers and online). But it is sort of depressing now—as I’m writing this, it was just announced that Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino and AD Tom Jurich were both fired in relationship to a pay-for-play scandal; that’s the third major scandal since 2010 for that program. And of course, all the debates between athletes and our country’s president over standing or kneeling for the National Anthem. Even the big article a few weeks ago on ESPN.com on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who talked about his move away from his family’s evangelical faith to a broader, less biblical religion where he refuses to selfidentify as a Christian any longer. The days of memorizing statistics and wondering at the power, grace, and beauty of athletes seem far, far away. I wonder at times what sports are for—how do we use our bodies for God’s glory through competition? As spectators, how do we admire God’s work in making our bodies to do amazing things? Do we notice how sport can bring a divided community together, as I experienced in 2006 at Game 5 of the World Series when the Cardinals beat the Tigers and whites and blacks, women and men, hugged and high-fived, sang and celebrated together? And do we see how sports can rip us apart, either into regions or parties or perspectives? And do I notice how my idol-factory heart all too easily makes my loyalty to my teams an ultimate loyalty, so that my followership becomes worship (as I am still depressed about how poorly the St. Louis Cardinals have played at times this year)? In the end, I know I’ll still watch the games because the little boy in me still loves the competition and statistics; yet, I grieve the constant struggle in my own heart to remember that sports are a good gift of God, not God himself. When the good things become ultimate things, then I go to war to protect that which my heart worships. Anyway, just a few thoughts. I do need to let you know about two staff transitions we’ve had at IPC. A couple of weeks ago, we welcomed Ben Ervin as our AV Coordinator. He replaces Curtis Mason, who gave so many years of faithful service to our congregation in working with our sound. As you see Curtis in worship, please thank him for his service to us. In addition, we are saddened to report that on September 25, Gary Cummings resigned his position as director of operations with Independent Presbyterian Church, effective immediately. Gary has agreed to cooperate with and assist the church as we transition his duties to others, and we wish Gary well in all of his future endeavors. As we work through this transition, we have good people who have stepped up to take on various responsibilities in operations for the time being, but we do ask for your patience over the next few weeks as we gain proficiency in our new oversight areas. In the grip of God’s grace,
Rev. Sean Michael Lucas, PhD Senior Pastor Independent Presbyterian Church Memphis, TN