Hockey

Maybe it is because my church meets in a hockey arena and hockey season has just begun, or maybe it is because I have been working on a hockey theme song to submit to the CBC, but I have been thinking a bit about hockey. In Canada, it is hard to think about pop culture and not eventually come to hockey (don’t worry if you are American just substite football and the rest of the world substitute football as well…which is soccer to Americans!) I love some of the analogies I see in hockey that help me focus on what it is as a church we are supposed to be about. Have you ever thought about the bench before? Players go there for a bit of coaching, some direction and strategy. They go there to catch their breath before their next shift, to drink some fluids and maybe check on their equipment. If they are injured they go to get helped by the trainer. The bench is only a temporary stop to help ensure the best performance from the players on their next shift. It is not pretty – its stinks. It is not glorified – it is simple and crude. It is not the center of attention – it serves the game.
Our gatherings should, in some respects, be the same. It is not all about good food, great music, pyrotechnics and preaching that makes us laugh and makes us cry and is better than Cats. There is nothing wrong with this stuff if it does not turn our attention away from the game going on around us. I see my Sunday morning as an opportunity to spend time with the coach and hear a word from Him. Whoever is delivering the message I see as an assistant coach, helping us to understand more clearly and to turn our attention back to the teaching, strategy and purpose set out by our Head coach, Jesus. Pastors may be assistant coaches at best but more often then not are trainers helping heal the wounded, or equipment managers helping equip the congregation for ministry. I think that maybe what Paul was referring to in Ephesians 4:11-12 when he states that Jesus gave “some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service…”
Another thing I notice is that on the hockey bench, aside from a back up goalie, there are no extras or bench warmers. Hockey is played in shifts, and although some may play significantly more than others there is an expectation that everyone will contribute. Everyone expects to play, everyone wants to play and they are very frustrated if they sit on the bench for too long. I hope that we all have the same desire to get out on the ice and play. Let’s face it when you sit too long you get out of shape and out of practice and it will frustrate our spiritual life. There is too much work and the stakes are too high to have bench warmers. As we gather together my prayer is that we might think of ourselves as on the bench. We can celebrate and cheer as we share what God has done in our midst throughout the week. We can catch our breath and get some Gatorade. We can get some help to fix our laces and sharpen our skates. We can use some time to mend the bruises or stitch the cuts. We can get some coaching as we meet with Jesus and get clarification from our assistant coaches. We can get our encouragement and our pat on the back. But it does not end there. We do all this so that we can get back out on the ice and play to win.