SEC Football And The Body Of Christ

     I'll admit it. The title was mainly to get you to read this blog post, however, what I was thinking about while ironing my shirt this morning actually was SEC football and the body of Christ.

     In case you live somewhere other than the south, there was a pretty big football game being played last night. Actually, for all practical purposes it was the beginning of my long winter of discontent.....the end of the college football season. For the next eight months there will be no Alabama football (my drug of choice). 

     As an Alabama fan you would think that I, along with my Crimson clad brethren, would be rooting against Tim "Superman" Tebow and the Florida Gators, since they were responsible for keeping the good guys out of the National Title game last night. Additionally they have been responsible for keeping them from winning the SEC Championship 4 times in the last 15 years. Strangely, I found just the opposite to be true. Sitting on the couch beside my two favorite Bama fanatics in training, Reese and Kase, we were cheering on the Gators and went to bed with a sense of contentment and joy as Urban Meyer hoisted the crystal football. But that's just because I'm a nice guy right? If you can't beat'em, join'em? Wrong. This morning I took a brief tour through the Wild West that is college football internet message boards; a place void of reason and logic, where emotion rules the day and tact goes to die. Do you know what I found? 90% of the posters were just like me. Crimson crazies from all around were joining together in a chorus of praise for Florida, Tebow and Meyer (although they still used some creative, if not cruel, nicknames, i.e. Urban Cryer, and I won't even repeat what they do to the name Gators).

     Maybe it was because Alabama and Florida have more respect than rivalry for one another. Wrong again. I looked on the Tennessee message board, where they spit Beechnut juice before speaking the name of anything to do with Florida football, and the praise rained down for the hated Gators. Same with Auburn, LSU, and every other SEC school, except Ole Miss (all they wanted to talk about was how they were the only team to beat the National Champions, and on their home field no less; hey Rebs, put down the hotty toddy and remember Vanderbilt beat you on your home field, but I digress). Why all the love from those who normally hate? Three letters chanted repeatedly during the fourth quarter last night explain it all. "SEC, SEC, SEC!"

     Although thousands of fans from the eleven SEC schools have no bragging rights as champions this year, we all belong to the same conference and we are glad "one of us" is standing on top of the mountain. 

     Now that's the SEC football part, here is the body of Christ part. In my life I have been part of three congregations as a member: the East Hill church of Christ where I grew up and later preached; the Arlington church of Christ where I did my first local work; and the Fairview church of Christ where I am presently the preacher. Sadly, I can't be a part of all three at the same time, but all three will always be a part of me. Presently my focus and loyalty lies with Fairview, but I am also a "fan" of all of the congregations that belong to the Lord. We may not all be a part of the same team (congregation) week to week, but we most certainly are in the same family and that means I'm cheering for them. I rejoice with them when they rejoice and weep with them when they weep (Romans 12:15). We were all baptized into the same body and every member of the body is important (1 Corinthians 12). Paul said that some members of the body were more feeble, some are more attractive, some receive more honor, but all need one another, all are connected to one another and none should be divided from the other.

     If hated rivals like Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and others can celebrate one another's success on the football field, shouldn't brethren be able to cheer for one another in the field of faith? Today everyone can see, after three straight national titles (for the first time by one conference in thirty years, when Alabama in '78, '79 and Georgia in '80, did it, and only the third time ever) that the SEC is the best conference in the land. Maybe tomorrow, or someday soon, the world will likewise know that we as members of the church of Christ are servants of the King of kings. "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).