The Thunder, Bedlam, Politics, and the Gospel

So I've given myself some time to calm down.  I'm no longer yelling at the refs or the Thunder or LeBron or the other people who bear the burden of watching a game with me.  I must concede that the Heat simply bested the Thunder.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Now I've had time for some reflection.

I have been astounded by the energy in OKC during the Thunder's run this year.  Flags were hung on car windows and draped over buildings.  Everywhere I went, people wore Thunder hats and shirts.  Everyone has been talking about the Thunder.  The team captured the city, and they were a breath of fresh air.  For a long time, I have wondered about the source of the Thunder's appeal.  For a while, I thought it was the exciting brand of baskeball; then I thought it was the joy of watching young players grow up before our eyes; and then I thought it was just winning.  Last week, my friend Stacy Pyle offered an observation and light bulbs finally fired in my mind (which doesn't happen very often).  Stacy said, "It has been so refreshing to have a sports team that unites us rather than divides us."

You see, before the Thunder, Oklahoma never had a professional sports team (the Hornets' brief stint in OKC is the lone, brief exception).  For the last three quarters of a century, Oklahoma has been a state that revolves around college sports, namely the two major universities.  When it comes to college sports, the lines are clearly drawn.  Sooners or Cowboys.  Red or Orange.  Billy Sims or Barry Sanders.  People who were born into loyalty to one university never dared convert to the other.  Conversion meant shame and denial.  Now there is a pronounced energy surrounding the sporting events of these two universities, especially when they play each other, but it is a negative energy.  Fear of losing to the other school often trumps the joys of winning.  Neither team can find it in themselves to root for the other.  In Oklahoma, college sports renders the state divided. 

Then, the Thunder came to town.  Everyone wears blue.  Everyone cheers for the same team.  When the Thunder play, Sooners and Cowboys actually watch the game together.  The energy equalled that of the Bedlam, but it was positive energy- the kind that unites us.  This season, we all cheered together, cried together, and griped together (dang free throws...).  Together is the operative word.

In the last couple of weeks, I've seen some parallels between OKC's sports loyalties and the differences between politics and the gospel.  I know this goes without saying, but our land is paralyzed by partisan lines.  The palpable energy is that of divisiveness and resistance, like trying to force the positive ends of two magnets together.  Oftentimes, what energizes one party is their opposition to the other.  Seriously, does anyone steeped in partisan politics ever change their mind?  Is there any openness to creativity and "third ways?"  Is there anyone who cares more about the common good than political expediency?  Is there anyone left who cares more about people than ideology?  When the focus is on partisan politics and hot button political issues, my church (and I'm guessing yours) is split right down the middle.

The gospel, on the other hand, brings an inherent energy to a community, but it is a positive energy- like the strong attraction between the different poles of a magnet.  The gospel brings the community of faith together.  To borrow a phrase from Martin Luther King Jr., "We only find common ground in the higher ground."  For Christians, the gospel is higher ground.  The way of Jesus is not the least common denominator for us; it is the GREATEST common denominator.  I'm not advocating for an evasion of the pressing issues of our day.  We must not hide our head in the sand.  But I am questioning what determines the pressing issues of our day:  partisan agendas or the Divine mission?  If we forget the wisdom of  our center, we will never have the wisdom to speak to our circumference.    

So my plea to the church is to step into the higher ground of the gospel.  Let us center our lives on the things Jesus centered his life on, rather than the incendiary issues which claim prominence in our day.  Let's remember that the cross is our symbol, not an elephant or donkey.  Let's find our energy in the things which unite us around the communion table rather than the cynical rhetoric which fills our air waves.  Let's listen to each other sincerely and authentically, but let's listen to Jesus first and foremost.

I guess what I'm saying is let's put down the red and orange and pick up some Thunder blue.  After all, they did have enough wisdom to draft a Baylor Bear this last week!