My Jesus is an Auburn Fan

Don't laugh! This is serious! It's been almost an entire month since my last post, so I've had plenty of time to figure this one out. Stay with me...

Team sports have always intrigued me. I participated in just about every sport imaginable when I was younger... softball, basketball, cheerleading, gymnastics, volleyball, newcomb (does this count as a sport?). Anyway, I'm a big fan of team sports. I love the competition, the adrenaline rush of a close game, the comraderie of a team trying to win. It's exhilarating. That's why I came to the conclusion that Jesus must be a fan of team sports too...

I love Auburn football. In fact, I just love Auburn in general. And everyone I know that went to Auburn has the same love and awe and respect for it. And no two loves are alike. Auburn is not just a school or a town or even a football team. It's a family. On the first day of orientation, you're welcomed into the "Auburn family." It's a special kind of relationship...

And thus, football Saturdays are kind of like a family reunion. It doesn't matter how long you've been away or whether or not you accomplished all you set out to do. Even people who are team non-committal find themselves caught up in the rush of cheering a team along. People come from all across the country, sporting team colors and wielding masses of tiger tails and team shakers... and all for the same reason: TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING SPECIAL. It's true. Most people don't love Auburn because of the great football program. They don't love Auburn because of its stellar academics. They love Auburn because they're a part of something special... a special bond between a place and a group of people. People love the relationship.

So Jesus MUST be an Auburn fan... or at least I bet He can identify.

Jesus is all about relationship. He's all about that lovin' feelin'. He doesn't care where you come from or what you're wearing. He doesn't care if you tithe enough or if you are worshiping a certain way. It doesn't matter if you follow a set of rules or if you know all the books of the Bible. It doesn't matter to Him how long you've been away or whether or not you've accomplished everything you should have. What matters to Him is that you come. He wants to be a part of something special with you. Jesus isn't about rules or priorities or expectations; He's about relationship.

I've come to the conclusion that the things that people are jealous of aren't things. People are jealous of relationships. People crave that lovin' feelin'. People desperately want to be a part of something special. It's why they love Auburn and will defend it no matter what. It's why people who don't care anything about sports will find themselves in a borrowed Auburn t-shirt to go to a game with a friend. And it's why Auburn fans will wear crimson and white to a game with a friend in order to be a part of the team. Those people don't love the crimson and white team... they love the relationship their friend has with the team or the school or even the crowd. It's overwhelming. And it's contagious.

And shouldn't it be with Jesus so much more? If we're truly living in a special relationship with Him... and if people are jealous of the best relationships... shouldn't we be pointing people to Him by our very disposition? Jesus is especially fond of me. And he's especially fond of you. He loves each of us completely and completely differently. And my Jesus is an Auburn fan.