Super Sunday
What are you doing for the big game this Sunday? I suspect food will be a big part of the celebration.
I saw an article this week that gave this years' report of the number of chicken wings that Americans are expected to eat for Super Bowl LIX. The National Chicken Council--and there really is such a thing--predicted that we will eat 1.47 billion chicken wings on Sunday evening. That figure represents an increase of 1.5 percent from last year’s game, or about 20 million more wings. And it includes a couple of dozen wings that will be consumed at my house, Lord willing.
All that sounds like quite a party, unless you're a chicken. But that's about par for the second biggest party day of the year (after New Year's Eve), Super Bowl Sunday. No doubt, whether you are "partying" or not, most of your TV's will be tuned in at some point Sunday evening to watch the big game. In fact, our TCASC youth group will have their own "football watching party" (so as not to infringe on the NFL's highly-protected copyrights on the Super Bowl name), at 5:30 in the youth room upstairs in Building C.
As you probably know, the Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event in the world, with well over a billion people expected to be tuned in. Of course, it's not just the game that we watch, but also the creative ads. This year advertisers are spending up to a whopping $8 million for a thirty-second spot in the game's broadcast--simply because they know that for once guys won't be hitting their remotes to switch channels during the commercials. And if past history is any indication, the buzz on Monday morning will be less about the Chiefs and Eagles than about the entertaining ads.
But still, when all is said and done, the excitement and hype is about a football game. Of course, you don't have to tell people in Alabama how important football is in our lives, though the focus locally is usually reserved for the college variety. Many times our passion for the game in this state has been compared to a religious fervor, except that even in the Bible Belt, few people take their religion quite that seriously.
Some suggest that our three favorite sports in Alabama are football, spring football practice, and football recruiting (though some of the excitement of that has turned sour with the new world of NIL and the transfer portal). But all you have to do is watch the sports segment on the local TV news or listen to sports talk radio any time of the year and you'll see what I mean.
There's nothing wrong with getting excited about a game now and then, but I hope we all keep it in perspective. More than anything, I hope we realize what's really important in life, and prioritize our lives accordingly.
When you realize that Jesus Christ came to live and die on our behalf, so that we could have life--life eternally, and life abundantly--then every Sunday is Super Sunday. The fact that He loves us, and wants to have a deep and meaningful relationship with us that brings us lasting peace and joy like nothing this world has to offer is worthy of a celebration not just the second Sunday of February, but ever day throughout the year.
I hope to see you this Sunday at Shelby Crossings as we gather together in the name of Jesus to celebrate the difference He makes in our lives. It's going to be a super Sunday!
--Pastor Ken
