Heroes

What the Lakers showed me about worship, part 3

News coverage of the Lakers during their victory parade kept referring to the team as “local heroes.” I know this comes as a shock, but professional entertainers are rarely worthy hero material, although there are definitely some exceptions. Heroes of that stature come and go pretty quickly. The Lakers’ hero status will only last until their first loss next season…if that long. The winners of the FIFA world cup could easily swoop in and take that position, even though they might not be local. [Don't worry, guys. I'll still make an effort to watch you next season, win or lose, because I like you. ]

The reporters covering the parade mentioned how, especially now when unemployment in Los Angeles is at about 12%, the Lakers have brought a sense of hope by giving the city something to feel good about and rally around. I’m not sure how much weight I can give that, but it was a convicting comment!

Can the Church do better, or have we been replaced in culture by professional entertainers and athletes? Nature abhors a void, so has media and entertainment stepped into a part of culture the Church was meant to fill? God isn’t about making us feel good; He is about much more than that. Still, He is our unfailing Hero who saved us from far more than unemployment. He is the One whom we need to rally around to bring not only hope to our city, but also His rule and reign. He doesn’t need to prove Himself over and over again each year; there is no question about a “three-peat.” He’s proven Himself for eternity by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Championship teams can’t lower unemployment or solve any of our other social ills. But God can, and He has chosen to do this through His Church.

Our corporate worship is orderly, and that’s good. There’s Scripture to back that up. But so was the parade and, for 2 million people, it was remarkably well-ordered. Yet they had something we’re often lacking: unashamed adoration.We don’t have to express ourselves the way Laker fans do — although it might be pretty cool if we just had a time of unashamedly expressing our love for God — but sometimes I fail to fully grasp this reality of a heroic God, especially when I’m concerned about how well I’m going to pull off my part in our worship set or I’m worried about how to pay the bills.

The Lakers may have paid for the parade, and the City of Los Angeles may have prepared to maintain order, but neither party planned or programmed the hero-worship. Those 2 million brought that all on their own. It isn’t entirely up to the local church to program a worship service that brings adoration to God; it’s also the function of the Church. Those 2 million didn’t dig deep on Sunday night to find enough passion for the Monday parade. Likewise, our adoration for God isn’t something we can muster up on Saturday night and pack it in our bags for the next morning. It’s built on an ongoing and growing relationship. And it can last longer than a single season.