Wish Shots and Worship

It's my job to hype sports, and most days, I like doing what I do.

Then, there's days like yesterday.

I was watching my adopted team of Concordia play at my alma mater California Baptist in a little game of men's hoops, when I suddenly experienced a rare moment of losing myself in the game.

I say a rare time, because I'm supposed to keep my head about me in the course of a game. I'm supposed to be analyzing field goal percentages and rebounding margins. I'm supposed to be as neutral as possible.

The play that made me lose myself and cross over (if only momentarily) from sports writer to sports fan went a little something like this.

Concordia had built up a 9-point lead with about 2:30 to go, and it looked like we had it in the bag, when all of the sudden, here comes Cal Baptist on a 9-0 run to tie it up at 63-63.

Concordia then scored to take a 65-63 lead with 33 seconds left, and stopped CBU on its next possession to take control of the ball with 7 seconds left and a two-point lead.

That's when things got interesting. Concordia--a team who turns the ball over 8 times per game fewer than its opponents--gave the ball up on its possession, and CBU tied the game at 65-65 on a layup with about 3 seconds left.

It looked like overtime all the way to the end, but then again, that's why the play 40 minutes and not 39:59. Concordia's Justin Johnson took the ball from the opposite baseline and sprinted for halfcourt, where he uncorked a game-winning three-pointer to end the game at 68-65.

The shot--which Johnson rightly called a miracle--also left a gym full of Cal Baptist alumni (including myself) speechless.

For my part, I instinctively sprang up from my seat at the scorer's table. I'm not really sure why I did, but like I already said, I had just made the shift from sports writer to sports fan.

In a real sense, I've been captured by that shot ever since it went in. Even though we were there and had the best seats in the house, Janelle and I must have watched the clip on YouTube (here) at least 20 times in the last 20 hours.

The more I think about that moment, and what it means, the more I think about the affections of my heart. I really think this has something to say about what I worship.

That which we worship is that which we value the most, that which we wait for and that which, when it's taken away from us, we are not quite ourselves anymore.

Worship captures us--all of us.

With that in mind, as I woke up this morning with my thoughts still revolving around the last moment of a basketball game last night, I knew that my heart was in need of something better to worship.

I don't want to settle for less than to be captured by the worship of Jesus.

As I thought about this, my heart was turned toward the glorious vision of Jesus, the Son of Man, in the first chapter of Revelation.

Here's how John--the disciple who knew Jesus best--describes the first scene of this book:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet...

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

The hairs on his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full stregnth.

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

My first reaction to seeing to seeing a great shot is to stand up like a yahoo. John's first reaction to seeing the Son of Man was to fall at his feet as though dead.

The glory of a game-winning basketball shot is one thing, but the glory of the risen Son of Man is another story altogether.

And, what, besides winning a basketball game and all assigned benefits did that shot accomplish?

For that matter, what did all my work writing about it accomplish?

So here's John, on the ground like a dead man before this unspeakably glorious Son of Man, and what's the Son of Man say?

Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.

I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

This unspeakably glorious One is for us.

He's the living One.

He's the One who died for us and conquered Death and Hades in His resurrection.

That's the worship I want to be captured by.

That's my King.