Where's my allegiance?

There's a great New Testament theme that sadly we miss as a result of our Americanism. You see within the early church there was a great divide between the Jews and Gentiles. The Jews believed they were God's people and after the captivities and judgment that had taken place in the 8th and 6th centuries B.C. there was a strong sentiment among Jewish people in the 1st Century to strictly adhere to the Law, avoid peoples of other nations, and follow the traditions of their elders. And with those feelings came arrogance, resentment, and distrust towards those around them. When Jesus established the church this divide between Jew and Gentile seeped into it as well. In Acts 6 Hellenistic Jews are upset because their widows are being neglected. In Acts 8, a Samaritan village has a revival and receives the Holy Spirit amid Jewish skepticism. In Acts 10-11, a Gentile household receives the Lord and the Holy Spirit comes upon them as well. All the while there are Jewish Christians within the church unsure of what to think of these Gentiles coming to faith in Christ.

As Americans we can't possibly understand what the big deal is over this debate in the Early Church, nor the statements that we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28). So if we don't have a similar experience in terms of how we look at one another based on race or ethnicity is their a comparison?

Growing up I had teams I rooted for and teams I rooted against. Those teams changed as my dad got a new job or his friends moved to other schools or teams. I certainly have cheered passionately for and against teams throughout my years on this Earth. But I've been pondering something of late. Is it right for me to feel so strongly against them? Is it okay for me to be consumed with seeing them lose, to be angry when they beat my team, or feel slighted by God after they win again? This year with the Bedlam game I took the following approach; I went in optimistic, but realistic that this is Bedlam football we are talking about (I won't put down the overall series record for your sake and my own). At the end of the game I smiled and shrugged it off muttering the words OSU fans live by, "we'll get 'em next year," and went to bed. No hard feelings, no angry thoughts, or prayers to God about the game. The reality is in heaven I highly doubt the Bedlam series will be etched in gold, nor will the Packers-Cowboys World Championships comparison be on the walls of New Jerusalem. They won't because these things are temporary and won't matter. Sadly, I make them a bigger deal than they should be too often.

Now I'm not saying I won't cheer for or against a team anymore. I'll always cheer for Green Bay and against OU. What I'm saying is that Christians of all people should be able to keep a level head and proper perspective on sports, knowing that despite what may divide us, the One who unites is where our ultimate allegiance lies. If that is our ultimate destiny, should that not also be our aim while on this Earth as well, that we live in unity despite our differences because of the One who makes us new. This idea doesn't just work with our rooting interests, it also works well with our denominations. God desires unity in the midst of our diversity.

Perhaps that's what is so wonderful about Revelation 5 where it states, "for You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation," and what's wonderful about the passage is the promise; despite what you were and how you identified yourself and the divisions that existed prior to being identified in Christ, now those are gone and you are united with one another because greater is He which unites you, than that which divides you. Just so long as nobody yells Boomer I think we'll be okay!