It’s common for professional athletes to ask for divine intervention before, during, and after games. Today, New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow reminds us that faith is a way of life.
Easter is the holiest day of the Christian faith. For believers, it starts with Good Friday, marking Jesus’ crucifixion, and culminates on Easter Sunday, when Jesus rose from the dead.
Attending a service on this holiest of Sundays is essential for all followers of the faith, and the patrons of the Celebration Church in Georgetown, Texas, will be getting a very special visit from a devoted follower of Christ – newly acquired Jets quarterback Tim Tebow.
Tebow will be giving a sermon at the church, which is expected to draw a crowd of over 30,000 people. According to a report at KVUE.com, when church Pastor Joe Champion was informed of this, he dipped into the football terminology, saying, “Obviously, it’s our Super Bowl.”
It will be great publicity no doubt for the Celebration Church. You do have to wonder if these people are attending church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which is the intention of the service, or is it simply a chance to be graced by the presence of a well-known NFL quarterback? Which begs the question, does religion belong in sports, and vice versa?
Whenever Tebow scores a touchdown or wins a game, he drops down to one knee and bows his head. This has led to a worldwide phenomenon known as Tebowing, with many people turning to the social media to show their own version of the stance. While Tebow does it as a symbol of religious faith, it seems that most people are merely parodying something that Tebow takes very seriously.
We are mocking a man for what he believes in. A person should be allowed to express their faith without fear of public ridicule. As far as Tebow is concerned he isn’t worried about the public repercussions of practicing his faith.
While most people express their faith in more of a personal sense, Tebow takes every opportunity he can to praise his “Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” When he’s on camera, you can bet that he’s going to say something about it. And, while it was fine in the beginning, people got tired of hearing him espouse his faith every time he was on TV. It became so noticeable that the media began calling him “Captain Jesus” and the “Mile High Messiah.”
I’m sure many people wonder why Tebow is so adamant about professing his faith and where it comes from. Some of those answers are offered in his autobiography entitled Through My Eyes.
In the book, Tebow says his faith largely stems from his parents, who were Baptist missionaries stationed in the Philippines at the time of his birth. His mother suffered complications during childbirth and was strongly advised to get an abortion, but rejected the idea and continued with her pregnancy. So when Tebow was finally born, his parents believed God had given them a son for a purpose.
Throughout his childhood, his parents made it a point to instill religious values in their children, regularly participating in mass, having the kids read the Bible, and so forth. Apparently, it stuck and he’s brought his strong belief in God to the NFL.
Looking at what happened with the Broncos last season, one could make the argument that divine intervention really is on his side. In fact, a few people have. Last season, Broncos starter Kyle Orton was pulled in week 3 and Tebow took his place. This started an incredible run for Denver, with Tebow leading them to several miraculous (pun intended) comeback victories en route to 6 straight wins. And they weren’t winning traditionally either. Tebow, a quarterback, had much more success running than passing, and against Kansas City he only completed 2 of 8 passes… and they still won.
The Broncos finished 8-8 and made it to the playoffs, where they faced off in the Wild Card against the favored Steelers. Yet again, Tebow led Denver from behind, finishing Pittsburgh off on the first play of overtime with an 80-yard TD pass.
What does this mean? That faith should be a bigger part of sports? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless of whether you believe Tebow shoves his beliefs in people’s faces or he is fulfilling a divine mission, I think it’s a good thing when a professional athlete serves as a positive role model.
So regardless if people in Georgetown are going to see a sports star or celebrate the actual meaning of Easter, at least they’re going to see someone that is a positive influence.
Though My Eyes is available at any major bookstore. Follow Giovanni Galindo on twitter @giogalindo.
