"At the moment what this team needs is the support of the fans. I must say there is a massive difference between the away fans, who are absolutely fantastic, and the home fans."
The above words were spoken by Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal Football Club, one of England's best clubs. His team has come under fire recently for not having the guts to compete when it really matters most. His comments got me thinking about what kind of supporter I am, specifically what kind of supporter/follower of Jesus I am.
There are, as Arsene knows only too well, two kind of supporters. The home fans and the away fans. Home fans turn up when the going is good. They sit in the nicest parts of the stadium. They know the best way to get to the ground and they leave before then game is finished so they can get home for dinner. They come expecting entertainment and when they don't get what they want they make their feelings abundantly clear - even before half time. After all they have paid good money for those seats haven't they? Home fans come to be receive something.
Away fans often travel hundreds of miles to get to the ground braving all kinds of public transport. They are usually seated in the worst parts of the ground, pushed around by the police and treated with suspicion, being made to wait to leave the ground after the final whistle so that they don't disturb the peace. Still, they normally make more noise than the home fans whose ground they are visiting, though they are only a fraction of the number. They have a collective identity. They are not just individuals in a sea of other individuals, they are a group who have come together to do something - to support their team. Away fans come to give everything.
It's not too different when it comes to faith in God. There are those of us who treat our allegiance to Jesus as something we do on a weekend, a strand of entertainment in the rich tapestry of our lives. Some who come to be given something to take away, muse upon and discuss with friends .
Then there are some who come to give not just something but everything to the cause. Nothing is too much to ask of such people. Spend all day traveling the length and breadth of the globe to support the team? Sure. Give extortionate amounts of money to the cause? Of course. Such as these bear the burden when things aren't going well because it is something they must do. To do any less would be totally alien to them. They have made a decision to follow their team and now are living that out.
And it makes me think, will Jesus recognise me as an away fan when he walks out on the pitch again?
1 comment:
there is the issue of whether arsenal is one of the best football clubs, but i like the idea. a similar one is from Philippeans 1 - are you a PARTNER in the gospel or merely a spectator. i don't understand why some people are luke warm and neither it seems does God. if you are not going to embrace the whole thing fully, then why not ditch it all and go out and have a really good sin! the person who sits on the fence gets splinters in his a*se [can you use that word in the USA?]
rob ;-)
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