I’m incredibly excited for this summer because it’s time again for the World Cup finals. That is my single most favorite sporting event to watch. I could watch every single game if my schedule and family allowed it. I really enjoy playing and watching sports so I enjoy the Olympics, March Madness, college bowl season, play-offs for professional sports, and European soccer (which is very rare for me to watch much of these days). I enjoy sports because I was able to compete for a long time and my dad did a great job of using different things that happened to teach me life lessons. These abstract ideas became concrete because an experience and emotions were tied to them.
One of the things he saw, and tried to raise my awareness to, was that I was at my best when I was just playing, just having fun. My best season of soccer was as a high school senior because I just played, I just had fun. I had the privilege of playing in college but my personal performance did not live up to my expectations. In retrospect, it is because I did not have fun; it was no one’s fault but my own.
This awareness came back to me a few months ago while in the midst of trying to plant a church that was struggling and we ultimately decided to close down a couple of weeks ago. What the Lord brought to mind a few months ago was my experience with soccer and that my time in ministry was not going well in large part because I wasn’t having fun; I wasn’t playing. To nuance this slightly, I realize that matters of knowing God, knowing ourselves, knowing the Scriptures, and seeking the Kingdom of God above all else are very serious matters. I would contend they are way too serious for us to not play.
By way of analogy, let’s say we gathered together a group of highly gifted and highly accomplished musicians. We walk into a room where they’re sitting with their respective instrument of choice and tell them, “You’ve been gathered together to just play. This is not going to be recorded or advertised, just play.” This group would have way too much respect for music and their instrument to make noise or for each to only play his or her own song. I venture to guess some of the most beautiful music the world has ever known would be made. Going back to sports, if we were able to get the 10 greatest basketball players of all time together (suspend reality and imagine that they’re all in their prime) in a gym and roll out a ball, we would watch the greatest game ever played. It wouldn’t be just because of their talent but how serious they are about the game and their craft would lead them to play.
While in seminary I read one of Eugene Peterson’s books (I cannot recall which one but if you read anything by him you won’t be disappointed) and he talked about realizing his need for a day of rest. He and his wife took their day of rest on Mondays and the only agenda was to pray and to play. I think he actually captures what the Sabbath is all about. At the end of God’s creating work, we are told, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2–3 NIV11). The Hebrew word translated “rest” is shabbat, which is often just transliterated as Sabbath. I’m not sure why translators have done this because I think the word “rest” is far more helpful. What if we read in the Ten Commandments, “Remember the Rest day by keeping it holy”? A common Hebrew blessing/salutation is shabbat shalom, which is probably something like “rest of wholeness.” Wholeness comes from rest and we are able to rest as we are made whole.
The actions of playing and praying bring rest and require rest. They defiantly tell ourselves and the world, “The world does not revolve around me.” Our ability to pray and play is intimately woven into our understanding of who God is and what Jesus has accomplished through the cross and resurrection. Tim Keller has two great sermons on this, one is titled “Work” and the other “Work and Rest.” When we pray, we acknowledge there is Another who is in charge. This one is the Triune Godhead who has eternally been and will eternally be Father, Son, and Spirit. God is community and is the basis for our play and prayer.
What steals our ability to pray and play? I think it is fear, anxiety, and worry. I have read and heard others say the number one command in the Bible is, “Do not fear/worry/be anxious.” If we are in a state of fear, worry, or anxiety we are unable to pray or play. Those three things steal joy more than anything else. Now there are numerous things we can fear, worry about or be anxious about and, unfortunately, I cannot deal with those now; they require their own post(s) and I need more time to marinate in this subject.
I wanted to post these thoughts because it is so pressing for me right now. Here are some one-off thoughts and resources to look into if you’re interested:
A brief article (with a link to a research article) on how children learn better through play.
A great talk by Bob Goff on “Rediscovering Whimsy.” He has a book on the subject, Love Does.
A friend of mine suggested this TEDx talk by Brene Brown, which is a great way to spend 20 minutes.
The Tabernacle/Temple sacrifices were largely about sharing a meal with God; the Lord’s Supper carries that same idea. This is a massive idea and needs a lot more time and thought but I think it’s imperative we see this and that they’re not just about dealing with sin; they are that but they’re more than that.
What God is most concerned with is that we are with him (cf. Luke 10:38-42).
I wrote a letter to the elders of our sending church very briefly explaining to them that the church plant was finished. I told them I need to learn to play and pray. I am going to be very serious about learning to do these two things. Shabbat Shalom!
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