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             Super Bowl is set for Sunday, February 13th. It rolls around every year like Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. There is no getting away from it. On that Sunday sports fans of both the rabid and casual variety will pack in the snacks and gather around the television for the grand finale of professional football. Around 150 million people will watch the game. If nothing else they will want to see the commercials. People will cheer on the team of their choice. Some will complain about the officiating. Many will bet and lose large sums of money when it is all over. One month after the game most of us will not be able to tell you which team won the Super Bowl. We might even hear from some of God’s interest in America’s Sports obsession. Really!? Brethren will be sure to pressure the preacher to keep the sermon short that night! And the preacher dares not get sick that Sunday. His motives will be highly suspect!

            The most disturbing thing to watch is how many Christians will behave on this Lord’s day. They will quite nearly forget that it is the Lord’s day because, for many, their attention will be riveted on the big game. Regrettably, some brethren will forsake the assembly of the saints in order to catch all the pre-game activities, plus the game itself (Heb. 10:25). For those congregations no longer meeting on Sunday evenings this will not apply. Of those churches that still assemble on Sunday nights some will make it easy for brethren to have their cake and eat it too. Some will adjust the time of evening services in order to accommodate the game. Some may just cancel services. Some will set up a giant viewing screen in the auditorium and offer “food, drinks and fun galore.” The justification for this is, of course, evangelistic. Get your friends into the church building and who knows what the outreach potential might be. The Lord will be offered at best a divided attention that day, because most minds will be on the big game and the great fun to follow.

            One of the signs of the times is the way that some congregations will adjust worship assembly schedules so as not to overlap with the Super Bowl. Do elders have the authority to set the times of worship on Sunday? Of course! The New Testament specifies the day on which we are to worship God, but not the time (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). The hour(s) of assembly is an optional matter left up to the discretion of the bishops and the demands of expediency, but why acquiesce to a sports event?

            This at least sends the message that worldly delights are more important than spiritual concerns. It is easy for the world to see that one’s obligations to God are adjustable and can be arranged to fit around fleshly amusements. It’s fine to watch what you can of the Super Bowl. May the best team win. I pray no one will trivialize and cheapen our most important privilege – the worship of our God!