I'm not sure if it was planned on purpose, but the sermon at Passion City Church on Super Bowl Sunday was all about the glory of God. It was one of those sermons that "blew up my heart" (a phrase often heard at Passion City) and left me on a "God high" for the rest of the day. In fact, I was so high, I had a hard time coming back down to experience the Super Bowl as I normally do. I mean, I usually watch for the commercials because I don't really care about any particular NFL team. But I do enjoy a good football game. This time, though, I was distracted by the true glory that I had heard about earlier in the day.
Louie Giglio, our pastor, defined God's glory as "the infinite and intrinsic weight and worth of God". The key words in that definition are infinite and intrinsic. God's glory is true glory because it has always been and always will be. Unlike the glory we ascribe to earthly things, such as the fame of winning the Super Bowl, God's glory lasts forever. He will always be God. The Ravens are the Super Bowl champions for this year; next year (no matter how hard my friend Jeff believes) another team will earn that title and the glory that goes with it. God's glory is also true glory because it comes from who He is. He is God and therefore He has glory. Again, our earthly version of glory is usually given based on someone's role or achievements. Ray Lewis is famous because he played football at the national level and played it well. If he hadn't, he'd be just some guy from Florida. Beyonce is famous and got to be the halftime show entertainment because she's a very talented singer. Without that talent, she'd be a nobody. The glory we bestow is counterfeit because it is not infinite or intrinsic.
Because God is the sole proprietor of true glory, this story we're living in is all about Him. When you read through the Bible, you should read it understanding that it is primarily about God. Notice how many times it mentions that something is being done for God's glory (watch Louie's sermon "The Glory of God" for a sampling of these passages). It may seem selfish, but God is all about making Himself famous because He wants what's best for us. And He is what's best for us.
With all of that in mind, I sat down to watch the Super Bowl... and found myself almost completely bored with it. Throughout the whole event, I just felt like something was missing. It wasn't until halftime that I realized what it was: the glory of God. As I watched Beyonce dance provocatively in very little clothing, I found myself almost angry at the spectacle. Later I would talk to friends who were glad their young daughters weren't awake to see it, and even one whose 7-year-old son told his dad he was embarrassed by what he was seeing (oh how I hope he holds onto that innocence!). I started thinking more and more about the message of the whole event, the number of sexual images used in the commercials, and the performance that was happening at mid-field. None of this was for the glory of God. It couldn't compare to the experience I'd had earlier that day of worshiping true glory, and that is why I was bored with it all.
Now I want to be clear, I'm not about to tell you that I will never watch the Super Bowl again or that you shouldn't either. There's nothing inherently wrong in watching a sporting event or cheering on your favorite team. But I will watch with more awareness of the counterfeit glory I'm seeing. I will try not to elevate it to the same level as gathering to worship God in His house each Sunday morning. More importantly, though, I want to live each day recognizing the glory of my God, seeing that every moment of my day is oriented around Him and not me. And I want to do whatever I can to point others to this same glory knowing that it's the best thing I could share with them.
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