WORLD CUP - IDENTITY AND UNITY

July 8, 2014

As we come to the “sharp end of the World Cup” to quote the engaging Ian Darke of ESPN, I find myself continuing to reflect on what an amazing event the FIFA World Cup is; at least in terms of what it represents.  Certainly those who follow the sport more closely know that there are issues of corruption and manipulation that will take precedence over the actual games once July 13^th and the 2014 World Cup have come and gone.  And those who don’t follow the sport at all will probably not care about either the World Cup itself or the problems with FIFA.  But in the midst of the event itself, a large portion of the world comes together with a single focus in a way that nothing else replicates.

ESPN had a pretty cool commercial leading up to the World Cup.  It portrayed people in various parts of the world preparing to watch a game on television.  It ended with the caption “Every four years, the world has one time zone.”  (You can watch it here:  Every Four Years)  I’ve been telling people that the World Cup is probably the closest thing to one world religion that this broken world will ever see!  Even the Olympics don’t compare especially in terms of interest in countries that have no real Olympic presence.  When the World Cup is played everyone watches.  The world is (almost) one.

Of course, as we reach the semi-finals, the first of which between Brazil and Germany is being played this afternoon my time as I write this, we can see that the World Cup is also like March Madness or the NCAA football BCS.  Lots of teams are in but only a few have a realistic chance of being there at the end.  Costa Rica gave a valiant effort and could easily have been included in this Cup’s semifinals once the penalties began following extra time against the Netherlands.  In 2002, host South Korea and Turkey made it to the semis but the final was still Brazil and Germany.   This year’s final is a guaranteed match up of world soccer power houses regardless of who wins the semifinal games.

But everyone will watch the final, and for many around the world, they will feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves.  And this is what is interesting to me because I think that the identification with the World Cup reflects a longing in the human soul to be a part of something that matters; to be a part of something bigger.   And this fits with a world view that believes that people are created in the image of God.  Two aspects of who God is (according to the Bible) fairly shout out at me in looking at the world and the World Cup.  The first is Identity and the second is Unity.   In the Christian worldview, Identity and Unity are two things that were lost when people rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden.  Arguably, human history can be seen as a series of attempts on the part of people to find what humanity lost in terms of Identity and Unity. 

I mentioned in my writing about World Cup prayers that I had noticed the tears of Costa Rican supporters following their penalty kick win over Greece in the quarterfinals.   When small countries like Coast Rica or perhaps Uruguay over the past few years are able to excel on the international soccer field, it gives importance to the people of that country who may not necessarily feel important on the international stage in other areas –such as maybe economics or culture.  One can argue that maybe being important in international soccer is not really “important” or shouldn’t be!   Leaving that aside, it is clear that it is important for the fans of the countries who do well in the World Cup and especially the smaller ones. 

As human beings we are constantly looking for affirmations of our identity and this is played out in so many arenas that it would be distracting to list them.  From families to jobs to reputation to geography to race to nationality, people are asking, “Who am I and do I matter?”   It gets answered in many different ways – some of them not particularly positive.  But the quest for identity and “mattering” is universal in the human experience.  We have identity issues and so much so that even athletic success of teams with which we have no direct relationship except that of being from the same country enters into our own sense of identity.   When the country of which I am a citizen has a great run in the World Cup, it is like I am having a great run.  I matter.  My team matters.  I know who I am for a few minutes anyway!

God, on the other hand, does NOT have identity issues.  When asked his name by Moses (Exodus 3:14), God’s response is “I am who I am.”  Jesus is accused of blasphemy by the Pharisees when he uses the same language to describe himself (John 8:58).  God does not have identity issues.  He doesn’t need to describe what he has done, or how much people respect him, or how important he is at his job or even how his team is doing in the World Cup!  His identity is so complete and established that anything God does is the result of his identity not an attempt to prove it.

 

People sometimes say things like, “Hey, this is who I am.  If people don’t like it, it’s their problem.”  But I don’t think they really mean it.  It’s usually said in defiance of what people may or may not think, not as a simple affirmation of personal identity.  But I also think that we all long for a stable identity which is positive and important – significant in the world in which we live, whether we see that world through a local, regional, national or international lens.  Being created in the image of God means that we have been created with a desire to have an identity like God has an identity – to be like God in the sense of knowing who we are and being content with who we are.  To be like God in knowing that we matter – not in the sense that we matter more than other people; just that we matter.  Every four years, we see this played out a bit in the World Cup.  It’s a small picture but it is one that almost every soccer fan on the planet can relate to in a positive way regardless of race, culture, religion and so on.

 

The second aspect of God that I see reflected in the World Cup is Unity.  The desire to be one with others also seems to be a universal quest for human beings.  Some attempt to achieve oneness through imposing their particular version of unity on others – think violent religious extremists past and present.  Others try to work towards unity through tolerance and acceptance – “Can’t we all just get along?”   Both ends of this continuum have difficulties as one wants to destroy difference and the other is prone to ignore genuine difference.  But beyond the problems with the solutions, there is a common desire to be one; to be unified.

Every four years, there is a world unity that goes beyond anything else that is currently available.  We can’t agree on economics.  We can’t agree of religion.  We can’t agree on philosophy.  But we can agree on Futbol!  And we do.  I was fortunate to attend games during the 1994 World Cup held in the US.  Some of the best memories were the scenes outside the stadiums before and after the games we attended.  Colorful fans representing both teams involved were singing and dancing and generally partying together.  The games were played and there were winners and losers and even “tie-ers.”   The atmosphere before and after reflected a sense on the part of the fans that they were all in this together.  Our team may or may not have WON, but in the context of this event, we are ONE. 

It’s hard to know for sure, but some estimates are that up to 3 billion people watched some part of the 2010 World Cup and there is no reason to think it will be less this time around given the continuing advances of technology.  For the Final alone the estimate was that more than 700 million watched.  Again, it is likely to be as many or more this coming Sunday.  People will be unified worldwide over this month whether their particular team is playing or not.  Even in England people will likely be watching the Final!!  (Soccer joke for the fans.)

In Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses is speaking for God and says to the people coming out of exile, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”  In the prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, Jesus prays this, “My prayer is not for them alone but for all who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (verses 20-23)

God is one and it seems his desire for people is that they would be one – that there would be unity.  And if we are created in the image of God then the longing that we have to be one with what is around us is part of that created image.  It is something that God has placed in each of us.  All that nonsense we went through in junior high?  Turns out it wasn’t really nonsense!  We really do want – even need to be included and a part of the whole.  Something is not right in us when we are not one – when there is not unity. 

Something is not right in our world, too.  Every four years, those who participate in the World Cup phenomenon get a taste of Identity and Unity that we all long for but have so much trouble achieving.  We have trouble in our own personal and family lives.  And we certainly have trouble corporately at the community, national and international level.  The World Cup is great – for four weeks every four years.   But it isn’t enough to cure what ails us.  We need an Identity and Unity that are much deeper and more eternal than a World Cup.  The desire for Identity and Unity seems to be universal whether individuals realize that they are looking for it or not.  But the solution requires conscious knowledge of the One whose Identity and Unity are the only real and lasting fulfillment of the desire each of us has to have significance and connection with the things that really matter.

Enjoy the World Cup and other events like it!  See in those events the universals of humanity.  Those universals are among the things the persuade me that we are indeed created in the image of God!

WORLD CUP PRAYERS

I love the World Cup – probably too strong an emotion to attribute to a sporting event best described by a local pastor/professor as “The #1 most important thing on the list of things that don’t really mean anything.”  He is also a soccer fan by the way!  But I still love it.  I love the image of the whole world coming together for one month each year in a way that not even the Olympics can match. 

I love the passion and identity that is on display.  Watching Costa Ricans weeping at the victory over Greece in the shoot out moved me to tears.  We humans really are so desperate to have an identity and sense of purpose and significance.  Of course, in the Christian world view, this makes total sense as being created in the image of God, we have an identity that has been lost as we indulge in the things of the world in an attempt to recover our fallen position – even things like the World Cup, ironically.

But another thing struck me during the last couple of days of personally indulging in Cup related television viewing.  I noticed in the Mexico-Netherlands and Costa Rica-Greece matches the clear presence of prayer on the part of the players.  Some players anyway.  It seems apparent that the Latin American teams have a stronger sense of prayer as a part of life than do the European teams, which fits with what we know about Christian faith in those two parts of the world.  It didn’t surprise me to see Mexican players praying as the Netherland’s forward Klaas Jan Huntelaar prepared to take the game deciding penalty kick in the 94^th minute of the Netherland’s amazing comeback victory.  In the Costa Rica game, the Costa Rica team watched on their knees as their mates took penalties after what appeared to be a group prayer before the shoot out.

Now I’m all for prayer – I believe in it and even practice it occasionally!  But I am concerned when people try to prove God based on prayer, because as near as I can tell it, we will never be able to define God based on prayer, or more accurately, on the results of prayer.  This was brought to bear by the results of the two games.  The praying Mexicans were defeated by the godless Dutch (I don’t actually know that they are godless – just assuming for the point of the essay), while the Costa Ricans prayed on their knees to victory over the pagan Greeks.  Should the Mexicans have prayed on their knees?  Was that the problem?  Did the Costa Ricans believe their prayers or say them more correctly?  Was that the key to their success?

This is vaguely interesting when it involves a soccer game.  But it becomes more significant when those facing serious issues decide to try out God through prayer.  My friend Joe has been struggling with this the last six months since his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia.  She is doing well now to the point where Joe, a lifelong skeptic, is telling people to pray for his wife because “it’s been working up to now.”

Can you hear the trap in that statement?  Is prayer working only because Joe’s wife is still alive?  Does that mean that for those who were diagnosed around the same time and have not survived prayer did NOT work?  Do we have to get the results we want in order for prayer to work?

This is mostly a problem for people who are unconvinced regarding God.  But even people who follow God, sometimes for years, struggle with this idea that prayer only “works” when the results are in line with our desires.  In this arena, we also find well-meaning platitudes offered to individuals in crisis such as “God does everything for a reason.” (God GAVE my wife cancer???) and “This is all a part of God’s plan.” (God PLANNED to give my wife cancer?????).

Two thoughts about these issues.  One is that we live in a broken world.  In the end, we all die.  In the end all the prayers “don’t work.”  The prayers for healing and restoration are really prayers for things to go back to the way they were – to have things be the same.  This is a longing for the very essence of what we were created for – an eternal relationship in a perfect garden.  But it never lasts for long.  Lazarus was even raised from dead in John 11.  But apparently he died again later because he’s not still here!

The second is that there is really only one answer that everyone has access to and that is the same for everyone.  The answer is “Jesus.”  Sometimes we pray and the penalties go in and sometimes they get stopped.  Sometimes the cancer goes into remission and sometimes people pass.  Sometimes we get the job and sometimes we get fired.  But whether these worldly prayers are answered according to our desires, the promise of Jesus is always true; win or lose, death or life; Jesus remains the same.  He died. He rose again.  People saw it and told us about it.  That answer will never change.

Prayer allows us to gain strength through a secure knowledge of a God who loves us and has promised never to leave us.  That strength can allow us to endure any and every situation.  But prayer does not allow us to somehow manipulate every situation so that every situation turns out the way we want.  There is nothing in the history of the world or our own stories that suggests that prayer works that way.   It is okay to ask and even plead with God for your wants and desires, but don’t rely on prayer as a means to obtain the outcome you desire.  Rely on prayer to give you strength from God to persevere through every outcome no matter how it turns out!  You will find He's there.

RECONCILIATION

RECONCILIATION

(I wrote the following as a part of a statement of philosophy regarding addressing diversity and reconciliation issues at the community level.)

The brokenness in human relationships is as old as human memory and the effect of brokenness between individuals and groups continues to plague our individual and community lives on a daily basis.  While many appeal to a higher ideal with words like “tolerance” and “acceptance” and even “reconciliation”, it is clear from human history and current circumstance that these higher ideals are not the natural course of human behavior.  If they were natural and common, celebrated heroes such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the recently passed Nelson Mandela would not be seen as exceptional but as the norm in human experience.  Rather, it seems based on even casual observation that the norm for human behavior is to create and perpetuate division.  It takes intentionality, commitment and just plain hard work to address human brokenness.  Simply holding up the ideal and expecting people to choose that ideal will not do the job.  Only the already convinced will see this strategy as effective, but they will ultimately be frustrated by its lack of genuine impact on individuals and the community as a whole.  

We see this “higher ideals” based strategy employed regularly in what have become traditional approaches to diversity education.  The basic approach can be summarized in these steps:

·         IF we present people with good information about the issue of diversity, and
·         IF we present people with good stories of diverse people who really are “just like 
            everyone else” (Is that really the goal?), and
·         IF we challenge people to live up to the higher ideals of tolerance and acceptance,

·         THEN we will improve the relational climate in our community for people of all 
            backgrounds and everyone will be “happy.”

Specific examples of this approach include “Diversity Days”, “Multicultural Fairs”, “International Dinners” and the like.  While these events are valuable experiences in a community approach that addresses diversity, it is my opinion that these approaches fail to address the root causes of the division that exists and the reasons why it continues to exist in spite of people knowing about higher ideals.   Perhaps most importantly, these approaches tend to appeal only to those who already are already convinced – “preaching to the saved” so to speak.

(Now some additional thoughts on the subject of Reconciliation)

By virtue of my work in schools, church, and the community, I have the privilege of observing and interacting with a variety of viewpoints on many subjects. Reconciliation is certainly one of them.  There seem to be two pervasive approaches to brokenness in community relationships that I see played out.  In both cases there is an attempt to deal with the perceived or real differences experienced.

The first can be summarized in words few people would ever say out loud but which many live “out loud” with their lives: 

“As soon as those people change, we won’t have any problem getting along.”  

The second, again in words few people say but still get lived out: 

“I have met some of those people who aren’t like that and we get along fine.”  

Of course, both of these are rigid extremes on a continuum.  But for the sake of the discussion, they represent two schools of thought that are fairly common.  I also think that they represent two sides of the same coin.  Both are saying that if people who are NOT like me ARE (or become) like me, we will get along well.  We will be reconciled.  In the first case, “those people need to change and become like me.”  In the second, “I know some people of those people who are just like me.”  Both seem to address an outward set of behaviors that may or may not have anything to do with actually bringing about useful reconciliation between individuals or between groups within an organization, community or nation.  

So much of what is done to encourage understanding across divisions (race, nationality, religion, economic class, etc.) is based on viewing the positives about each other.  It emphasizes what we share in common and points toward building relationships based on those commonalities.  There is nothing wrong with that approach.  In fact, it’s good stuff and important in dealing with any type of diversity in a community.

But it’s not reconciliation.

Reconciliation is about healing and restoring broken relationships. And in order for that to be done, the relationship that is broken must be both present and exposed.  

To be present, both parties have to be equally involved.  There can be no reconciliation, no matter how much I may want there to be so, if I am the only one dealing with the issue.  Reconciliation requires the bringing together of two parties.  It is not achieved by the good will of one of those parties.  

To be exposed, the actual brokenness must be looked at for what it is.  How did we get this way?  What have been my (our) experiences that resulted in this brokenness?  It requires self-examination and self-disclosure in the presence of “the other.”  Beyond that, the relationship itself has to be looked at honestly – not just understanding oneself or understanding the other, but looking at the stuff in between each other – that which only exists when both are present.

This is hard, uncomfortable work.  And not natural.

But it is the stuff of legends!  And amazing things take place when real reconciliation occurs.  This was the brilliance of what Nelson Mandela brought to brokenness in his beloved South Africa when he was released from 27 years of imprisonment and began to work not on getting what he deserved for the injustice he has suffered.  Instead, he began a work of reconciliation through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, among other things, that resulted in an astonishingly peaceful transition from minority white rule to a democratically elected President Mandela.  

Mandela and South Africa are a model for what reconciliation must be.  It cannot be just focusing on commonalities or pretending that the problems don’t exist or letting bygones be bygones.  We can’t “just all get along.”  It’s not our nature.  True reconciliation requires the presence and exposure of the relationship that needs to be reconciled.  The wound must be opened and cleansed (often painfully) or the infection will fester.

For those who are followers of Christ, we have an even better example of reconciliation in the sacrifice of Jesus.  For those who are not followers of Christ, consider the point of the story.  A relationship was broken, in this case between the Creator God and his people.  The reconciliation took place through painful sacrifice which resulted in both parties being able to experience a restored relationship.  In this case, only Jesus paid the penalty, but the reconciliation requires both parties (Jesus and anyone who enters into relationship with him) and requires an honest examination of the consequence of the brokenness.  The crucifixion was not a nice thing.

Reconciliation is hard work and often painful.  But it can be done and it is worth the work and the cost.  Consider your role in reconciliation in your home, your church, at your job, in your community.  There is no greater work than to heal brokenness in people and in their relationships!

JUDGMENT

The weekend before Christmas, we did a production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at our church.  It was delightful giving a lot of kids a chance to be on stage and receive the applause of our three sold out houses.  So we only had 85 seats available for each show, but still it was sold out!  Each night before the show we would have a little prayer led by the director who happened to also be my daughter, Alison. During one of those prayers, one of the “baby angels” provided us with a wonderful example of something that people love to do but I am not sure always realize that they are doing.  In this case, little Johnny noticed during the prayer that one of the other baby angels had his eyes open during the prayer.  Johnny, feeling compelled to enforce compliance, said in a whispered but still audible voice, “Jack, close your eyeballs!”  Of course, the contradiction is obvious to us mature adults!  How can Johnny know that Jack’s eyeballs are open if his are closed?   

Doing a full production play was a new experience for our small congregation.  We had another Christmas experience that has become a tradition.  Every year for the past ten or so, we have volunteered to ring bells for the Salvation Army on Christmas Eve.  The last few years, we have taken the whole day to ring for a kettle at the entrance to a local grocery store.  Families sign up for half hour or full hour shifts and there is a group that typically takes the last 90 minutes and sings Christmas Carols.  My family and I have always been a part of that group.   It has become part of the holiday that is a real blessing.  It’s fun.  People smile and we have some great conversations with each other and with those passing by.

As we were in the last half hour, a lady walked past us and then returned with a look of determination in her face.  She clearly had something to say.  I can’t vouch for the word or word account but the interaction went something like this:

Lady    “Are you with this group?” (looking to the Salvation Army sign above the kettle.)

Me       “I’m sorry?  Are we with this group?”

Lady    “Are you with this group?  Do you believe what they believe?”

Me   “Oh, no we are not with the Salvation Army.  We are volunteers from a church. The Salvation Army has volunteers ring the bells for them and we like to sign up on Christmas Eve.”

Lady    “Do you believe what they believe?”

Me     “We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior.  I can’t speak about what the Salvation Army believes beyond that because I am not a member of their group."

Lady    “Do you know that they believe that homosexuals should burn in hell?”

Me     “I am not sure what you mean but I do not think that any Salvation Army person would say that exactly.   Where did you hear that? ”

Lady    “I read it somewhere.  I think it was in Forbes magazine.  What church are you from?”

Me     “We are from First Baptist Church.  We are ringing the bells to raise money to support people who are helped by the Salvation Army.”

Lady    “Well, I will write a check for your group, but I am not giving any money to them.” 

At this she turned and walked away.  Reading this does not accurately convey the tone of judgment that she brought to the conversation.  She clearly believed she needed to have an argument for justice.  I think she even might have thought that it was the Christmas thing to do; to confront wrong and not just walk past it.  Good for her. 

But like so many people - like baby angel Johnny above - she was engaged in her personal judgment about another - in this case - group’s judgment, at least as she perceived it to be.  She was judging judgment.  She fulfilled Romans 2:1 in which Paul confronts all of us with one of my favorite verses in the Bible if only because it never ceases to make me uncomfortable:

“You therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things.”

Paul goes on to talk about how God’s judgment always makes sense due to the unique perspective God has on every situation.  But our human judgment is always compromised by our limited perspective.  And our judgment of others almost always promotes division.  It was clear from this nice lady’s demeanor (and she was nice even in her emotional urgency) that she was much more interested in making a point than in resolving a difference of understanding.  Her final point emphasized her disdain for the Salvation Army as she perceived them to be.  She said she would write us a check (First Baptist Church) but wouldn’t give any money to them.  She had never heard of First Baptist Church and had no idea what, if anything, First Baptist Church believes about homosexuality or anything else.  But she was ready to say that she would write us a check rather than support the Salvation Army.  (The topic of saying what we are going to do to prove our point and then not actually doing it is for another time!  Perhaps the nice lady really will send a check, but I am not holding my breath!  And not because I know anything about her but because I know how many times in my own life I have said I was going to do something out of some momentary conviction but have not followed through and actually done it!)

Ringing bells for the Salvation Army in front of the grocery store on Christmas Eve did not seem like the proper place to engage this particular person in a conversation about homosexuality and the Bible and Baby Jesus and so on.  Perhaps I missed an opportunity.  But in my view, the first step in any conversation about this or any other controversial topic is for each party to recognize figuratively, “Hey, I am praying with my eyes open, too!”  We have to be able to move past emotional judgment from our limited human viewpoint and acknowledge that judgment itself, regardless of the topic or viewpoint, in a big part of the problem.  There are real conversations about real issues that need to be held in order to bridge the gaps of anger created by our well-developed skill of judging others.  Setting up proverbial Straw Men (“I read in an article in Forbes magazine that such and such group believes this or that topic which is important to me.”) and then knocking those Straw Men down through the power of our own righteous judgment will not move us personally or our communities, nations or even world, any closer to real peace and reconciliation.

This isn’t exactly a measureable resolution, but I hope to work with myself and with others toward recognizing first where my own opinions and judgments come from and taking responsibility for those.  From that place I resolve to work on real reconciliation in my family, church, community and world.

God knows who is “praying with their eyes open.”  I suspect he doesn’t need my help to point it out!

Jim
www.jmoservicesllc.com

Read Jim's book: Fool's Gold: Searching for Goodness in the Human Heart
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