On Saturday myself, my dad, Stephen and Laurence travelled to Cardiff for rugby's European Cup final. What an occasion! There must have been nearly 60,000 Munster supporters amongst the crowd. The noise was deafening. The match was absorbing. The outcome was delightful.
On the way across I read something striking in the Irish Times. On the back page of the sports supplement was an article that said the following, ‘Maybe in years to come, the sociologists will decide that the Munster phenomenon was down to people needing to identify with a big-hearted and inclusive movement at a time when there was a dearth of such churches.’
What a sad reflection on the life of many churches! What a challenge to Christian communities! Could we describe our fellowships as a 'big-hearted and inclusive movement'? After all we have a gospel that invites all to experience true life - a gospel for people from all provinces and nations, all cultures and languages, for sports fans and sports haters, and for the respectable and the notorious. We have a cause that is greater than any cup. We serve a God who is infinitely more magnificent than any team.
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