Superb owl
If you know New Providence, I bet you think this post is about our owl, Hootie. He is a superb owl to be sure. But, you know what Sunday holds, “the big game!” You know that image of Julie Andrews dancing in the alps where the hills are alive with the sound of music? That’s me, not caring about football. In fact, my husband came to me while I was getting ready for church with a joke for me. “Hey, I heard Taylor Swift’s boyfriend is going to make an appearance at the Usher concert tonight.” I’ve always been in it for the commercials…occasionally the half-time show. Never the part where they make a basket, or homerun, or whatever they do (kidding, a touchdown, I’ve got that much).
But yeah, this year I’m rooting for Karma…that’s the guy on the Chiefs. One of my friends has said she’ll always root for a strong woman who disrupts the patriarchy, so there’s that, too. When I say I am rooting for the Chiefs though, what I am really rooting for is love. And happiness. And family. That’s always worth investing in. Unless you’ve been under a rock, you have at least heard something about the Kelce family, and certainly Taylor Swift in the last six months. And not just Taylor and Travis, but Travis’ whole family has been brought into the spotlight, his brother Jason, talented in his own right, and their sweet mom who I vaguely remember because her two sons played against each other in the Superb Owl last year. She’s sharing her cookie recipes on The Today Show, and it’s just so wholesome.
So, whether it’s because you’re annoyed by the attention that they are getting, or excited to see what happens next…their romance has caused quite the stir. Should it grab headlines over global disasters and conflicts, no. Should it be big news, no. But it is and I think the reason is not just because Taylor’s face is the most recognizable one on the planet… it’s because deep down we want to see love. We want the swords beaten into plow shares and we want love to win. We want to see that families can still be present for one another. We want to see that people with crazy work ethic can also still find time for one another and be generous with themselves and their possessions. And maybe, just maybe, we can admit that daddies suddenly bonding with their daughters over football because Taylor Swift might be seen for 2.4 seconds on the television screen, is pretty cool.
You may ask what all this has to do with faith and Jesus… well the way I see it the two biggest religions in the country might just be Football and Taylor Swift. If Jesus were to come back right now, I’d like to think he’d be shown on the jumbotron, but I’m not so sure we’d recognize him. So, we’ve got to see if we can spot glimpses of him elsewhere. So… I spy with my little eye…people finding joy in their God-given talents. I spy… people who are loving each other fiercely. I spy… loyalty, generosity, and love. How can we not get swept up in that?
I’m writing this on Sunday night, so by the time you read it, Reba will have nailed the National Anthem as only she can do. Usher will either have elated or enraged the audience with his half-time show. Millions of dollars will have been delivered in commercials. You will have possibly eaten chips and dip to the point of discomfort. The game will be over and true football fans will either be celebrating or disappointed in the outcome. As a fan of love and compassion and decency, I’m way more interested in what this one family has highlighted in the football community and now the globe—the importance of relationships and integrity. So, anyway, Go Taylor Swift’s boyfriend! Go, Chiefs! Go, happiness! Go, love! Superb!
Sincerely,
The Tortured Pastor’s Department(because she doesn’t care about football)