According to a recent report on
TMZ, Pastor Wayne Hanson, who runs Summit Church in Castle Rock, CO, and has connections to Tim Tebow's family (FYI: Tim Tebow is the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos) stated that the reason the Tebow and the Broncos are winning is because God likes Tim Tebow best. "It's not luck. Luck isn't winning 6 games in a row. It's favor. God's favor. God has blessed [Tebow's] hard work." Hanson said. When asked if Tebow would be winning games if he wasn't such a strong believer, the pastor replied, "No, of course not."
Oh, where to begin? There are times where I want to grab my brethren of the cloth by the misguided collar and shake some good sense into them. God is not tilting the field of play in the Broncos favor, because God does not care if the Broncos win a football game, God does not care if Tim Tebow scores a touchdown, God does not care if Denver wins its division, its league, or even the whole darn shooting match in the Super Bowl. Those insignificant things are not on God's radar. Here is what God does care about: God cares that Tim Tebow is trying to follow Christ in his daily life. God cares that Tim Tebow takes time to pray, and shows thanksgiving and humble recognition for God's presence in his life. God cares that Tim Tebow treats his fellow human beings, whether they be teammates or opponents, Chargers, Chiefs or even (gasp!) Raiders, with love, compassion, mercy, and caring. God cares that Tim Tebow is living a Christ-like life by caring for the sick or feeding the hungry or clothing the naked. God cares that Tim Tebow knows that he is loved by God. God cares that Tim Tebow shows that same type of love to others. God cares that Tim Tebow is seeking God out in his life. About completion percentages and yardage gained and fumbles occurred, God does not care. But about the things that matter: how Tim Tebow lives his life, how he seeks God, how he treats others, about these things, God cares much.
Pastor Hanson meant well I am sure. He saw an opportunity to talk about faith to a wide audience, to have an impact beyond the pulpit, and he lunged clumsily at it. I would hope in retrospect, Pastor Hanson would gladly point out that God is much more interested in the person that Tim Tebow is and not so much in the game he plays. I hope he would acknowledge that winning or losing on the football field does not garner favor in God's eyes, but how one lives their life and how one serves others can make any person feel like a winner. I believe that Tim Tebow is probably a good person, and that his faith plays an enormous role in his life. Tebow has inspired many people by wearing his faith honestly out in the open, and that is a good thing. Hopefully, a person as outwardly visible in their faith as Tebow knows in their heart what really impresses God: things like hope, faith, and love. And hopefully this silliness about God having a hand in football games ends, because as a fan, I can not tolerate the thought that God would love Aaron Rodgers and the Packers so much more than my beloved Vikings.
God Bless and Merry Christmas,
Mark