Baseball. America’s pastime. I recently tuned in to a baseball game, mid-stream. I purposefully missed the beginning. I don’t need to be alerted to your political stance or cultural objective. I just want to watch baseball. Great memories of my childhood: whiffle ball games in backyards, softball games, playing catch with my dad. Knowing the meaning of phrases like: bring the heat, pick off play, rundown. Munching on roasted peanuts, sitting in the upper deck with family and friends. Understanding the #21 forever memorialized outside the stadium. A game to be enjoyed whether you are a player or a fan. A brief respite from the grind of the day, a break from the new being hurled at us 24/7.
As we tune back into baseball, America’s pastime, let us also tune back in to God, testifying before a watching world. Childhood memories of going to church, coming home to a Sunday dinner, gathered around the table, giving thanks to God for the blessings from His hand. Knowing the meaning of words like: redemption, eternal life, sovereign. Making a renewed commitment, a profession of faith, to love God, to believe His word as truth, to care and love others as an outward expression of God’s love. And as 1 Peter 3:15 says, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”