2020 has been quite the year. Cancelled events, diminished dreams, and the loss of certain freedoms have marked our time for the past several months. It hasn’t been much fun and even the most optimistic amongst us struggle to find an end in sight to our current pandemic state-of-mind. Everything can just seem to be a bit too much.
And yet … there are lights (perhaps shining dimly at the moment) that appear to offer hope. Our athletic programs had a successful month of July. We were social distancing and wearing masks and pre-screening athletes like you can’t believe, but it’s working! Our school is set for an on-time resumption of academic activities. It will look a little different, but we will be here and ready to resume in-person instruction. Zollner Stadium is nearing completion and the upgrades will give Concordia athletes access to one of the premier high school facilities in the state of Indiana and arguably the best Lutheran high school outdoor athletic facility in the country.
One of my favorite scripture passages comes from 2 Timothy 1. The apostle Paul is writing to his son in the faith, Timothy. He’s encouraging him to continue being about the work of spreading the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection for the sins of all in the face of any and all adversity. In verse 7, Paul writes, “… for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
These words are certainly applicable to us today. While I’ve often used this passage in the context of athletics, there is certainly encouragement we can all take from this verse as we navigate our sin-filled, COVID-laden world.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear ….” We encourage our teams to play hard and respect the opponents we face, but never fear them. To fear an opponent is to give that opponent more credit than they deserve. Live and play boldly. Find your challenge in life, embrace it, and strive to overcome it. God, in Christ, has taken care of the worst possible opponent any of us could ever face (sin and the death that sin causes). We now have, ultimately, nothing to fear.
“… but of power and love and self-control.” We aren’t all-powerful, but infused with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to be more than conquerors. We tell our teams that they often are stronger than they think. In fact, even if they don’t feel strong at the time they should at least act like it! We aren’t all-loving, but we’ve been given a soul that’s made for love. We respect and love others by following guidelines set forth by our political leaders (as long as they don’t usurp those guidelines that are Christ-centered!). Our teams are taught that teamwork is really about loving each other and wanting to play our best for those who share our uniforms. We aren’t always self-controlled, but we do our best to discipline ourselves to play hard and within the rules. Referees will make calls with which we don’t agree and teammates will perhaps not make the play we expect, but we don’t lash out and we keep ourselves calm and cool. Likewise, we might not always agree with decisions made by our leaders (political or otherwise). We are wise to keep our opinions to ourselves when prudent and continue to do our best to live according to the fruits of the Spirit and put the best construction on everything.
Paul’s advice to Timothy remains sound for us today. As we continue to bring the Gospel message of Christ crucified for sinners to our student-body and the community at-large, Concordia will do so with courage, power, love, and self-control. 2020 has been interesting, but the best is certainly yet to come!
Tim Mannigel,
Director of Athletics