A few weeks ago pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training at Major League Baseball teams in Arizona and Florida. For those of us who enjoy baseball, this is sweet music to our ears. Baseball is my favorite professional game to watch. I have always enjoyed playing basketball, but few events rival watching a major league game on a beautiful sunny day. Baseball is the only sport in which the defense has the ball. It is also a sport which allows the luxury of unhurried time between plays. There are so many minor nuances and details to the game which the uninitiated fan will miss. Today's sports fans are so obsessed with fast pace, much like the age in which we live, that they are unable to even watch an entire game. Living in the Bay Area, I have the luxury of watching two major league teams, though my son is very partial to the Giants. However, the A's are a much more affordable option, but watching a game at AT&T Park is an incredible experience. We are looking forward to catching a few games this year and watching the Giants defend their World Series title.
I have always wanted to go to Spring Training. Each year, we look at options for going, but we want to make sure our sons are old enough to enjoy the experience. Spring Training is the place where the teams look at the prospect in the minor leagues, incorporate free agents into their team and go over the fundamentals with their returning players. It is also a place where those players who have been injured rehab from those injuries and begin to test their body's response to the surgery or injury. Players who have been playing for many years at the major league level are required to be at Spring Training as they go over the basic fundamentals and plays which will be run throughout the course of a 162 game season. They may only see this particular play one time during the entire season, but the outcome of a game might hinge on how well they execute. If you go to Spring Training, you will see All-Stars, bench players, rookies, free agents and minor leaguers side by side working on the same fundamentals. Everything done in Spring Training is to prepare for the long season. So in less than a month, the teams determine their final roster, strengthen fundamentals and then begin the long journey of an MLB season.
Hebrews 10:25 tell us, "Lets us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching". From my perspective, participating in church each Sunday is like Spring Training. The body of Christ gathers together each week to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, which is why the Church changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. We gather to go over spiritual fundamentals and encourage each other. We talk about the game plan for the week that lies ahead. Those who are hurting are able to be around others who will help them rehab from those struggles and gain a new perspective on faith. It is the time when the church hears God's game plan for the week as He prepares us for the life experience which await us. It is a place where you will see mature followers of Christ side-by-side with those who are brand new to the Faith or those who haven't even taken that step of faith yet. The real season for the follower of Christ is not Sunday mornings, but once we leave the church building. That is when all the preparation of Sunday will pay off...on Monday morning when a temptation comes our way. On Wednesday afternoon when we see someone who is hurting. On Thursday evening when our neighbors need help. On Friday morning when we get an e-mail from a fellow Christian who is having a crisis of faith. The list goes on and on. I hope you can see the significance of Spring Training for the follower of Christ and will make being in church a top priority.
Can major league players play the game without going to Spring Training? Most assuredly. However, their play is limited by their lack of practice, their lack of interaction with their teammates and their inability to know what plays the team will be running. Can you be a faithful follower of Christ without going to church? I guess so, but you would be hard pressed to show a Biblical example of that. We are also putting ourselves in a position of failure, pride and isolation by making such a move. I pray that you will make being in church a high priority each week. You will definitely be tempted to compromise, but stand firm and see what God has in store for you because of your faithfulness. Make God bless you this Sunday at "Spring Training".
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