I will admit
it. I am a NASCAR fan. During the season is it unusual if I do not watch at
least one race, and often both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races. I once
dreamed of being a race car driver, but my parents would not allow me to have a
go-cart which is where many of today’s drivers started. Out at the end of our
road, where it connected to the highway, the gentleman who lived there built
three-quarter midget race cars. Oh, how I wanted to just get into the seat of
one of them, but again I was not allowed. The older brother of a friend at
church used to race stock dragsters, back in the day before they were all
slender rockets with a jet engine for power. I used to watch stock car races on
TV, black and white of course. That was when real “stock” cars were races, not
the modern fabricated paper thin painted sheet metal machines.
I have never
been to a NASCAR race. I will fix that next Sunday. NASCAR is racing at the
Michigan International Speedway, which is a bit over an hour from Detroit. I
will be in Detroit for the meeting of the PC(USA) General
Assembly. So Sunday morning my wife, Nancy, and I will drive over to Brooklyn,
Michigan to watch the Sprint Cup race. I had hoped to snag seats high up in the
grandstand to be able to see the whole race course. However, the available
seats, in my price range, put us in row six at the beginning of the
straightaway coming out of turn four. There will be massive noise. Ear plugs
will be in order!
One of the
things people say about racing, unless it is on a road course, is all you do is
go fast and turn left. The race we will see is 400 miles and a two mile track.
Around and around in circles for about four hours, depending on the number of
caution laps at a much slower speed. In some ways, I can see a comparison with
the General Assembly. In some ways, we have been going around and around in
circles for years. In NASCAR there is always the potential, if not probability,
of a wreck. There is always the possibility, if not probability, of a wreck at
the General Assembly as the Commissioners clash on the “hot button” issues. Sometimes the noise of our solemn assembly
requires ear plugs as Commissioners wrangle in the course of the debates.
Generally, if one has been to a General Assembly meeting, there is nothing new
to be said relative to issues which have been before the Assembly for decades.
Each time there is a wreck in NASCAR, while it is exciting, all hope the driver
emerges unscathed. The wrecks which come out of the General Assembly seem
assured, at the least, to leave some bruises to egos and spirits. In the highly
volatile environment of the church, today, it is almost assured to cause
serious damage to the body and soul of the church.
At the end of the General Assembly there is no
checkered flag; no smoking tire burnout by the winner; no victory circle. Why
is it we hope to come away with the least possible damage? With a heavy sigh,
we pray we can say with the Apostle, Do
you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes
into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do
it to get a crown that will last forever.
(I Corinthians 9:24-25 New International Version)
