NASCAR and the Church

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)