The Shalom of Basketball, and Life

Growing up in and near Indiana, it was inevitable that I love basketball. After reading Elesha Coffman's article, "The Sport of Saints," I think there is a more spiritual reason. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/marchweb-only/3-12-53.0.html?start=2%22%3E%3C/a%3 Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a gym teacher at the International Training School of the Young Men's Christian Association in Springfield, Massachusetts. He defined his purpose in that position like this: "To win men for the Master through the gym." That's why Naismith offered this advice to those who play the game of basketball: "Let us be able to lose gracefully and to win courteously; to accept criticism as well as praise; and to appreciate the attitude of the other fellow at all times."

Basketball has a "shalom." Shalom is a word the Hebrews used to describe "life as it ought to be." Naismith obviously saw the same thing for his game. Shalom for Naismith is not about winning. It is about playing the game the way it should be played--with teamwork, intensity, knowledge of the game, commitment to skills development, toughness, respect for others, joy in the game, and fairness. I have played or observed thousands of basketball games in my lifetime. I can count on one hand games that approached basketball shalom. I have seen more games in which one team plays with basketball shalom (they usually win). Seldom does one play or see a game in which both teams do. The closest that I have seen in recent memory is the 2010 NCAA championship game between Duke and Butler (the last shot of which is pictured above). For a basketball purist like me, it didn't matter which team won, because the game won that day. It was basketball shalom.

Life has a shalom too. Intuitively, we know what it is--to be in healthy relationship with God, other people, and creation. The Bible paints a picture of shalom at its beginning (the Garden of Eden) and its end (the new heavens and the new earth), and describes it in various ways in between, such as, the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Another description is found in Ephesians 4:11-16, which ends like this: Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. The same elements that Naismith intended to be the shalom of basketball are also the shalom of life. To me unlike most other sports basketball is a prototype of life.

Christ is our shalom (Ephesians 2:14). His purpose was to restore life to what it should be--to create shalom in us and among us. Of all people on earth, because of their devotion to Christ, Christ-followers should experience shalom. As a pastor that is also my life's calling and work (Ephesians 4:11). That's why every Sunday I walk into our building with the hope of experiencing shalom that day. Somehow I believe that as I point people towards Jesus with my teaching and reach out to my fellow church members to encourage and partner with them as spiritual teammates, that our shalom maker, Jesus, will give all of us a taste of life as it should be. It's addictive really--this hope for shalom. It's what keeps me coming back every Sunday.

Naismith lost control of the game he invented. Today, basketball shalom is mostly destroyed by greed for fame and fortune, an overemphasis on winning to the point of corrupting the game (today's superstars are allowed to travel more than anyone else), selfish play, infantile character in highly skilled bodies, and lack of respect for the game, officials, and each other. The game is so deteriorated among its professional artisans that I don't bother to watch much anymore. But basketball is just a game. Sadly, the maladies that are ruining basketball shalom are threatening the shalom of life also, even among God's people.

God's people have an advantage over basketball, however. Basketball had an inventor. God's people have a builder. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18 I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. This is what keeps me coming back every Sunday, no matter how much I despair during the week. My hope for shalom rests solely on Christ. He is building his church. Every once in a while in the church or in a devoted Christian family, I catch a glimpse of the shalom of life on earth. It usually passes as quickly as the morning mist. Because of Christ's promise and power, however, I know that someday, in the eternal place where Christ reigns supremely, I (we) will experience shalom, life the way it should be, every moment of every day with everyone. I can hardly wait.