This morning I woke up a pretty happy guy. My team won. They defeated the evil empire and are on their way to the Super Bowl!

I wanted to text my friends, wear my Manning jersey proudly, shout from the rooftops and scare sideline reporters with my enthusiasm.

But inside I heard this small, conflicting, judgmental and really whiny voice… “if only you were this excited about Jesus…” It was the ultimate self Jesus Juke.

Now admittedly, some of our culture takes fandom way too far and we can become worshipers of sport. Jesus is always better than the Super Bowl but being a fan is not a sin and being excited for your team is not wrong.

What I do realize is that the excitement I have today will fade. If the Broncos end up winning the Super Bowl it will be a lot of fun but that joy will not last. It won’t sustain me through hard times and it won’t forgive my sin. As much as I enjoy remembering and talking about the Broncos first Super Bowl, that memory doesn’t ultimately satisfy.

I love sports and and the fun of being a fan. And I can enjoy sports and give God glory in being a fan because it is a reminder that this is a glimpse and  a mere shadow of the excitement to come when our victory in Jesus is complete.