Sermon notes by Guillermo Kerber from Uruguay - football, religion and hope

On football, religion and hope
Some sermon notes by Guillermo Kerber - sermon preached on June 21 2010 in the week we were praying for Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay

Football plays a key role in these countries.
More than a role, closer to a religion.
Eduardo Galeano, an Uruguayan writer asks, “What do football and God have in common? The devotion of the believers and the rejection of many intellectuals” and then he quote among others Rudyard Kipling and Jorge Luis Borges.

Sociologists have studied football as religion. The power of belonging, stadiums as new cathedrals, with thousands of passionate believers, not one but 11 or 22 priests, pastors. Sacifice, idols.

A theological approach to football, as some have done, if your team lose, the suffering servant of Isaiah, if you win, the triumph of Christ.

As religion, football also has its positive and negative dimensions. The paradox of football is that, while being a clear example of non-violence, its rules leading to success without violent, many times is related to violence on the field also outside (hooliganism), as Prof Dennis Muller, ethicist and theologian from Lausanne, states (Football, its gods and demons). “IN every supporter there is a potential violence” (Müller)

Footbal has become a globalized sport. Even in USA, not a football fan, 130,000 tickets for the World Cup matches were sold.

Lookint at some matches you can see the beauty of the movement of the bodies, team building, hope of supporters, and wisdom.

Wisdom in Proverbs is a “she”. Wisdom plays with creation, as footballers play with a ball.

How much do we, adults, play? We think we are serious, theologians, pastors, intellectuals, professionals, and we don’t play. But wisdom, a “she” “is the mistress of the art of thought” (Prov). It is difficult, for our male-based dominant culture to accept all the attributes she has according to Proverbs.

In a difficult world, in a difficult situation in the WCC, we need wisdom, we need to play, we need hope, we need to “discern the signs of the times”. Let’s pray the Holy Spirit, let’s pray to Her, so that we can find our ways