The biggest sporting event of the year – the Super Bowl – will kickoff this Sunday evening. The televised game garners much attention, even from those who are not sports fans. Super Bowl parties, large and small, will be held in every part of the country.
Many congregations typically have regular assemblies scheduled during this time. As Christians, what are we to do? We have several options, though not all are equal in merit. Let us examine these in light of the Scriptures.
What Might You Be Doing on Super Bowl Sunday?
Skipping church services to watch the Super Bowl – Many people simply choose to stay home and watch the game instead of assembling with the local church of which they are members. Yet the Hebrew writer warned against “forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some” (Hebrews 10:25). By choosing to be elsewhere, even for the Super Bowl, we forsake the assembly of the church. This reflects poorly on our priorities (cf. Matthew 6:33).
Watching the Super Bowl at a church event – Super Bowl parties hosted or sponsored by churches are becoming more common as these groups attempt new ways to pull people in from the community or cater to their members. But where would we go in the New Testament to find authority for a church using social events to reach the lost or build up its members? There is none! This lack of authority should be a cause of concern (cf. Matthew 7:21-23; Colossians 3:17). While we may interact socially with one another, Paul specifically said that social events have no place in the work or assembly of the church (1 Corinthians 11:22, 34). Furthermore, the gospel is to be used to draw people (2 Thessalonians 2:14), not televised sporting events, hot wings, and pizza.
Watching the Super Bowl after a church service has been cancelled/rescheduled – We first should understand a point about local church autonomy: each congregation is free to make their own decisions regarding their meeting times. However, any suggestion to cancel or reschedule a regular service in order to accommodate the Super Bowl should be considered soberly. What does this say about our priorities? Where will this lead? What damage will this do to the strength of the congregation and its influence in the community? Those are serious questions. Will we consider them, or just be happy that the cancelled/rescheduled service will allow us to watch the game? The local church is “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) and is a self-edifying body (Ephesians 4:16). Canceling or rescheduling a service for the Super Bowl is directly at odds with those two missions.
Attending church services in spite of the Super Bowl – Though a number of Christians will choose the Super Bowl over the regular assembly of the saints, many will be attending their regular Sunday evening service as they do faithfully each week. Why do we choose to do this? It is because we are seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). We want to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds,” rather than “forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some” (Hebrews 10:24-25). We want to worship God (John 4:24) because He is “worthy…to receive glory and honor” (Revelation 4:11).
Watching the Super Bowl without having a conflict with church services – The New Testament does not contain a universal pattern for the service times of local churches. A congregation must meet at least once on Sunday (cf. Acts 20:7), but no time is specified. Many congregations meet regularly on Sunday evenings after having met earlier that morning. The previous points were specifically for members of those congregations. However, some congregations have no second service. Others have a second service that is held earlier in the afternoon. It is perfectly acceptable for a congregation to decide to do this. In these cases, there would be no conflict between spiritual and secular interests.
Conclusion
That is really what it all boils down to – the conflict between spiritual and secular interests. Secular interests – like sports – may be fine. But when we elevate them to the point in which they are of equal or greater importance than our spiritual interests, we have a problem. The Super Bowl may be the biggest sporting event of the year, but it is not nearly as important as the routine and ordinary assembly of the saints.
