The Light of the World Cup?

Dear Crosswalkers,

The World Cup of soccer (known to the rest of the world as football) begins on Friday, June 11, in South Africa.  This is the first time the World Cup will be played on African soil.  The venues are scattered over 10 stadiums in 9 cities.  The projection is there will be 2.74 million spectators with a TV audience of some 40 billion people watching the 200 hours of soccer. This is truly a world event, in spite of the fact that it receives relatively minor attention in the United States.

This Sunday we will be challenged by our Lord’s teaching that his followers are “the light of the world.”  For 2,000 years, followers of Jesus have tried to live up to this high calling to shine with the light of the Lord into the world’s darkness.

How are the believers in South Africa and the world of soccer shining with the light of Jesus?  Well, in South Africa and beyond, Christian groups and churches have mobilized to take advantage of the opportunity to shine with the Lord’s light during the World Cup. The local organizing task force is called, “The Ultimate Goal” (TUG).  I like that name!  The coordinator of TUG is Tim Tucker, who says,“This is our time and our moment. Never again in our lifetime will we have this unique opportunity. We need to seize the moment. We have the message and the vehicle to deliver that message. If we don’t rise to the challenge it will be gone tomorrow.”

Many churches have planned special services, festivals, and soccer tournaments.  All for the blessed purpose of sharing the good news.  140,000 packets of player profiles and testimonies, a full schedule of games and venues, and steps to faith in Christ have been prepared for distribution.  Athletes in Action have produced a special DVD called, “The Prize” which features high profile Christian players such as Kaka, Lucio, Marcus Senna, Nicola Legrotalle and Tim Howard.


Brazilian Star Ricardo Kaka
One example stands out.  Ricardo Kaka, known as Kaka, is a world class soccer player and plays for the Brazilian national team.  He has also been diligent about sharing his faith and shining with the light of Jesus.  He was reared in Brazil and had tremendous potential to be a world class soccer player.  But then tragedy struck.  At the age of 18, his future in soccer was brutally stopped by a career-threatening injury when he slipped at a swimming pool and fractured his back.  Doctors said he would not only never again play soccer, but feared his injury could lead to paralysis.  Fortunately for the footballer, Kaka miraculously recovered! Since then, out of a heart of gratitude to God, Kaka has been living for the Lord.  He was married in 2007, and he and his wife shared that they honored God by remaining virgins until their wedding night.  He is serious about his faith!  He donates one tenth of his yearly salary to his Brazilian Church. He shares his faith!  He is a sterling example of what Jesus meant when he looked at the his disciples and said “You are the light of the world.”

My hope is that God will energize us to take advantages of the many opportunities that come our way to do good in the name of Jesus and share with others the difference the Lord has made in our lives.  This Sunday we will celebrate the wonderful proclamation that the Lord Jesus still makes to his followers today:  “You are the light of the world!” In his name, I encourage us to shine!

See  you Sunday,

Pastor John