“LET ‘EM SEE HOW YOU ARE” by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

Last weekend we went to see the first pre-season game at Ford Field in Detroit. The Detroit Lions played my husband Kurt’s (and Rebecca’s) favorite football team, The Cincinnati Bengals (a clash of titans we admit). We drove up to the game with our friends who were here visiting from Philly. The kids, Kurt and I all wore Bengals jerseys. We wanted to identify with OUR team. We were, of course, in the minority, walking the streets of Detroit, and into the Lions stadium.

We got a few shouts from some Lions fans in downtown Detroit as we headed into the game. For awhile we thought we were the only Bengals fans at the game. Eventually we spotted a few other brave Cincinnati fans in the crowd. The Bengals got whooped, 34-3. It was a sad game. We stayed to the end. Though we headed to the car, through the stadium, during the last couple of minutes. Even Kurt could not sit still to the bitter end.

As we headed to our car, which was a bit of a hike, I must confess, I was a little uneasy. It was dark. I’m not so familiar with Detroit. We Bengals fans were waaay outnumbered. And even though our team had lost, some of the Lions fans were still giving us grief on the street. There we were, walking targets, wearing our bright orange and black jerseys. There was no mistaking our loyalties.

I could not help remembering Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants Fan. He was also walking out of stadium, a fan of the visiting team, on Opening Day last March 31st, just after the Los Angeles Dodgers had beaten the Giants 2-1.

As Stow and his friends were leaving the stadium, Stow was attacked by two men wearing Dodgers gear. They punched Stow in the back of his head, kicking him even after he fell to the ground, unconscious. Months later he is still trying to recover. All because he was wearing a Giants jersey. He identified himself with a team, and it almost got him killed.

We were wearing Bengals jerseys in Detroit, because we love Kurt’s team. In a way we were taking a bold stand. But I was a little worried, because I know that crazy people do bad things, (even to good people). Of course, we made it home safely, like millions of sports fans every day.

But it made me think. There are so many ways that show our loyalty. And there are consequences to every action. Now, I would like to hope that we could live in a world and country where no one would get beat up for wearing a particular sports jersey. That is just stupid.

The L.A. Dodgers have had to deal with some bad public relations as a result of that beating. Now, of course, no reasonable person blames the team for what some lunatic fans do. But still, the fans, associated with their team, did this horrible thing. So, at some level, at least some of us will make the connection, won’t we? I mean, I was a bit fearful in Detroit last weekend, wondering if some Lions fan might do the same thing. Guilt by association. Sports fans, in general, might get out of hand, and do really stupid and violent acts.

Well, let’s have a look at this concept from in another context. What if we had jersey’s that say: “I’m a Jesus follower.” Can you imagine that? Once we say that we are followers of Jesus – we have a responsibility AND an opportunity – to model Jesus for other people in everything we do.

There’s a saying that goes around, “You may be the only Bible some people read.” That is to say: some people are never going to pick up a Bible and read it – they are only going to learn about God, and Jesus and the ways of love and forgiveness and compassion, by seeing those things in our lives. WOW! That’s a big responsibility, and it’s a great opportunity.

You see, every day, we have a opportunity to show people how much people God loves them – by being wildly extravagant in our love! I don’t mean by being “nice.” Nice is lame. Nice is when your 95 year old great aunt she sends you a birthday card. I mean what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “being an extremist in our love.”

Can you be so extreme in your love, and compassion and forgiveness that it stops folks dead in their tracks? Wouldn’t that be something? And they’d have to say – “Wow – what is going on with you that you are so centered and generous with your love? Are you some sort of Jesus freak or something?” And you can laugh and say, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

I want to tell you a story about what it means when we do that. I knew a woman once at another church. When she was a child, she grew up in a family where there was abuse, physical and emotional. She did not know love. As an adult, she came to the church where I was pastor. She was in a difficult place in her life. She was struggling to understand what it might mean that God, and people, could actually love her.

She would watch how the parents and children in our church would interact. These were normal healthy loving parents and children. The woman told me one day that she was absolutely fascinated to see children that did not shrink away in fear when their parents called their names. She would watch as a mother sat in church and stroked her child’s back or gave her son a hug. She would watch as a child ran up to give a grandparent a hug with arms open wide. The woman had never experienced this sort of adult-child interaction. She was utterly amaze, utterly amazed at seeing love and compassion in a relationship between family. She told me that those families helped her believe in a world where there could be an honest caring and a healthy way to love.

This is what it means to be followers of Jesus who model love, compassion and acceptance. Those parents were being Jesus with their children. And they were helping their children grow up to be Jesus with other people. And they were modeling behavior for the woman who had not grown up in that sort of home. Generation to generation – this is how we do it. But not everyone starts out in an emotionally healthy home, so some of us have to find some healing, and go through some recovery, as adults. But as followers of Jesus we can create a community showing another way.

But here is the thing – wherever we are in the process – God has enough love to go around. Here’s what Jesus was saying to his disciples in this scripture that we read today (John 13:31-35 for those following along at home). He said:

34-35"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."

People are looking at us. They are watching us to see if we really act the way they expect followers of Jesus to act. Now, we are not perfect. So we will make mistakes. When we do, we need to be able to apologize, make our amends, and do our best to change our behavior. We try to do better.

When people see us making an effort to be loving, compassionate and forgiving, it is compelling. This way of life is refreshing compared to the way many folks out there life. They want to be a part of this.

I talked to quite a few folks at the Maumee Street Fair yesterday. I talked to them about what they are looking for in a church. Folks loved our “No Perfect People Allowed” T Shirts. They kept walking by our booth saying, “That’s my kind of church.” They know they are not perfect. And they are tired of churches where they feel like the folks are trying to act perfect.

But they DO want a church where folks are acting like Jesus. And we need to show ‘em that we can be like Jesus. We can be extreme in our love, our compassion, and our forgiveness. We were giving away large, beautiful reusable water bottles with ice cold water (240 bottles & nearly 60 gallons of water). People were shocked at how generous we were. They couldn’t believe we were giving away something others were selling.

So this week, I want to invite you to “Show ‘em how you are.” Don’t be afraid to BE like Jesus. And when you have a chance – let someone know that you love God.

Let someone know that because you are a follower of Jesus, you choose to be more loving than the average sports fan. Be a good loser, and a good winner. Congratulate the other team, whatever the outcome. It’s just a game, folks!

In worship, we responded by taking a multi-colored string and making a wrist band out of it. We want to ask you to respond to The Message today by taking one of these strings (find one out there if you didn’t get here) and tie it. This is a reminder of: God’s love that is in you. Let someone tie it to your wrist.

Wear it for the rest of the day, and maybe the whole week if you will. Let it be a reminder that you are modeling the extravagant love, compassion and forgiveness of Jesus in all that you do. You get to show God to other people this week, in the ways that you treat other people. This little string is you reminder that you are a reflection of Jesus. “God’s love is in you, so let ‘em see it.”

If you want to be a part of a community of faith like this, we’re not alone. Find one, we are out here. If you’re at the corner of Monroe & Central in Toledo some Sunday at 11 AM(or coming soon in Maumee) come check us out. Let us show us you some extravagant love, compassion and the forgiveness that Jesus taught us.