World Cup

If you’re like me (and I know that everyone is,) you’ve spent a fair amount of time this past month watching the World Cup. One of my favorite things about the World Cup, is not just the soccer matches (and there have been some great ones.) I love seeing people from all over the world, from all walks of life, getting together and celebrating as one.

Social media feeds have been flooded with videos of people welcoming strangers to their towns, introducing them to new foods, new dances, and exchanging cultures. You may have seen a contingent of people from Scotland descending on Boston and filling Fenway Park with songs. I think of a group of South Koreans, who travelled to Guadalajara for a game, and were introduced to the miracle that is Mexican food. The English fans who were awestruck by the sheer magnitude of Merecedes Benz Stadium here in Atlanta. People gathering together, all over the world, in parks, cafes, taverns, and living rooms, putting aside their divisions, and being enraptured by soccer for 90 minutes.

The beauty of the World Cup is not just the soccer. FIFA is far from a perfect organization. The beauty of the World Cup lies in the gathering of people. In it we see a simple foretaste of heaven. The gathering of people from all over the world, every tribe, every language, every nation, every race, putting aside their divisions, their politics, their pride, themselves, to worship at the feet of Jesus. And the great thing is, that heavenly party will never end. The World Cup will end in a few days. Guests will go back home, back to “real life,” and will the cares and worries of the world will reappear. As Christians, we can rejoice knowing that because of Jesus, our party is just beginning. That we will get to celebrate Jesus with our sisters and brothers from around the world, forever.

-Nathan