Glory and Sport Series: What is Glory?

This is the second in a four part video series written and recorded for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). The videos are linked to their sharing platforms.

Ok, we’ve already established that God cares deeply about his glory. And the context of sports provides opportunities for us as competitors to give God the glory he desires. But what is it that we are “giving” God? What is glory? 

There is a meme floating around the internet of a popular sitcom character who is holding a soccer ball and underneath is the tagline “football is life.” And my son sees this and he comes to me confused. He feels like there's some sort of disconnect. He said “Dad this this doesn't make sense to me. He's saying ‘football is life’ but he's holding a soccer ball and playing the sport of soccer.” And I had to explain to my son that in the majority of the world when we use the word football we're actually not referring to our American understanding of football with helmets and tackling and pads. We're actually referring to the game of soccer. It was really confusing to him that we could use a word that he historically understands as one sport to mean an entirely different sport.

This short conversation reminds me of this: language matters. Words matter. Context matters. And so when we use a word like glory, especially within the context of sports, there can be this assumption of what it means for us and what it what it doesn't mean and so let's start here: Glory means weight.

It means a particular object is heavy with worth and significance. Imagine the difference in glory between this rock and a feather. If we drop both in a glass of water, you can imagine what happens with each. The feather, light it weight, maybe would cause a small ripple. The rock, however, would make a splash, spilling water outside of the cup, all over the ground and even on me. The more weighty or glory an object has, the more it impacts and influences everything around it. 

God’s glory, then, is the weight of everything that makes God who he is—and the sharing of this weight for the benefit of us and those around us. 

How can we connect this idea of God’s glory being the weight of who he is and the sharing of this weight for the benefit of those made in his image? Asked differently, how can we give glory to God, specifically through the way we engage with sport?

We bring glory to God through sport when we make Him pleased by emphasizing and embodying his character. 

Hebrews 1:3 says that "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature".

Most of us have practiced the worldly version of giving glory at some point in our lives. Here is what I mean by that. Do you remember playing sports in your backyard, neighborhood, or at school, and declaring in front of your friends what athlete you were going to be for that particular game or play? Playing basketball in my driveway with my brother growing up, we always argued over who got to be Michael Jordan or Shaquille O'neal. In football it was Barry Sanders. And whatever “athlete we aligned with” we would try our best to play in ways similar to them. Of course, because of our lack of skill, it was always a very dim reflection. But the point is this: we were bringing glory to that particular player, by trying to be like them.

This is how we bring glory to God in sport. We inwardly declare, I get to be Jesus today. And then we enter the context of sport, whether as a coach, an athlete, a parent, or a chaplain, and we attempt to be the radiating presence of God as we engage in sport. 

2 Corinthians 3:18 says this: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” This is wild. Paul is saying that God’s glory is reflected in our lives as we become more like Him. That the weight of what makes God who he is, is made visible and experienced to the world around us as we grow in likeness to God.

Glory simply means weight.

God’s glory is the weight of everything that makes God who he is—and the sharing of this weight for the benefit of us and those around us.

And we bring glory to God through sport when we make Him pleased by emphasizing and embodying his character. 

Listen, the best way to ensure we do that is to prioritize our relationship with God. It means engaging with him through the Word. Conversing with him through prayer. And surrendering our lives to His will and way. As we grow in our relationship with God, He transforms us more and more into his image. 

And as He does that, his glory is reflected in us and to the world around us. 

Part One: Glory and Sport Series: What Does God Want Most?

Part Two: Glory and Sport Series: What is Glory?

Part Three: Glory and Sport Series: Giving God Glory Through Our Motivation

Part Four: Glory and Sport Series: Giving God Glory Through Our Actions