Saturday, October 30, 2010

2 minute warning

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and watchful in prayer.

The 2 minute warning is a good ol' American Football tradition. The game clock is stopped and the referee notifies each head coach that he's got 2 minutes of game time left. I don't know why we really still do this, since everybody in the stadium can see the clock, and I have to believe that any coach worth his salt is aware of it, but he still gets told. It's not like that in "futbol" (soccer for us in the US. The 'world' calls soccer 'football' because the ball is moved by the foot. We call football football because...uh...because...er...we're AMERICANS, and we SAID so, that's why!) Anyway, in "soccer", only one person in the world knows when the game will end - the referee. They play two 45 minute halves with a 15 minute break in the middle, and the ref decides to add time or not at the end, and HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO SAY WHY! This can be frustrating and confusing for those of us used to clock management as practiced in football and gabbed about incessantly by on-air announcers. But in the world of “futbol” we get a glimpse of God as a timekeeper. It's His clock, His timing. Coaches, players, and spectators can have their opinions and reasons for them, but only the Ref has the power of decision. We all know that we're in the final moments of the Game. The last whistle is about to blow. It's time to put all our strength into finishing well, to get every possible score before the End, leaving nothing undone.


Romans 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.