Congregation Politely Listens; Then Rush Home to Prepare for Super Bowl Party
Dave Brewer, pastor at Gwinnett United Methodist Church, delivered his weekly sermon at this morning’s service; however, he threw a fun spin on today’s dose of spiritual guidance. “I consider myself to be a pretty good orator, and the congregation agrees,” says Brewer. “Sometimes, though, the whole sermon thing can get a little dry. That’s why I look forward to special days like Super Bowl Sunday, so I can mix it up a little bit.” Brewer spent his Saturday evening writing up the sermon, consulting ESPN.com for Super Bowl facts and trivia, and cross-referencing those tidbits with excerpts from the Bible.
“I worked hard on the sermon, and I hope everyone enjoys it,” Brewer says. “I decided to go with a Super Bowl theme, in line with the big game tonight.” His central idea was that of keeping the faith in times of adversity, incorporating elements from the story of Noah’s ark. “The New York Giants are up against immeasurable odds in playing the Patriots tonight,” Brewer told church-goers this morning. “You know who else faced an impossible challenge he didn’t feel up to? Old Noah himself. When God told Noah to build an ark and load it with two of every kind of animal, did Noah back down? When the townspeople taunted Noah, and told him he was crazy and worthless, did he shrink away from the challenge?”
Noah wasn’t the only Biblical figure being called upon for allusion. “I was a little hesitant to include the Tom Brady-as-savior metaphor,” Brewer tells us. “However, I think everyone can understand that I was simply making a point about Tom’s skills as a quarterback carrying the team to victory game after game. You could say that Jesus does the same thing for us, day after day. Tom Brady’s good, but he ain’t nothing compared to J.C.” The pastor stated that he did not mean to alienate any Giants fans in the congregation, but adds, “Come on… we all know they don’t have a prayer. No pun intended.”
All in all, Brewer is pleased with the sermon and its response. “I think everybody really enjoyed it,” he says. “Just goes to show you, even learning how to better serve our Lord can be a laugh sometimes. It’s good to see my hard work being appreciated by the masses.” Brewer also told us that he looks forward to future sermons. “Let’s just say I’ve got something special up my sleeve for the day of the Oscars,” he says with a chuckle.
When asked his opinion of the pastor’s Super Sunday sermon, churchgoer Steve Simmons said, “Oh yeah… the sermon. Sure, it was alright. Sorry, I can’t really talk- I have to go pick up some more chips and dip for tonight.”
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