March Madness: Basketball Frenzy, Seminary Insanity
Ah, March… That miraculous time of year when things start to bloom (and the pollen comes out), the weather starts to warm up (and winter continuously recapitulates), and the time change makes our evenings longer (and takes an hour of sleep). Given the bipolar weather, basketball brackets, and the onset of midterms, the NCAA’s choosing to christen their basketball tournament season “March Madness” is exceedingly appropriate.
This has been the year of upsets for college basketball. Teams that were expected to do well crumbled under the impressive spunk of the lower-seeded opposition that had nothing to lose and everything to gain. No doubt, one could draw countless sermon illustrations from the perseverance of these underdogs: “the first shall be last,” “let us run with endurance,” etc.
The exhausting grind of continuous competition during March Madness, televised for all to see, seems to also accurately demonstrate the mental, emotional, and spiritual tiredness faced by seminary faculty, staff, and students as we hit the semester’s midway point. Sleep and socializing become secondary as we strive to get one more reading done, another paper completed, another exam prepared for. Finding a sustainable cycle feels impossible, and lunch each day feels like a huddle at halftime of a losing game: everyone is exhausted, demoralized, and worn down. We want to keep fighting, yet know victory will be an uphill battle.
Aren’t we here to prepare for the ministry to which God called us? Isn’t this our time of ironing out where our deep passion meets the world’s deep need? Shouldn’t joy in what we’re learning far outweigh any sense of dread? I would posit that the answer to all of these questions is probably “yes,” but being where God has said we should be does not mean the journey is easy.
It is also exceedingly appropriate that we find ourselves in the season of Lent. We are faced with constant reminders of Holy Week, Christ’s suffering and sacrifice on our behalf, and our own sinfulness and insufficiency. We are reminded that our striving in anything is fruitless and ultimately meaningless if we are attempting to do so in our own strength. In his famous Letters and Papers from Prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer notes, “Only a suffering God can help.” This is a comfort most clearly in focus leading up to Good Friday, as we face the reality of the humiliating death of a Savior who challenged the status quo and loved people fully. We can go into each day of our lives knowing that, whatever we encounter, God is with us, and He understands the pain that accompanies earthly existence intimately. Praise the Lord that the victory is won!
Imagine starting the NCAA basketball tournament with the knowledge that, no matter how impossible the odds seemed, your team was going to win it all. Think of how much less pressure there would be as you stressed to learn Greek if you knew from the outset you would get an A. As this Lenten season gives way to Easter, take a moment to reflect on how good it is to know that Christ has paid it all and won the war, even as we encounter brokenness (within and without) each day.
No matter what form your March Madness has taken, hear the words of Paul to the Corinthians: “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:11, 14)
Leave a Reply