unforgettable (but is that a good thing?)

On Sunday night/Monday morning I was in the crowd at the 14-inning marathon between the Mets and Phillies. For those who haven't heard, this particular crowd made headlines for their reaction to the news of Osama bin Laden's assassination. Chants of "USA! USA!" went on for nearly an inning, and intermittently afterward. I re-watched the television account, and I don't believe it did justice to the cheers. The loudest the crowd got was in between innings when the entire stadium finally hit the same notes. I am not going to go into a long response or argument, but simply share some reactions to the evening.

• I doubt I will ever forget last night. It is one of those "where were you?" moments people love to talk about years later. To be honest, I felt goosebumps when the crowd finally got in unison. It was something to witness.
• It's amazing how quickly we can turn off meaningless animosity towards one another, only to turn it back on even quicker. Fans from the two sides don't like each other. I can remember a game I went to in college where I shamefully joined in the open (by verbal means) animosity (my brother still gives me grief about it to this day). But as the news broke out, people pushed aside the petty (and sports allegiances, while not bad, are about as meaningless as you can get) to grasp hold of something larger. Unfortunately, the next time the teams face off fans will be beating one another's faces in, cursing back and forth, and spewing border-line hatred all because of a difference in team preference.
• The Mets handled the situation with class, while the Phillies were an embarrassment to their fans (never though I would see the day). Neither side knew what was happening until after the game. The Met players praised the crowd for cheering and even wished the game had stopped to commemorate the moment. The Phillie players (for the most part) acted like it was no big deal. Some even went on to acknowledge the failures of the Phillies offense as a more pressing issue at the time. Really? I love sports. I really do. But when does a game ever outweigh what happens in real life? Sports are never primary, and maybe we should stop treating our teams and athletes like they are.
• To be honest, I wasn't sure how to react. To an extent I joined in the jubilation. A chief enemy to the sanctity of all human life and holiness of God was removed from his position of power. Justice, which will be perfected upon Christ's return, was done. Governments are placed upon this earth by God. He grants them the authority they have. They administer justice and sometimes justice comes by means of the sword (Romans 13:4). It was also hard not to relish in the feeling of unity sweeping through the stadium. And yet, I held back from sharing the full jubilation. While I believe justice was done, it doesn't give me the liberty to rejoice over the death of anyone, regardless of my opinion of them. God desires for repentance, not death (Ezekiel 18:23). This doesn't mean God won't bring about the death of certain people (Sodom and Gomorrah or Ananias and Sapphira) immediately for their sins as means of His justice. But it also doesn't mean I can rejoice in the death of the individuals. I doubt Abraham and Peter did when they saw God's mighty hand of justice and wrath. They rejoiced in the removal of evil by God's gracious hand, but not in the losing of a soul. Instead they trusted His will as sovereign and good. And that is what I can rejoice in always.
• Somewhat unrelated but I don't know how I feel about "God Bless America" being sung at sporting events. And after hearing an famous artist sing "How Great Thou Art" at a country music show, I feel more uncomfortable. I say this very carefully for two reasons. First, I have no business questioning the motives of the artist singing the songs because, for all I know, they may treat it as worship to our God. Second, I will admit that last night the rendition was truly beautiful and fitting for the news which would come later on. But I still can't help but question our motives for singing such songs. For the most part, our country has done everything within its power to remove God from this land. The people (both in power and out of it) want almost nothing to do with Him. As we discussed in Sunday School, people want to reject the face of God, but still receive the hand of God. We want all the blessings without any of the implications of following Him. We want a genie, not the living God. If I am truly honest with myself, there are times where I am no different from our nation. I pray without ceasing for God's hand of blessing without any regards for praying to see His face so I can better serve and worship Him. When I am calling out my country, I am really calling out myself first, understanding my own heart needs drastic change before I can even dream about seeing it "out there."