Posted on 03/25/2002 11:39:46 AM PST by William Wallace
I guess this story started back on Super Bowl Sunday (as its called in these parts) when I let my 8 year old stay up and watch the Super Bowl. I had done all to pretend football did not exist but school had done him in, he couldn't stop talking about football. Kids at school traded cards with verve after Pokemon got banned early in the year. So given our family's long-standing attachment to sports teams from St. Louis (I was born there) I succumbed and agreed he could watch the game but then straight to bed, no hanging around for post game interviews etc. 10 p.m. was too late anyway on a school night I assured him. And when he looked dubious I threatened to call off the whole deal. So it was agreed, straight to bed.
Well there were heroes that evening on both sides of the field but none more stellar than Kurt Warner who, along with his team, rushed and passed their names into the book of football records for posterity. Not surprisingly, the 8 year old, Levi, began issuing a steady stream of requests for a trip to the card shop to buy a football card of Kurt Warner. Somehow, through parental manipulation, one trip to the shop, to spend his own money, was granted with delivery contingent upon cleaning his room by himself. This became a multiple week project wherein his parents watched the sea of possessions in the small chamber rise and fall like a tide. His sweet round countenance almost seemed to wax and wane like the moon along with it. How many discussions did he start concerning the nature of the cards he would buy? And of course a Kurt Warner card was the first one he wanted. Would it have his arena football statistics on the back? Would he be wearing his Rams uniform? Finally, a merciful judgement was made that the room had passed over the line from not-clean to clean. To the card shop.
It would not surprise me if that shop had 250,000 cards in it. But as it turns out, there aren't many cards of Kurt Warner. Since the decision to play for St. Louis instead of an arena football team came after many of the cards were printed for the year, there was only one card with Warner on it and it had another newbie to the league on the same card. I watched my son's face as he realized two things simultaneously, first, the card wasn't what he'd hoped since there were two people on it. And second, the price tag was $50. He had to settle for an Eddie George and a couple packs of hockey cards. "Wait till next year." I suggested, "In September they'll probably have 50 different Kurt Warner cards here and each one will cost less than $2." Small consolation for an 8 year old with a clean room and no Kurt Warner to show the kids in school. In fact the helpful comments went over about as well as that pep talk about character after his soccer team took an 8-1 shellacking home for lunch back in the fall.
That would seem to have been the end of the story…until tonight. I got home from work in time to help organize the family and pack them into the van. During Great Lent, on Fridays, we attend an evening Divine Liturgy called the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified gifts. Most Divine Liturgies are celebrated in the morning and naturally grow out of the Matins service, but during Lent, where on Fridays we are especially mindful of Holy Friday and Saturday, there is a liturgical expression of celebrating the resurrection in the Liturgy with a different tone, where it is connected to vespers rather than matins. On the way to Church in the van Levi showed me a small card he had gotten in school today. It was a Kurt Warner football card, and on the front it said "Thank you Jesus" and had a picture of the star after the Super Bowl.
"Wow, where did you get that?" I asked. "Wesley's Mom got a bunch of them from her friends in Hawaii. Kurt Warner was there in Hawaii and gave out these cards to people and all the kids in my class got one. " he explained. I had to think a minute and decided the story was plausible. "Let me see that!" I demanded, as if I were a kid myself.
On the back was a brief gospel message, including a sinners prayer. At the bottom were references to two Bible verses, John 3:16 and Romans 10:9. We remembered John 3:16, but Romans 10:9 was slipping. I assume the man knew that millions of kids around the country were just aching for one of his cards and spent a wad of his own dough to print up a bunch, his way. When we got to church I refreshed my memory… oh yes.
That if thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Before approaching the chalice to receive in the Orthodox Eucharistic service we say a prayer.
I believe Oh Lord, and I confess, that thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who camest into the world to save sinners of whom I am first…
As I said the familiar words it struck me, that's like the verse on the card! On the way home I showed Levi how our pre-communion prayer incorporated the two verses on His Kurt Warner card. He seemed pleased. I confess there was a time when I would have found the whole thing almost unbearably tacky. But here I was using a football card to help my kid embrace truth and liking it.
Most often when you get a sports card you look on the back for the thumbnail of the player: college attended, years in league, points, goals, touchdowns or whatever special honors or records they have achieved. None of the usual stats are on the card, but I realized that brother Warner's record was on there; the same record we must all cling to and show forth.
You aren't going to believe this, but I almost wish I'd let the kid stay up to watch the interviews after that game back in January.
So Kurt Warner, wherever you are, thanks, and keep the faith.
Symeon
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.
Most often when you get a sports card you look on the back for the thumbnail of the player: college attended, years in league, points, goals, touchdowns or whatever special honors or records they have achieved. None of the usual stats are on the card, but I realized that brother Warner's record was on there; the same record we must all cling to and show forth.
Amen.
Hope you don't mind my posting this.
Bump!
Thanks for posting this heartwarming story, William.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed...
The Orthodox prayer adds a new dimension.
I'm sorry, that's child abuse, has someone called the authorities?
His story is amazing. From supermarket clerk to winning the Super Bowl. And putting God first all the way!
I'm sure Warner didn't make much money his first season. Yet he paid to have these football cards made to gave them away. He didn't do it to promote his football accomplishments, but to proclaim the gospel. What a generous and selfless gesture!
LOL! You don't know how many times I've needled him about that.
His kids are very well behaved and polite -- prima facie evidence of abuse nowadays.
Sorry, I was busy putting the finishing touches on my definitive vanity post titled "I hate Mexicans and George W. Bush is a @#%^@ LIAR and he-can-kiss-my-one-vote-out-of-40-million-in-a-state-he-basically-conceded-goodbye!"
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