Well it’s Wimbledon.
Again we get to sit enthralled as Federer, Nadal, the William sisters and whoever else serves, slices, lobs, grunts and groans their way in or out of the history books.
Of course, its also a game with a rather strange scoring method:
“15 love...”
“30 love....”
“40 love....”
Er and if you don’t follow tennis, love means ‘nothing’, ‘nil’, ‘zilch’. In other words they have 15 points and you ain’t scored yet.
Ouch!
So where does this strange meaning for the word ‘love’ come from?
Well according to the Oxford dictionary it is short for ‘to play the love of the game’. That is to play for nothing, not for money, not for honour, not to win.
Now, I ‘m one of those people who loves the ideas of history; especially beliefs and religion.
It is also interesting that in the Jewish tradition this week the Torah reading is about a contest that came down to ‘game, set and match’.
A chap called Korah decided to have it out with Moses. Korah was not just anyone, he was descendant of Levi of whom the priests and Levites descended, as did his cousins Moses and Aaron, Moses brother, the High Priest.
The problem was, according to the Bible, God wanted Aaron as High Priest, but Korah, along with 250 other ‘men of renown’, comes onto the scene breathing accusation and fury accusing Moses of nepotism.
He doesn’t come to check the facts no he’s out to let Moses have it.
"You have gone too far!” he tells Moses “For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and The Lord is among them; why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of The Lord?" (Numbers 16:1-3). A bit far fetched since Moses had initially tried to get out of being leader.
for Moses it's love of the game...
Korah and company have time to recant, or front up and let God decide.
For these guys its win at all cost!
They proudly stick to their agenda, and so God opens up the earth and the story tells us they are swallowed alive by the earth.
Game, set, match.
OK that’s a rather sticky end….
Well what’s that got to do with Wimbledon or tennis?
Worship is a ‘game’ we need to play for the love of it. A game played for love of God, love of fellow man, love of the community.
Yes there are some who are leaders, organizers, priests, Rabbi’s, you name it … there are also some who help the old lady across the street. Worship is not to be played as an ego trip. It is a service.
Each person is part of the divine plan, no matter where he or she is or who he she is. We need to live this life in love rather than get swallowed up by the arguments of life.
Live life, love life, love God, love man …
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