[NFL fans will not miss the obvious; this post was written well prior to the acquisition of Manning’s second (and final) Superbowl ring — Ed.]
Prior to the Superbowl, there was much discussion about Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.
Prior to the Superbowl, there was much discussion about Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.
Everybody seemed to want to know where Manning rates on the
list of all-time football greats. It was not a subject debated only by the
talking heads on TV. Jim Rome rambled on about it on my car radio. It came up
at work. It came up at my local diner. Even people who would otherwise be uninterested in football seemed to have an opinion about Manning’s legacy in
the two weeks between conference finals and the big game — and even more so
during the game itself.
It is in the nature of mankind to have something to say about
greatness.
Number One of All Time?
Notwithstanding the spectacular drubbing Denver took in the Superbowl, Manning’s certainly got the stats to be number one of all time, doesn’t he. Well, at least in the regular season. He throws ridiculous distances with uncanny accuracy and possesses an almost-unequaled sense for finding an open man, even if it deserts him in big games. He owns the records for most regular season touchdowns and yards. He’s won a Superbowl, if not the most recent one. By all accounts he’s even a fairly pleasant and self-effacing human being, if we can believe what we read in the media.
In the discussions about Manning’s place in football history
there were many different opinions expressed. Despite the fact that people have
their own teams that they cheer for, and despite the fact that football and
other sports tend to bring out hyperbole and great expressions of emotion, most
of us retain some ability to distinguish a rational point of view from the ravings
of a moron.
A Talentless Hack
A Talentless Hack
For instance, I might not like Peyton Manning’s haircut, his
accent, the colour of his sweater, his age, his name, his team or his TV ads,
but were I to express the opinion that he’s “a talentless hack who throws worse
than my grandmother”, nobody would take me seriously. They’d dismiss me as
either a clueless idiot who doesn’t know anything about football or an
embittered New England fan who knows better but is determined to be annoying. Either
way, my opinion would be worthless.
My failure to grasp Manning’s good qualities is not a
comment about him. It’s a comment about me.
His accomplishments warrant a certain across-the-board
respect, whether or not I like him or cheer for him. If I am living anywhere
near the real universe, or if I want to have any kind of credibility, I have to
acknowledge a certain level of talent there.
Psalm 96 reads,
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth …”
Of course, God is so many orders of magnitude greater than
any human example I could put forward that any comparison at all is just plain
embarrassing.
Contemplating Inconceivable Greatness
This is understood by definition. If you accept the
possibility of the existence of the God of creation at all, you are conceding
something and someone so monumentally great as to be inconceivable to the human
mind, above and impervious to any criticism one might raise about his methods,
beyond human imagination and the assessment of our senses, beyond time itself.
By virtue of simply existing, glory is due to his name. Even
in historical times when specifics of God’s nature and being were not yet fully
revealed to man in his word or, finally and perfectly, in the person of his Son,
we read that “The heavens declare the glory of God”.
It’s always been right up there on the Jumbotron, folks.
Saying Something Profound About Me
Saying Something Profound About Me
Let’s not even get started on the additional things for
which the Christian — by virtue of his relationship with and knowledge of a
personal God revealed in Jesus Christ, through whom we have all been blessed
beyond anything that can be conceived — has reason to glorify God for.
He’s entitled to — he absolutely deserves — an accurate
assessment of his greatness.
Those who don’t agree are not telling us anything profound about
God. They’re saying something quite profound about themselves though. They are telling
us either “I don’t know anything about God and I’m not qualified to even
discuss the subject” or “I know about God but don’t want to give him what he deserves”.
Why do Christians worship our Lord?
Because giving glory is the only possible rational response.
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