GroshLink

A friend forward to me On Being Valued By God by Rev. Dennett Buettner, an Anglican priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, urban church planter and missionary to the city, entitled. This prayer letter reflects upon Pittsburgh's mill culture, how it was excellent at telling people that they were utterly and absolutely worthless, and how that feeds into Stillers pride. Here is an excerpt for your edification.

. . . at the heart level for many in Pittsburgh—the only way there is for us to have value and worth is vicariously. This I believe is one reason some Pittsburghers are so emphatic in their support of their sports teams. The teams become the extension of our selves, the one way we might have the opportunity to feel valuable and worthy.

The need to find value and meaning by projection and extension through our sports teams is tragic. It's not necessarily a bad thing to be proud of the Steelers' achievement, of course. But putting that achievement in a place of ultimacy or totality, where it is given the opportunity to determine our sense of worth, is a classic instance of the form of idolatry that St. Augustine described as making the merely good out to be the best.

Only God has the right—or the ability—to occupy the place of totality in our lives. The more I reflected on my friend Larry's comment [thanking a Steeler's player for making the city proud], the more I felt a deep sadness. I realized that what I heard in his offhand remark was actually a cry of the heart from a man yearning to be able to say: "I'm worth something."

After I got done kicking myself for not having instantly perceived this and having had a scintillatingly insightful response to help my friend see the next step of God's love and plan for him, I did turn the insight into a prayer of gratitude to God that because of Jesus I don't need the ministrations of a professional football team—or anything else—to be able to say that I have worth.

The challenge remains. The Gospel of Jesus, crucified and risen from the dead, says that God has valued human life—indeed, every human life—enough to give up his own son to literal death so that every human life might be redeemed.

As we observe Holy Week and celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus during this Easter season, how will we show people Jesus loves like Larry, people who may not know this, the incredible value God places on their lives in the death and life of his Son?

Brief response by Tom: Father, thank-you for loving us so much to send your Son. Son, thank-you for loving us so much to give your life for us. Spirit, thank-you for loving us so much to live in us and guide us day-by-day. Thank-you for making the people of God as you desired and giving me the gifts/responsibilities which you have set before me. Grant me the grace to embrace your Presence, people, gifts, and responsibilities with the humility of a child.