The Vindication of Joseph Kennedy

If you have forgotten who Joseph Kennedy is, he is the high school assistant football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington state. Not a headline breaking position or location until Kennedy knelt in prayer at the fifty-yard line after games and was joined by some of the players. The headlines, opinion polls, social media rants for and against Kennedy for making public demonstration of his faith in a public environment and accusing him of coercing those he led to comply with his religious act, followed him all the way to the Supreme Court of the U.S. A recent 6-3 decision of that court reversed the ruling of lower courts, re-instating Kennedy in his job and defending his First Amendment rights.

Juxtapose the scene of Kennedy kneeling at the fifty-yard line after a game and what we witnessed Monday night in the Bengals-Bills game. I don’t recall anyone standing up from the field or the stands yelling, “You can’t do that! You can’t kneel on the field and pray!” From coach to referee, to press crew to player, to fan and to sportscaster, the natural, immediate, spontaneous response was to pray. No one was ashamed to do it. Maybe some were ashamed because they hadn’t done that in a long time and wondered if they had right to pray now. But they, we, were all desperate. They, we, were in a situation beyond themselves. No brain, no brawn, no raising of the fist, no beating of the chest or clownishly celebrating a TD would have met their need. That was proven by the suspension of the game. No one had a heart to do what they had always done before and loved doing. This was a new ballgame.

Can you believe it, a sportscaster prayed aloud on national TV! Can you believe he didn’t get shut down for it! Why? Because when we are overwhelmed, we know that we need God. Not only was the injured football player in need, those around him and all those watching were as well.

What does God think of us who stand against Him ninety-five per cent of the time and run to him with urgency on certain occasions, like fallen towers and football players, hurricane destruction and diagnosis from our doctor? Gratefully His Word is full of promise that those who seek Him will find Him. That His love, compassion, mercy, and long-suffering nature will always turn his ear to our prayer.

Monday night gave me a new picture of a statement in God’s Word. The image of Philippians 2: 10 “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” I have always relegated that to heaven, the golden gates manned by Saint Peter and to the final judgment of man. I thought of it as a final acquiescence to the Lordship of Christ, but too late and without opportunity for redemption. Admittedly that is a doomsday rendition. Monday night I saw a far more hopeful image to put in its place.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/damar-hamlin-collapse-cpr-attempts-triggers-emotions-from-buffalo-bills-cincinnati-bengals-nfl-players/3160665/

As urgent, serious, desperate prayers went up to God for Damar Hamlin’s preservation and healing and because those who seek God, find him, I’d be interested to know how many who knelt on Paycor field found something or Someone new. Were there some with their heads bowed who rediscovered the One they had left for other pursuits, or realized how precarious life is and that a toned spirit is needed as well as a toned body. Gratefully there were those who knew what to do when our hearts are overwhelmed and they led the way to the Rock who is higher than us.

Situations like Hamlin’s happen every day. Every hour someone is in a dire situation. The kindness of God is that Damar’s was in front of a whole nation of viewers giving us all the right and opportunity to kneel on the field or in our homes and pray to God who cares more than we can imagine for Damar, his family and for each of us.

Oh, and thank you Joseph Kennedy.