A light-hearted sports story with a serious application…
Both Basketball and Hockey are deep into their playoffs, and the Eastern Conference finals in basketball pitted the New York Knicks against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After game 3, this paragraph from ESPN caught my eye:
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson thinks his team still has a chance against the New York Knicks…In fact, according to the numbers, the Cavs should be winning the series. Atkinson said:
I think analytically, I think we’ve won…we’re two out of three in the expected wins…I don’t know if you guys [the press] follow that – the expected score. We’ve won two out of three.
Really? Cavs have won two out of three…analytically? What does that even mean? When Coach said that, Knicks were leading the Cavaliers 3 games to 0. That’s right, 3 – 0, winning each game by double digits. And despite the Cavs’ coach’s optimism, “We’ve had success against this team before…” you’ll be shocked to learn that the Knicks completed the sweep, winning game 4 by 37 points in Cleveland!
Last time I checked, games are not won on “analytics,” they’re won on points. As legendary and feisty University of Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight explained once to a reporter: “The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.”
It’s laughable…until it’s not. Sometimes churches insist they’re winning “on analytics.” So many in worship services on Sunday, for example. Meanwhile we don’t seem to be making much headway in our cities. Who’s winning right now?
Maybe we’re not counting the right thing. Jesus told us to make disciples… and make a difference in the world.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.18 – 20, ESV)
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (Matthew 5.13 – 15, ESV)
The Church used to be better at making a difference. Stay tuned.