By Laura Masterson
Chances are you've seen the posters: The David, almost in all his glory, save the strategically placed rubber playground ball unheard of in Michelangelo's 14th century Italy. Intriguing? Hopefully.
On closer inspection, you may notice that the event, a biannual dodgeball tournament, is sponsored by Fish and Campus Ministry, unlikely instigators of a schoolyard sport. So forget David: Why Fish? And why dodgeball?
Fish is simply a gathering of people who love God, and after that we have only one commandment: love people. When Jesus' disciples asked him about the greatest commandments, he replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;" and, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27).
If we meet on Wednesday nights with the Fish community, share insights about God in Bible studies and love God through personal time spent in prayer, it only makes sense that we should turn our attention outside of ourselves and focus on the second of Jesus' two commands. But "love your neighbor as yourself" isn't terribly specific.
Yes, we believe in Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man, who was the only perfect sacrifice and removed from us the guilt, pain and shame of sin. But we don't claim to know every little thing about God. Rather, we find that the closer we come, the less we really understand.
We are sure, however, that all people are wholly and dearly loved by our God. By "love," I mean not the heart-palpitating love of infatuation, not the love that smiles all the time as though everything is right in the world, but the love that meets us in our incompleteness and calls us to something higher than ourselves.
This love is not always pretty, but it is always good. For those who have experienced the love of God, the only sensible reaction is to share it. This may take the form of conversation over a Commons dinner, prayer for a friend's injured father or dodgeball.
Dodgeball.
If you don't have fond childhood memories of the game, let's create some this Friday. It's just plain fun; show up at Howard with a team of 6 (your hall mates, coworkers, sports team, classmates, whoever!), find some crazy costumes for a shot at the 'best-dressed' trophy and spend the evening pelting each other with rubber playground balls.
In the five-year history of the Fish dodgeball tournament, planning teams have wondered how much to share about the mission of Fish and questioned how important it is that people know the reason for the group's existence. I can't say for certain what will come out of the emcee's mouths tomorrow night, but if we have a hidden agenda, allow me to expose it:
We want you to know that the compassionate Creator loves you without exception or hesitation.
I think God is pleased when we enjoy life together. It's also a crazy amount of fun.
Tomorrow night (Friday, October 2). 9:00 p.m. Howard Hall. Teams of 6.
P.S. If you don't have a team yet, we should talk.
