Bowling for Jesus

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
(1 Cor 10:31)

Does that include bowling? In my best southern drawl, it would more accurately be called, “Boh-lin’ Fer Jeee-sus.” The immediate (and cheesy) questions that people have asked and joked about are, “Is Jesus the prize that I’m bowling for?” or “Is he in the lane next to me?” Should we recoil in horror at those thoughts or use them to talk about how Jesus is God's gift of grace and His Spirit is always near.

There is and has been an ongoing discussion regarding the propriety of the role of the church in the community. Do you use worldly things and re-create your faith according to the world, or do you take your faith and force it upon the world, or is there some way to act in between those far ends. Can you only glorify God by worship or prayer? Will pew-warming suffice? Can you glorify God by being serious... by being humorous… by watching a movie …by bowling?

If we are to do all things for the glory of God, then why not bowling? My church has a bowling league that meets on Sunday afternoons for fellowship. It’s not that bowling is a holy event (I could go for the obvious puns about a holy ball, but I won’t go there), but that people who seek to be holy and follow our Holy Lord gather together. In that place, we begin with prayer, always a good place to start. It is an opportunity to invite friends, who aren’t necessarily Christian or have a church home, to come and enjoy each other’s company. We talk about our lives and what has been going on. We learn to support and encourage each other, through good scores and bad. We learn to care more about each other. Dare I say it… we learn to love one another more? Doesn’t that glorify God?

So whatever you do, be it singing, giving, laughing, running, or even bowling, do it all for the glory of God.