Cricket—a precursor to American baseball—has been played in most Commonwealth countries since Tudor times in early sixteenth century England. Some historical accounts speculate that a game called creag, played by Prince Edward, son of Edward I (Longshanks) at Kent in 1301, was an early form of cricket.
For the past 160 years, the main version of the game has been the five-day match. Sadly, depending on the condition of the pitch, the weather, and the determination of the players, some games do not yield a result at the end of those five days—yes, you read that correctly—a draw! The five-day game is still played today.
While cricketing purists argue that the five-day game is cricket in the truest sense, more popular versions of the game have been developed over the last fifty years. In 1971, the one-day, limited-overs game was accepted as an internationally recognized sport and immediately saw commercial success. Modern crowds were unable to attend a five-day game but were willing to commit to six hours of cricket viewing. In addition, the shortened version was almost guaranteed to produce a result, rather than a draw. Then in 2007, an even shorter version of the game was introduced at the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship. In this most recent rendition of the game, both teams have twenty ‘overs’ (each ‘over’ consists of six bowls) to notch up as many runs as possible without being dismissed by the other team. Typically, a Twenty20 game goes for three hours and is often played under lights in the evening and attracts huge crowds. The new generation of cricketing enthusiasts loves the more exciting—edge-of-your-seat—version of the game.
Why change the game from five-day, to one-day, to three-hour matches? Market-driven trends, commercial viability, corporate business plans, statistics—these are the forces that drive sporting decisions in the modern age. Stadiums need to be filled in order to pay the bills. Games need to be exciting. Results must be guaranteed. Crowds must be appeased within a certain timeframe. The fans need to be entertained; else they fail to materialize on game day.
If you’re a pastor, you may have been tempted to think of the church and your sermons in the same way. There is much pressure to be ‘successful’ in ministry and success is measured by bodies, buildings, and budgets. Don’t fall for it. Some will tell you your sermons need to be shorter, lighter, and funnier. Some church leaders will tell you to eradicate the sermon altogether. But the church is not like the International Cricket Council (ICC). Market forces do not drive us. We have a higher calling. We have a game plan written by God Himself and we operate according to His instructions.
Preacher, my next series of blog posts assume that the biblical imperatives regarding preaching and fellowship are already a part of your convictions. If you’re not already convinced of the need for preaching in the church today, or the need for community life to be facilitated by that preaching, go back and read my previous posts at the links highlighted here.
This series of blog posts are for preachers who want to consider ways to maximize the impact of the Word of God upon the church. It suggests practical ways with which you can encourage church-wide preparation, congregational-listening, and community-oriented response to your sermons. Over the next weeks, return here for more on community sermon-listening for preachers.
