Devotion: World cup and Acts 5

Devotion: Acts 5

World cup football and the Olympics are when i really come out and enjoy sport (I love basketball too but don't see many games anymore). But this world cup has been particularly interesting. Of course i am loving the football and it helps that Brazil have won their match but its not the football that has people complaining. Unfortunately it seems that more time is spent complaining and dissecting the vuvuzela.

The vuvuzela is a stadium horn which the South Africans use at all their football matches. So of course we are in South Africa for the world cup and they are using their vuvuzelas. But i have never heard so much complaining about a horn in my life and that's saying something as my mother complained mercilessly when I played clarinet (I realise not a horn but it is a wind instrument). Everyone has a real. Chip on their shoulder about a small instrument that is part of their cultural celebration.

I never read so many rude FB/Twitter messages with openly racist overtones in mys life. The latest ones i read made me feel quite uneasy saying that they shouldn't be allowed to play in the world cup in the first place only Europeans allowed :-0 Not very nice at all (he almost got deleted but i decided grace instead). So it seems for all our talk about diversity and multi-culturalism, these terms only apply as long as your not different from us. In actual fact you must conform to our way of life and way of doing things or we have the right to insult you and your culture. My disappointment is evident but to be expected unfortunately. Then reading my devotion this morning to my surprise the same thing was happening in the very text I was reading.

Acts 5:1, But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

The apostles were faced with the very problem that we find ourselves judging and being critical of someone who is different from us. How did they resolve it they continued to preach the love of God and on a practical note they put systems in place. So here we are in the 21st century not so enlightened and in need of some help. We can preach the love that unites but that also needs action so the question is what can you do?