Frisbees and Balls

On the way to 5 Senses to Prayer Book 2 - #7

I’m not a big follower of sports, or a player of sports, but every so often I get enthralled by a sporting event. This last week included one such event, when the Football Ferns won the opening game of the FIFA World Cup. It’s a co-hosted event between New Zealand and Australia and the opening game was played here in Auckland. We didn’t have tickets to the event, but like thousands of other Kiwis we watched on our tv screens as the NZ team made history. The in-person crowd of 42,000 was the biggest home crowd the Ferns had ever played in front of, and the biggest football crowd ever in New Zealand. Those who were there in person said the excitement from the crowd was exhilerating and watching from home we could feel the joy and celebration. And just like that, some of the players are now household names, and recognition of the Football Ferns is at an all time high.

As we watched the game unfold I was reminded of the day the team took the name, ‘Football Ferns’. I searched online to find out what year that occurred, but could find no record of it anywhere. Probably not a surprise given it was a very small event, attended by the then Ferns, their coaches, the sponsors and a small handful of friends and supporters. My guess is that it was in 2004, before the team had competed in their first World Cup, but a crucial time as Australia had moved out of the Oceania league, allowing the NZ team to have a significant chance of playing in World Cups and Olympic Events. Perhaps when they were named the Football Ferns they were moving up their campaign to a new level. It’s hard to remember. I’m sure somewhere I’ve kept a souvenir of the event.

What I do remember is that I took my seven year old son out of school for the afternoon so we could go to the big unveiling. He was a big fan as his Aunty, my sister-in-law was named in the squad in 2004, and played as goalkeeper for the following ten years. During her playing years, she was a key player as the style of the game was defensive. The Ferns played to stop the other team from winning. Her role in stopping goals being scored against the Ferns, often seemed disproportinally huge to me, putting so much onto one person in what is a team sport. We watched all the televised games of the Football Ferns throughout those years. We followed the World Cups and Olympics, with games played in the middle of the night NZ time. When the team played somewhere near, we’d watch in person. The crowds that gathered to watch grew with the years. The supporter numbers grew. Little girls who loved football came to watch and some of them would go on to become Football Ferns themselves.

Here’s a video from 12 years ago of my sister-in-law Jenny Bindon…

I have been reflecting on all the unseen work that goes into winning a football game. There’s the training and practice of individuals and the team in the present. The amount of work they individually and collectively put into their sport is massive. Beyond the energy and committment of the current team there’s the work of history, the build-up over time of knowledge, experience and stories. The passing down from one generation to the next building strength, stamina and creating identity. The NZ Womens’ Soccer Association was founded in 1975, and a few days aglo the Football Ferns scored their first World Cup goal ever, and won their first World Cup match ever. All credit to the current team who deservedly won. All credit too to those who were behind the goal scoring player, and the winning team, are generations of players who went before them who are also part of the win.

This is how legacy works. Legacy is appreciated in the present from those who have gone before. Legacy is built in the present, for those in the future. There are learnings here for our own faith journey. Building legacy is not something we are necessarily aware of creating. Living life in the present is hard enough, without trying to figure out what our contribution to those who are yet to come will achieve. As followers of Jesus, the way we practice and express our faith is part of something bigger than ourselves. The stories of our faith have been passed down through generations. We are part of this story. It’s the story of those who have gone before, it’s our story, and it’s the story of those yet to come.

The way we pray and worship has changed through the centuries and continues to change. We can appreciate ways to worship from previous generations while being involved in appreciating changing ways to worship. Experiential prayer has become more widespread over recent years. There are those who only see experiential prayer as gimmicky and uncomfortable. There are those who find it refreshing and empowering. There are some who think it’s not prayer. It comes naturally to some, it requires effort and concentration from others. This is all okay. There are many ways to pray. When we pray we are all part of the story. When we pray we are all part of the legacy. There isn’t one way for all and faith is a journey we are all on together.

We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose.

Romans 8:28 (CEV)

The prayers I’ve chosen this week are both a little bit sporty to acknowledge the current topic on my mind. You may have other prayer ideas that pick up themes of legacy building; appreciation for those who’ve gone before, acknowledgement for those in the present, and hope for those who are yet to come.

May God who is in all things be with you this week

On the journey

Caroline

---

Let’s just say that my hand-eye co-ordination skills when it comes to throwing and catching are not as good as my writing skills. However, when I created the following two prayers they were both prayers that I could participate in myself. We’ve used the Throwing Frisbee prayer when we’ve gathered outdoors at a parks for outdoor worship and group picnics.

---

Throwing Frisbee Prayer

Sense of Touch – Thanksgiving (T.T.6)

A Frisbee is a round flying plastic disk. Thrown the right way it soars through the air and lands exactly where it was aimed. Even if it’s not well aimed, a Frisbee will still fly and then land. As the Frisbee leaves your hands, say a one sentence prayer of thanks to God. Watch the Frisbee soar through the air land on the gras. Acknowledge God has heard your prayer.

Getting ready checklist

• Frisbee

• Open outdoor space

Further suggestions and adaptations on using this prayer

Prayer Station

This prayer could be used as an outdoor prayer station as part of a larger event such as a camp or retreat, picnic, or BBQ. Place a stake in the ground with the station name and the instructions for the prayer attached to the stake.  Next to it place several Frisbees so that more than one person or couple of people can pray the prayer at the same time.  

Individual

Take a Frisbee to your local park, sports field, or beach.  If you’re on your own, you’ll have to run after your Frisbee after each throw to retrieve it. Use the running time to add to your prayer, giving thanks to God for the faith journey you are travelling.

Small Group

A great prayer for a small group to pray and play.  Stand around a field and use multiple Frisbees, throwing, catching, and praying. 

Visual Images - Static, Projected, Live Props

• Frisbees flying through the air

• Other objects of flight

Key

Equipment (**)

From the... (Sports equipment shelf, Outdoors)

Preparation (2)

Suitability (PS, I, SG, LG)