THE UN-GAME

“We the unwilling, led by the unknown, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.” — Mother Theresa

Matthew 9:10-17
John 14:26-28
Matthew 5:1-12

One day as a kid, my mom came home proudly toting a newly purchased board game. Already an avid competitor in the auspicious realms of “Chutes and Ladders,” “Trouble” and “Candyland” respectively, my will to win surged at the mere sight of the Toys R’ Us bag.

But when my mom revealed her purchase, my competitive drive completely wilted. Instead of another game that I could win, it was a non-game masquerading as a game. A cardboard charlatan, ambiguously dubbed “The Un-Game.” I pouted. I wallowed. I was finally tricked into playing.

The “Un-Game,” as the name suggested, was indeed not a game at all, but rather a litany of questions that prompted discussion between the un-players. A thinly veiled scheme to force fellowship, it was covert bonding intended for the unwitting participants. And for the record, there was no record: no score, no points, no plastic crown to wear upon victory. Whatever this “un-game” was, I could not find a way to beat it, despite my best efforts. It resisted my understanding. It thwarted my measures of achievement.

Jesus came to a world obsessed with and highly adept at their own version of some form of the game of life. Refusing to play, He brought the Un-Game.

He defied.

From two loaves and a fish, he allowed five thousand to feast. From a motley crew of rabbinical rejects, he trained men to provide the most lasting impact in history. He empowered Peter to walk on water. He turned water into wine. He healed blind men and resurrected dead men.

In the Sermon on the Mount, he spoke paradox and stymied the masses…the poor shall be rich? The weak, strong? The poor in spirit, heirs to the kingdom of God?

These claims and the ways He lived held the rules of the world in contempt. He rendered their game foolish, just as they regarded his game absurd.

Yet, he called us to be a part. He invited us to choose our favorite playing piece and roll the dice of the un-game.

What game are you playing?
What does it mean to join in Jesus’ way of life?
What is the most difficult part of rejecting the world’s game?

Adam