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Yesterday I looked at the obituaries to find the one for Jean Gibson, mother of Mark Gibson of our congregation. After reading Jean’s obituary, I started to read the others near hers. Before I knew it, I had read all of the obituaries on the page. In one obituary, we are told: “Her calling in life was Church volunteering.” This woman was also involved in other volunteer work, and enjoyed traveling and playing bridge. But as a pastor, I loved that line about her calling as a church volunteer!

As I continued to read the obituaries on the page, two others caught my eye. Each was for a person who died in the hospital. And each contained the sentence, “There are no known survivors.” That was all that was in the obituary. I thought about those two people. No family? No friends? No one involved in their affairs? How sad. Now if they had been involved in the church, if they had been church volunteers, there probably would have been more to their obituary. They would have been part of a community of caring people. They would have had someone assisting with their affairs, maybe someone who knew about their family and history. If they were part of a church community, there would have been someone preparing an obituary for them.

I don’t blame these solitary souls for not being part of the church. I don’t know their circumstances or experiences. But I am wondering how the church can reach out to those who are alone, who are in need of caring relationships, and who could benefit from the church community. Any volunteers?

This past weekend, crowds thrilled to the U.S. Open women’s final tennis match between Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur. I am not much of a sports fan, and did not watch the match, but I did follow the front page teaser to the article about the match in the Sports section. There I read about the altercation which took place between Williams and the chair umpire. Evidently, Williams did not like a call made by the umpire and expressed herself in no uncertain terms. According to the paper, Williams’ informed the umpire, among other things, “You’re a hater, and you’re just unattractive inside. . . Really, don’t even look at me.” (Williams could, herself, take those words to heart.)

While I am not a sports fan, I have attended hundreds of soccer games in which my sons have played. Yes, there have been controversial calls from the referees from time to time, but generally, the games go well when the rules are fully enforced by the refs. Our son played in one game last year that ended in a brawl involving players and parents. I was not in attendance, but as my son explained, the ref was not calling anything: The pushing, the tripping, the pulling, etc. all went unchecked. One incident finally led players, and then parents, to take matters in hand. So, there was an out and out fist fight. When the rules are not enforced, things degenerate.

In reflecting on sporting events, I am thinking about how an umpire or referee is needed to enforce the rules to keep the game fair, to keep things civil, and to maintain order. Umpires and referees are needed for sports to be fair, entertaining, fun, and spirited.

So what keeps us on top of our game in life? What keeps us fair, honest, civil? What encourages us to be good and promote the good of others? What fosters positive interaction that does not degenerate into a power struggle or “might makes right”? I think religion should function in society like a referee. It should remind us of what is right and fair and good. It should hold us in check when our baser tendencies are surfacing. It should help us to see deeper truth about ourselves and our situation. It should help us make restitution when there is wrong to be redressed. Religion should bring out our best in a way that is not at the expense of others. So, here’s to church – as coach, referee, and umpire – to help us fulfill our highest potential in game of life!