The Gospel according to golf
Caring Counseling's Golf Scramble Fundraiser was held July 16, 2021 and was a huge success. I would like to thank Watermark, Little Tractor, Modern Woodman, Pepsi, Timberline, Egyptian Exterminating, SIH, and Aisin, for being corporate sponsors. Plus, a big thanks to all the businesses and individuals that sponsored holes, volunteered, or golfed in the scramble. We couldn't have done it without you!
I will give you a quick lesson on the difference between a golf tournament vs. a golf scramble for my fellow novices. In a tournament, each team member is responsible for playing their own ball, so they are scored on their own ability. In a scramble, team members all hit from the same spot to tee off, then the team selects the best ball for their next shot. That means a bad player can have a great score, thanks to his teammates.
This year, my pastor, Jason Forby, had a buddy, Al, who is an excellent golfer on his team. Every shot Al made was perfection. Al's swings were perfect. He never whiffed, sliced, or ended up in a sand trap. Jason's a self-admitted whiffer, slicer, and sand trap dweller. Al shot a 6 under par, which meant according to the scoreboards, Jason shot a 6 under par. The whole team rode in on Al's coattails.
Folks, that's the gospel in a nutshell. We humans are hopeless at the game of life. We are all a bunch of whiffers and slicers who spend most of our time dwelling in pits of our own creation. If left to our own merit, we would be hopelessly doomed. God knew that, which is why He gave us Jesus.
Everything Jesus did was perfection. He prayed enough, enjoyed spending time in the scriptures, plus He loved God and His neighbors perfectly. Jesus lived His life to obey and please the Father. His death, burial, and resurrection gave us the ability to trade our lousy scorecard with His perfect one. When God looks at me, He counts me righteous because Jesus behaved righteously. My righteousness isn't based on me; it's placed on me because of Jesus' performance. That is the gospel.
Unfortunately, most of us approach our Christianity like it's a tournament. We think all our whiffing, slicing, and time in the sand traps put distance between the Father and us. We are afraid that when it comes time for judgment, it will be our performance that will be judged. My friends that is not the gospel. That's religion.
The definition of the word "gospel" means good news. It's designed for all of us who are not too proud to admit they are bad at life. It's a huge relief to know Jesus is on our side, getting us out of all the pits we've dug for ourselves. So don't be ashamed, you're a winner at this game called life because you have the perfect player on your team.
• Cris Corzine-McCloskey is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Director of Caring Counseling Ministries. CCM is a not-for-profit corporation for the purpose of providing counseling from a Biblical perspective at an affordable cost to persons living in Southern Illinois. Our office is located at 11264 Route 37 Marion, IL. To make an appointment, please call (618) 997-2129.