Why Church and the Pittsburgh Steelers Go Together

On any given Sunday during football season in Pittsburgh you can go to church and wear your black and gold. At least, it’s that way at my church in Bellevue and I’m assuming that you’ll see the same at other churches in the ‘Burgh. I love that we’re free to worship in this way and I think it really brings our congregation together, so I’m going to go out on a limb and draw some parallels between church culture and Steelers culture.

Last night when the Steelers won, I felt a high. It was a sense of relief and joy, a high not too different form what I felt after leaving church today. The Steelers are still in the playoffs and that means there’s a chance we’re going to the Super Bowl. Although, they really kept us on the edge of our seats yesterday. And I think our pastor made a good point this morning: the halftime speech must have been really motivating because the Steelers came out for the second half like a new team. Don’t we all need a pep talk every now and then?

So there’s the game itself that brings us together, either at Heinz Field or a friend’s living room. And while we all want to win that game, there’s the extra added benefit of the socialization – getting together with your friends, bringing your favorite snacks, wearing your black and gold, talking about the players and strategies—the list goes on. This can be really unifying—especially during a winning game.

So we’re in church this morning, and our worship leader called out something like, “how ’bout them Steelers?” before beginning the worship set. After a rather hearty reaction for the 9 a.m. service, he reminded us that we were there for another reason: to worship the God who created us and who can do all things. I can’t remember his exact words, but it was something along those lines. But it got me thinking—just like we come together to support our team, we need the same solidarity in our worship.

The sermon today was about how God can use us. And the main points were that God can use us if we’re: 1) prepared, 2) obedient, and 3) improbable. That last one is catchy, but the basic gist is that God can use the unexpected to do His work like the poor, possessed, prostitutes, tax collectors, or even a ruler who persecuted Christians. So it was a wake-up call for us to ask God to use us and accept the risk or discomfort that comes with that. It was a great sermon and I’m not doing it justice in this short description, but it was the half-time speech that I needed and I’m just saying that I’ve got my game face on.

Then we sang the song “Our God” by Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman. Here’s a link to a YouTube video with them doing the acoustic version on NewSongCafe:

This video is very low-key, but when you’re singing this song in worship amidst a large group of believers, it feels like a pep rally. And it brings us together as we cheer for God. My favorite lyrics are, “And if our God is for us, than who can ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then who can stand against?” And that can be really encouraging when you feel like there is no hope. I’d like to think song is what pumped up the Steelers last night, but more than that, it encourages me to seek God’s plan for my life and get moving.

A year or two ago when the Steelers went to the Super Bowl, our church was included in an article in the Trib. They sent a photographer too, but the photos only made it to the print edition. Anyway, if you’re in the neighborhood on a Sunday and you want to check it out. Stop by and feel free to wear your black and gold.