Qatar Soccer World Cup and Christian ENTHUSIASM

Today, Sunday 20 November 2022, The FIFA Soccer World Cup will begin in Qatar.  The tournament first took place in 1930 and is held every four years, making this the 22nd World Cup. It marks the first World Cup to take place in an Arab nation and only the second to be held in Asia after World Cup 2002, which was hosted in Japan and South Korea. This will also be the first time that the event will take place this late during the year, due to the extreme summer climate in Qatar. France is the reigning champion from the previous World Cup in 2018, in which they triumphed over Croatia in the final with a score of 4-2, claiming their second World Cup title.

There were initial concerns that no-one would want to visit Qatar for the World Cup. Why spend thousands of dollars on lacklustre accommodation at a tournament built by low-paid, badly-resourced labour, and where homosexuality is illegal?  However, Qatar excelled in building some of the most modern, technologically-advanced, and fan-friendly stadiums in the world and despite the scepticism, it’s expected that more than a million football fans from across the globe will file through Doha Airport and watch games in the infamous air-conditioned stadiums.

RELIGION IN QATAR

Islam is the official religion of Qatar.  But even though the constitution explicitly provides for freedom of worship, non-Muslims are not allowed to proselytize or worship in public.

Religious groups must register with the Government for legal recognition. The Government has granted legal status to Catholic, Anglican, Greek and other Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, and Indian Christian churches. It maintains an official register of approved religious groups. To be recognized, each group must have at least 1,500 members in the country.

According to the annual World Watch List of Open Doors of countries where Christians are most persecuted, Qatar is number 18 on the list

But let’s be honest, regardless of where and when the event is held, regardless of who and how the stadiums were built, regardless of the temperatures, the heat and the dust, it is the soccer enthusiasts that ultimately make or break World Cups. That’s a given, and was one of the big concerns when Qatar first won the right to stage the 2022 World Cup 12 years ago. How could a country with a population of less than 3 million people – many of them migrant labourers – create the ‘Festival of Football’ experienced at previous tournaments down the years?

But the love for football triumphed and the Global body of football enthusiasts ultimately decided that the event WILL be a success, regardless of moral, political or ethical objections.

And this is where we as believers can learn a lesson.

CHRISTIAN ENTHUSIASM

2 Corinthians 9:2  For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.

Christian enthusiasm does not respond to feelings or circumstances, it stirs into action.  It ignites what has become cold.  It is contagious.  Delight flows freely from the fountain of enthusiasm and it gives life wherever and whatever it touches.  It is powerful.  Without enthusiasm it is impossible to find delight.  Let me explain

The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos:  “en” which means “in” and “theos” which means “God”.  It literally means to “to be inhabited and inspired by God”.  Enthusiasm, God in me, the source and expression of my delight.

And the great news is that nothing can separate us from God inhabiting us[1].  This means that in the midst of COVID-19, in the worst of circumstances – even though I walk through the valley of death –  I can still count on enthusiasm, God in me, to carry me through[2].

Theodore Roosevelt once said the following:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

“…those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”  These are challenging words for those who seek to enthuse.

Enthusiasm is therefore not jumping up and down because my team won the world-cup, but knowing that God in me, is greater than any obstacle that I can face.

Make this a habit:  Don’t tell God about your problems.  Tell your problems about God

Do you have the ability to be positive and full of joy amongst negative people?

[1] Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

[2] Psalm 23:4  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me