36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Matthew 9:36-38
As a native of St. Louis, there are two things we learn early on; we are the "Gateway to the West" and Cardinal Baseball is a religion. Most people I meet who live outside of this great city don't feel baseball to be that exciting, unless of course you're playing.
For cities with a history like ours, the game of baseball created heroes and legends. We love the game so much, that many of us can remember what it sounded like to hear the crack of the bat for the first time, like it was yesterday. Or, we find ourselves at a barbecue with friends and we say things like, "these hot dogs are okay, but not like the ones at the ballpark."
In St. Louis, ballplayers aren't just ballplayers, they live where we live. They serve the community as if it were theirs to care for. Heck, we even celebrate our heritage with our local brewery, Anheuser-Busch. Not because their products hold together our city, but their part in the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball season opening day parade around the ballpark. The team of Clydesdales pulling the familiar delivery wagon to their theme can only mean one thing, for the next 162 games of the summer, our hearts will soar and fall with our beloved Redbirds.
Now the love of sport is not something foreign to the rest of the world, but in St. Louis, we feel nobody does it better. "Just try it once, and you'll never be the same," is what we always tell the naysayers.
You might say, "Big WOW, what's that got to do with Matthew 9:36-38?"
September 17, 2011, was the day I discovered how it was all linked. One of the traditions in my life is to celebrate the start of the baseball season by watching one of my favorite movies, "Field of Dreams." If you've never seen this movie, stop what you are doing right now and go watch it!!
For those of you who refuse, this movie has shaped much of what my next 5 blogs will be about. I know what you are thinking, BORING, but that's because you haven't been to a Cardinals game. See what I did there?
Seriously, the story is based on three characters, all of whom had tremendous pain in their lives. The first character we are introduced to is John Kinsella. John is the father of Ray Kinsella, and since John was in his fifties by the time Ray was born, I'm sure he was rather intolerant of his young son. Ray's mother died when he was three, so it was just him and Dad. Ray was your typical rebellious teen and did things in spite of his father, and when he chose his college, it was on the opposite coast.
Ray was a product of the 60's and John was shaped by World War I. Obviously, this was going to be strained.
John died early in the 70's and never got to see Ray grow as a father and husband, nor did he get to meet his granddaughter. Ray seemed to always feel the grief of this loss.
The third character we meet, is "Shoeless Joe" Jackson. Joe played major league baseball with the Chicago White Sox and in 1919 his team threw the World Series to win at gambling. This had Joe and seven other players banned from ever playing in the Majors again.
"Getting thrown out of baseball is like having a part of you amputated." says Jackson in the movie.
Needless to say, all three of our characters needed relief.
So what does all of this have to do with Matthew 9? I believe the movie "Field of Dreams" is the tale for all of us seeking for more to life than what we have.
In the next few posts, we will unpack what I think, is the typical journey of the believer. Just like with Ray in his cornfield, it all starts with a whisper. Except the whisper we hear is,
"The harvest is great and the workers are few."
