Football Sunday 2018: Seek, Surrender, Serve

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Super Bowl Sunday has become one of the biggest days of the year on the sporting calendar. Millions of people around the world tune in for a game of football.

That first Sunday in February is also one of the biggest outreach opportunities for the body of Christ. Through Football Sunday, a movement is growing to bring glory to the Name above all Names on football’s biggest day.

What is Football Sunday? It’s a free resource for churches to provide their people with an inside look at faith in the NFL in a way that’s relatable to all. Included are an in-church sermon-replacement video starring prominent NFL players, a 32-page special-edition Sports Spectrum magazine, and other tools to reach communities.

A Sports Spectrum production, the Football Sunday video features interviews our team shot during the season with numerous players around the league. Then, as the Eagles and Patriots have advanced to play on Super Sunday, our team hits the road again to include Philadelphia and New England players who will compete in football’s biggest game.

This year’s theme is simple: “Seek. Surrender. Serve.” You’ll hear NFL players — including Carson Wentz, Matt Forte, Demario Davis, Josh McCown and Malcolm Jenkins — talk about what it means to seek Christ always, surrender to Him daily, and serve the needs of others. The 28-minute video is hosted by CBS Sports’ James Brown.

RELATED: More on Carson Wentz | More on Matt Forte

“Seeking God requires intentionality, not just routinely listening so a sermon on Sunday or going to chapel before a game,” Forte said about seeking.

“Jesus is calling you into a life that may be different from what you thought might satisfy you, but ultimately it will bring you peace,” McCown said about surrendering.

“There’s no way you can live a Christlike life and not serve in some capacity. When you look at Jesus’ life in the Bible, that’s all His life was: service,” Jenkins said about serving.

In addition to the main video, we also produced the first-ever Football Sunday edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine. The issue looks at the history of Football Sunday and gives a sneak-peek into this year’s video, but also highlights this year’s host city, Minneapolis, with a feature on Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, one of Minnesota’s greatest athletes; a flashback to the last time the city held the Super Bowl; and a prayer for the Twin Cities. Readers will also find Super Bowl stats and numbers, the Patriots’ Matthew Slater talking about New England’s incredible title from last year, a look into how postgame prayer at the 50-yard line began, and daily devotionals from NFL players.

Churches and ministries in Minnesota are passing out 200,000 copies of this magazine, along with 300,000 Sports Spectrum/Football Sunday flyers. These groups are also hosting 33 days of prayer leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.

Football Sunday began in 2015 with one video, but since has reached more than 3 million people in over 5,000 churches. With additional tools each year, the movement is growing.

For more info on how your church can take part in Football Sunday, visit FootballSunday.com.

Related links:
Download the Football Sunday edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine
Minneapolis hosting 33 days of prayer in preparation for Super Bowl
Eagles QB Carson Wentz after suffering knee injury: ‘God has a perfect plan’
Increase story: Matt Forte on faith in action