A Race Fan

"God is a race fan." 

The older gentleman declared it with great confidence on the morning news. Just a couple of days ago, thirty-three drivers had taken the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of 350,000+ fans with a threat of rain that held off until just after the closest finish in race history. Literally. The rain started to fall on the victory celebration moments after the last lap. 

The gentleman could only believe that God wanted to see a good race just as much as he did, that God also enjoyed that spectacular finish. 

I can imagine such a statement striking a nerve. 

There are Christians who would believe that it's irreverent, a statement that has no business being made at all. To put God on a plane with human beings, to interject Him into secular human affairs, to ascribe to Him enjoyment of something human. Blasphemy! These Christians would say that a gentleman like this is giving God a bad name. 

There are non-believers who would scoff. Sure, God cares about a stupid little race, an insignificant afternoon of "fun" while children go hungry, disease runs rampant, wars are waged, hostages are taken, Christians are killed. What kind of God could be a race fan with so much chaos and destruction in the world? 

There are some who might try to create a middle road, claiming that God answered their prayers for a good race day, since He loves them and they prayed so earnestly for it. 

There are some who would say God could be nowhere near the track with so much sin and debauchery and *gasp* alcohol present. 

There are very few who would pump a fist in the air and say, "Yeah! God's a race fan!" 

But what if He is? 

God delights in His creation, and He delights in us, and He delights in our delight. Our God is a God of joy and festiveness and good things. He created festivals and parties and even commanded us to celebrate them. 

To put God on a plane with human beings? God put Himself on a plane with human beings when He came to be born in a manger and die on a Cross. 

To interject Him into secular human affairs? God interjected Himself into secular human affairs when He traveled into Samaria and sent the Good News to the Gentiles and declared all things clean and threw a miracle to the "dog" under His feet. 

To ascribe to Him enjoyment of something human? Jesus was highly criticized for eating and drinking and being merry. 

To be somewhere so near where sin and debauchery and *gasp* alcohol are present? Jesus came to save sinners, not saints. His feet were washed by a sinful woman, and He took a drink from another, and by the way, He turned water into wine. (Not, as some might claim, grape juice.) 

God has shown us again and again and again that He is a God of joy. That He is a happy God. That He delights in His creation, in us, and in our delight. 

There is absolutely no justification, in God's testimony about Himself, to believe that God couldn't be a race fan. 

In fact, I actually agree with the older gentleman - I think He is.