(Jesus said) "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God." Luke 12:8

For over 60 years Lutheran Hour Ministries has been helping put a float in the Rose Bowl Parade.

For just as long, people have been asking, "Isn't that a waste of money?"

Well, putting a float in the parade is terribly expensive. In fact, it would be impossibly expensive if it wasn't paid for by the volunteer effort of thousands of volunteers -- volunteers called, "Petal Pushers." These folks work on our float and also donate their time to work on other displays. The money paid for their volunteer work is what underwrites our float.

But what good does a float do? That's easy. It brings thousands of volunteers together to work. It is the only Christian float seen by the one million people on the parade route. And, depending on TV coverage, it is a Christian witness made to about a billion souls all around the world.

Not bad for a bunch of flowers and seeds!

Now, the reason I bring this up is because there is supposed to be a Christian commercial in the Super Bowl this year. That's right, Tim Tebow, who played college football for Florida, is going to be featured in a commercial put on by Focus on the Family.

I don't know how much it cost. I don't know what it will say. I don't know where the money came from.

But I do know, like the Lutheran Hour Float, there are going to be a lot of folks who are going to say, "The commercial should have said this" or "It should have said that" or "The money shouldn't be spent so frivolously."

Me? I give thanks when the Lutheran Hour float rolls through Pasadena and through my living room as I watch. And, if the Super Bowl commercial is solidly for the Savior, I'm going to give thanks for that, too.

I'll just pray the Lord uses an athlete who loves his Savior to reach out to all those armchair athletes who love the sport but don't know the crucified and risen Savior.

If the Holy Spirit can use a Super Bowl message to plant a seed from which faith can grow, it's going to be a day where there really will be some winners.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, today I pray that this Sunday the world may appreciate Your victory over sin, death, and devil. Help us remember that Sunday is not super because of a football game. It's super because it's a day You have made and a day that -- by Your grace -- someone may come to faith in You as Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Genesis 36-38    Matthew 21:1-22

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