An Evangelical megachurch in Ohio kicked off Super Bowl weekend — literally — with a sermon that had all of social media buzzing.
Pastors with Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, a multi-site interdenominational church that boasts a weekly congregation of roughly 34,000, “punted” a copy of the Bible as part of its “Super Bowl of Preaching” series.
The sermon was delivered on Feb. 11, just hours before the Kansas City Chiefs topped the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
With play-by-play announcers, color commentary, a referee, and a stage covered in AstroTurf, the Crossroads pulpit resembled Allegiant Stadium more than any church on Sunday morning as Senior Pastor Brian Tome and Pastor Alli Patterson sported football jerseys as they took the stage for the “pregame” coin flip.
After Tome wins the flip, the referee asks, “Would you like to kick or receive the Bible?” “I will receive,” Tome replied.
Patterson is then seen taking a few steps back as another pastor squares up the Bible — which had a football-style book cover on it — before kicking the Bible off the stage and into the crowd.
Patterson then high-fives her colleague in celebration. “Patterson back with the kick … Oh my goodness!” the announcer is heard saying over the PA. “For the first time in 18 years, there’s a touchback for the kickoff.”
In another sequence, the Bible is kicked yet again — this time a shorter distance — as the rest of the “players” on stage jump on top of the book as they tackle one another.
“We’re gonna get some emails; here we go,” the announcer remarks. In an introduction to the video, Andy Reider, community pastor for Crossroads Anywhere, the church’s mobile app, offers a greeting — and a disclaimer — warning viewers the church service has “little to nothing to do with actual football or the Super Bowl.”
“Today, you are tuning in for a church service that is unlike any other,” said Reider. “Disclaimer: it has little to nothing to do with actual football or the Super Bowl, but no matter what you believe, you’re going to laugh.
