Under the Dome

The Psalmist was in a particularly desperate time in his life, and as he recounted his struggles, he
emphasized the importance of remembering God. Psalm 42 says this:
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.
6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.

Here, we can see how remembering instances of God's faithfulness, a different place with the Lord - physically and spiritually - helped the writer when he was feeling down.  I think it's so true for us: reflecting on God's past faithfulness can help to strengthen our faith now.  And, when we feel separated from Him, it could very well be we need to refresh and even reset our relationship by thinking about times when we have see Him show up in our lives.  What's different?  Perhaps it's a matter of confession and repentance.  Or, it's just experiencing a fresh touch of His Spirit through personal reflection.

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There's a passage in Exodus 33 that speaks to the concept of "meeting" with God.  God had a special place to meet with Moses, and they interacted.  This is something I'll explore a bit later, but first to the Word...
9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.
10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door.
11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

So, there you have it - the Atlanta Falcons are headed for a Super Bowl.  It's their second in the 51-year franchise history, matching the number of Super Bowls played in their home stadium, the Georgia Dome, which has hosted its last NFL game; perhaps its last sporting event before giving way to its neighbor next door, the Mercedes-Benz stadium.

The AJC.com website put it this way:

When the Georgia Dome opened in 1992 in downtown Atlanta it was billed as the largest domed stadium in the world.

The Fiberglas fabric roof panel was considered a modern marvel, stretching more than 395,000 square feet and weighing just 68 pounds.

Under its cozy, temperature-controlled field, fans witnessed some memorable moments in sports history, including three NCAA Men's Final Fours, two decades of SEC championships, two Super Bowls, two NBA seasons and an Olympics.

By the way, if you're an Alabama Crimson Tide fan, the article points out that the Tide won 10 out of its last 11 games there. Nick Saban was 13-1 in the Dome.

The Alabama basketball team was part of history there, too - it was on the court when a tornado hit downtown Atlanta in 1998 during an SEC tournament game, resulting in damage to the building, including a hole torn in the roof.

One thing I learned is that in the 1992 dedication ceremony for the building, a rather well-known evangelist spoke - his name, Billy Graham.  You can actually listen to the audio at the BillyGraham.org website.

Two years later, Dr. Graham was back to conduct a 5-night crusade.  Christianity Today reported about it.  The article pointed out that African-American participation was an intentional aspect of the crusade: "In October, at Graham's five-day Georgia Dome crusade, African-American participation was obvious, from the makeup of the 12,000-member choir to the platform guests, ushers, counselors, and committee chairpeople."  Over 1,000 churches participated.  78,000 people showed up for the Saturday night youth rally that included DC Talk and Take 6. 

In addition to the sports element, the history of the Dome includes some dramatic spiritual events. The venue that began operation with a ceremony complete with a Billy Graham speech and during its final month, hosted a gathering of over 50,000 young adults called Passion, became the gathering place for believers throughout the South.

But for many men in the Faith Radio broadcast area, one of your fondest memories of the Dome would have been during 1995 and 1996 when the men's movement Promise Keepers hosted three events there.  Hundreds of men took part in a bus caravan, sponsored by local churches, to travel to the Dome.  I was there both years, and as I recall, speakers during that 2-year period included Tony Evans, Steve Farrar, Wellington Boone, Jack Hayford, Ravi Zacharias, and Crawford Loritts.  I cannot forget Crawford's stirring tribute to his dying father during the 1996 PK conference; he had left his father's side to come to Atlanta to speak.

And, according to the still-functioning PK website:

In February 1996, Promise Keepers hosted more than 39,000 Christian clergy for a worship and teaching conference in Atlanta. “Fan into Flame” was reported to be the largest gathering of Christian clergy in modern history.

I believe that the seeds planted during that special season of men's conferences continues to live today in what God is doing through men's ministries all across that nation.  And, what a thrill it was to talk with Wellington Boone the other day, who was a central figure in the Promise Keepers movement.

So, an era is over, the Dome is history, and the Falcons have one more step to perhaps winning the franchise's first Super Bowl crown; they have to beat Tom Brady to do it, but perhaps Matt Ryan is up to it.   And, while there is not too much published about Ryan's personal faith, he is quoted in an article at WND.com about the faith of NFL quarterbacks:

“They’re just completely interwoven,” said Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. “The things that go on in your house, the things that go on in your faith, they affect the way that you show up and what you do when you’re at your job.”

There have been some rather outspoken Christians with the Falcons throughout the years.  Former head coach, Dan Reaves comes to mind, who took the Birds to their last Super Bowl.   You can also think about Steve Bartkowski, Greg Brezina, and I'm sure others that I'm leaving out, as well.

It certainly is fun and instructive to think about the history of the Dome, a place that had a leading minister at its dedication ceremony.  A place where some impactful spiritual events took place.

A couple of thoughts:

I think its helpful to reflect on how you have seen God work in the past.  I saw God show up when I attended Promise Keepers.  Young adults have been touched through the Passion Conferences.  And, perhaps even the impact of a Christian football player cannot be understated.   When we have seen instances of God's faithfulness, we can talk and think about them and it can produce a sense of thankfulness to Him.

And, you know, just thinking back on those incredible PK experiences can remind us that we can draw strength from where you have seen God work in the past - the places you've been and where you have met with Him.  Sometimes even physically revisiting a place can bring back a stream of memories that God can use to draw you closer to Him.  And, when you consider a place, also consider that spiritual place to which God has brought you.  If you have departed from that place in God where you know He wants you, take an opportunity to meet with Him, right where you are and allow Him to take you back there - then move forward in Christ.