Matthew 28:19-20”Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
John 10:27-30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Dropkick Me, Jesus (Lyrics by Paul Charles Craft)
Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goal posts of life
End over end, neither left nor to right
Straight through the heart of them, righteous up rights
Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goal posts of life
Verse 1:
Make me, oh, make me, Lord, more than I am
Make me a piece in Your master game plan
Free from the earthly tempestion below
I've got the will, Lord, if You got the toe
Verse 2:
Bring on the brothers who've gone on before
And all of the sisters who've knocked on your door
All the departed, dear, loved ones of mine
Stick 'em up front in the offensive line
Verse 3:
A lowly bench warmer I'm contented to be
Until the time when you have need of me
The flash on the scoreboard that shines upon high
And the big Super Bowl way up in the sky
We get our theology (a fancy word that means what we believe about God) from all sorts of places. I’m not sure an old country song should be the basis of deep theological reflection, but there are some interesting pieces in the prayer, “Dropkick Me, Jesus” sung by Bobby Bare and written by Paul Charles Craft.
I love the humility in this song. “Make me…Lord, more than I am…[and] make me a piece in Your master game plan.” These lines demonstrate that we need Jesus and need to join in God’s great plan for the world. I love the offensive line as a nod to the “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) that have come before us and the idea of sitting on the bench humbly waiting for our time in the big game. But while we shouldn’t be fighting for the stardom enjoyed by today’s athletes (and church leaders), the bench is not the place to which God has called us. The Great Commission at the end of Matthew reminds us that we all have a role to play in discipling, baptizing and teaching as a part of God’s kingdom.
Perhaps the greatest theological shortcoming in Dropkick, if taken literally, is pitting our will against God’s toe. The implication here is that I’ve got my life in order as long as Jesus is capable of kicking me through the uprights. Most likely, “I’ve got the will, Lord if You’ve got the toe” is meant to be ironic because we all know that Jesus has got the toe! The real question is do you have the will?
Jesus has already done everything he needs to do to bring us into his kingdom. Those of us who are believers are then called upon to “follow [him]” (John 10:27). And even though Jesus continues to protect us, his work on the cross has already gotten us through the goalposts of eternal life.
In these crazy times, I am thankful that we have the assurance of eternal life. But right now, it is more important to get off the bench and get into the game as we are called to bring glory to God in everything we do (Col. 3:17).
I don’t think that Bobby Bare or Paul Charles Craft wrote “Dropkick Me, Jesus” to be a theological treatise. Most likely, they just wanted to bring a smile to your face and figured even Christians need a good kick in the backside every now and again.
Ray Sanchez is the manager of the Dobbins is a Free Elf Fantasy Football Team (4-2) in the Baptist Ballers FBCW Fantasy League. He is also the Pastor of Worship and Children’s Discipleship at First Baptist Church Weslaco.