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Although it is not quite summer yet, America’s pastime, Baseball is fully underway. Did you know, that the beloved comedic duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are remembered forever in the baseball hall of fame? Their induction had nothing to do with any on field accomplishments, in fact in 1957 they became first non-baseball playing celebrities to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. This honor was bestowed upon them for their wildly successful and quite humorous routine “Who’s on First.”
The general premise behind the exchange has Costello, a peanut vendor, talking to Abbott, the manager of the St. Louis Wolves. Costello wants to know the name of each person playing. However the names and nicknames of the players are quit odd, and leave Costello very confused.
For example, the name of the first baseman is "Who"; thus, the statement "Who's on first" carries a double meaning. It serves as a question (what is the name of the first baseman?) as well as the answer (Who, is the name of the first baseman.) The banter & confusion continues throughout the 5 minute sketch as Abbott tries, with little success, to tell Costello the names of all the baseball players.
This timeless and humorous sketch reminds me of another question that begs each one to answer. “Who’s in the Center?” No I’m not talking about center field, or even the center of the universe. Rather, “Who is at the center of your life?”
I believe if most people would answer honestly, it would be themselves. We live in a very self-centered world: one where self-concern, self-priority, and self-promotion are not only common-place, but expected and encouraged. Is this how it should be? Should each of us live our lives as if we are at the center, and rest of the world revolves around us? “Is Life really all about me?”
Until 1543, everyone was certain that the earth was at the center of the universe, and everything revolved around it. But then came Nicolaus Copernicus who simply asked the question, “if the earth stands still, what causes the season and stars to change?”
This questions led him to the obvious conclusion that the earth was not the center, but instead the Sun was! People were outraged and denied this truth for years! Today what we take for granted as fact, was for decades treated as foolishness and heresy.
In the thoughts of Max Lucado (as expressed in his Book “It’s Not About Me”) our current culture needs a “Copernican Shift.” Max writes, “When God looks at the center of the universe, He doesn’t look at you. When heavens' stagehands direct the spotlight toward the star of the show, I need no sunglasses, no light falls on me”
Paul agrees. Ephesians 1:21-22 states “Now he (Christ) is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.” Eugene Peterson in The Message said it this way “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.”
Christ is at the center of everything. This includes our lives and everything we do. As a result, all we have, from our job to our families, our money to our bodies belong to God. Even our success and struggles are about Him. There’s a great need to move from a self-centered life to a God centered life; accepting our place in God’s Plan, understanding that all, even our lives, revolve around God’s Son.
It is my prayer that Christ is at the center of everything you do.
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