Religion: A Pastor Ponders

When There’s A Flag On the Play

by Pastor William Jenkins

February 5, 2005

I’m just pondering a bit about this big weekend for football, the Super Bowl! Many a fan will not have a favorite team on the field, but this is the Super Bowl, and both teams will have a once-in-a-season fan base. There is a language that is peculiar to football. The utterance of certain words causes anguish or elation to thousands of people. In every game, sooner or later, you will hear the announcer say, “Hold everything, folks. There’s a flag on the play.” A flag is a yellow handkerchief thrown by an official to indicate an infraction of the rules.

It is disheartening whenever your favorite team has a flag on the play. It means something has gone wrong; things did not turn out as planned; somebody broke the rules.
In this respect, football is like life. In the business of living things do not always turn out the way we planned; things go wrong, people make mistakes, trouble happens...”there’s a flag on the play”. Flags come in a variety of forms: Bob lost his job; Erlene lost her marriage; George lost his leg; vivacious Peggy lost her life; Mike lost his business; people get cancer, have strokes, become chemically addicted.

I have noticed that just because a flag is thrown on a play in football it does not mean the game is over. There will be a delay in the game, some adjustments will be necessary, but the game goes on. The penalized team plans a new approach, goes back to the line of scrimmage and tries to overcome the disadvantage. So it is in life. Whenever there is a flag on the play it does not mean you are defeated and the game is over. Adjust, regroup, take a time out; take a new approach, then go back to the line of scrimmage and carry on in the adventure of living. Winning is always a possibility.

In John 16, Jesus said something to this effect, “In the world, you will have some flags thrown against you; but, take heart! I have overcome the world.” Stay in the game.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

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