Last Monday I rushed home from a meeting because I had heard that – against all odds – our Bills were beating the Patriots.
As a Buffalo transplant, I was not raised to love the Bills, but I have adopted them as my “other” team. On Monday night, however, I was not hopeful that the Bills would win; I had made the sports-fan transference that non-fans just don’t get, and I was hoping we would win. I was in it.
And though I was not here for “wide right” or “no goal,” last year’s fast start by the Bills taught me not to count chickens before they hatch. An 11 point lead with under five minutes to go seemed safe, but of course, we all know what happened. Like so many other Buffalo fans before me, my heart was broken. And so I joined in asking the old quesion:
Is there a curse?
It seemed a legitimate question on Monday night.
Others considered the possibility on Tuesday night, when the election did not go the way that they had hoped.
Others still see abandoned houses, high unemployment, or bad weather as a result of some curse.
A curse, as an idea, is appealing because it explains unfortunate events, and relieves personal responsibility.
It also should be noted that one can find endorsement for the idea in many religious texts. A quick search indicated the word used in 84 different verses in my favorite Bible translation.
Believing in curses, however, does nothing to make things better. So with all due respect to the folk at buffalocurse.com, I would like to propose that locally, we simply declare that any such curse is over. We will no longer give the curse any power, because we will believe in something greater (For today’s purpose, I don’t care if your higher power is a doorknob).
Politically, socially, economically, we have greater control than we believe. And even in those things we can’t control – such as fourth quarter fumbles – we know that good will triumph over evil in the end…and Bill Belichick can’t be on side of good!
In all seriousness, if God is seen as a redeemer, one who sets people free, (and I would argue that this is built into the plot-line of the Bible, from Moses, through the prophets, and in Jesus), then God is the breaker of curses, not the maker of them.
Therefore, we can work for a better city – one that’s healthy, beautiful, safe, prosperous and just. And maybe, we can still hope, victorious, without any fear of a curse.
While sports may sometimes be a matter of bad luck, our city’s well-being is far more subject to the actions we take (or fail to take) then any curse.
Because we can make a difference, curses can (and should) be a thing of the past.
We know we can play. Let’s play to win.
SHAMELESS PLUG: Two events I’ll be participating in this week–a special new contemplative prayer service, at Lafayette Church, and the Third Friday Theology Joint at the Nickel City Housing Co-op, at North and Elmwood. Both events are open to (and even nice to) people of all, any, or no belief.