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Tennis with Jesus

Andy Macpherson

A forehand smash down the line past the outstretched racket of his opponent brought the crowd to its feet. Raising his fist in the air to acknowledge the crowd’s appreciation of his wonderful shot, Greg walked back to the service line. The crowd sat back down but remained on the edge of their seats. Never before had anyone seen such an amazing game of tennis. The skill and power of the match was breathtaking, and the drama of the moment held them spellbound as the match now came down to this final point. A point here, and Greg would win.

All eyes were on him. Adjusting his hat, Greg stepped up to the line. He bounced the ball on the court a couple of times to focus and steady himself. Glancing across the net at his opponent, Greg smiled to himself. This was his moment, and nothing was going to stop him now. As if in slow motion, Greg lifted the ball into the air. It hung there as if gravity were suspended. The racket in Greg’s hand coiled back over his head like a cobra and then whipped forward toward its orbiting victim. The throaty “wump” that accompanies a well-hit ball melted into an ecstatic sigh from the tennis crowd, who recognized greatness when they heard it.

Some say the opponent began to turn away in defeat before the ball was even hit. Others say that he simply stood frozen in helpless awe like a deer in the lights of a speeding Kenworth. Others shrug and say that it wouldn’t have mattered what he did since there is no one alive who could have handled what was to become known as “The Serve”. The ball accelerated over the net, dipped to skip off the opponent’s court like a meteor skipping off the earth’s atmosphere and disappeared into space.

“Game, set, match, Erickson,” barked the announcer above the deafening roar of the crowd. Victorious fists raised in the air, Greg waded through the sea of adoring fans as they charged onto the court to mob their hero. With a big smile spread across his face, Greg stepped forward to receive his prize as the Tennis Champion of the World.

I know this wonderful game really happened because I was there. I saw Greg win this game even if I didn’t see the crowd, the court, the net, the ball or even the opponent. However, I did see the racquet held firmly in Greg’s hand and the gleam in his eyes as he basked in the glow of his victory. The game occurred in my church’s parking lot at about one o’clock in the morning. The only reason I was able to witness it was because I was returning home late after a youth event and happened to drive by the church at the right moment.

Greg Erickson is a squat Native man of indeterminate age who stands about 5’5”. Slow of movement and speech, with heavy full features and eyes that look in different directions, Greg doesn’t have much about him that would naturally attract anyone to him. Usually dressed in an assortment of clean but dated clothing purchased from thrift stores, he can be seen at all hours of the day or night walking around town on endless treks. On his travels, he likes to collect all sorts of stuff. Large sections of piping, garbage can lids, odd-shaped sticks, boxes, sports equipment and lawn ornaments are just some of the things he has been seen carrying around in his hand or strapped to his back. Greg also has a very active imagination, and, in the midst of his wandering and collecting, he can be seen acting out all sorts of mental adventures. Besides the late night tennis championships, he has been seen performing intricate martial arts moves against unseen opponents, sneaking around as James Bond on a secret mission and plodding forward as an armoured Knight of the Round Table complete with wooden shield and sword. He enjoys an audience for his performances, but they aren’t necessary. A friend of mine saw him standing alone one night on one leg up on a pole, like the Karate Kid waiting for his imaginary opponent to make the first move.

As you may have already figured out, Greg’s mental processes take some very interesting turns here and there. Suffering brain damage during birth, Greg started out in life at a colossal disadvantage. Without a family because of his defects, he was bounced from foster home to foster home and experienced much rejection wherever he went. Then one day he ended up in a home where he found the unconditional love he had been looking for. At that home, he found out that there is a God who also loves unconditionally and who looks at the heart of a man rather than his physical appearance or mental capacity. In fact, he found a God who not only identifies with the weak of this world but actually prefers them to the strong. Somewhere along the line, Greg absorbed this message, and it changed him. When you look past the outward appearance and get to know Greg, you find a heart for God and for people that is nothing less than profound. It seems as though the love of God pours out through his brokenness and soaks those who are around him. There is an overpowering sense that God is listening to his honest, completely unpretentious prayers. It seems that the dulling of Greg’s mind and body has made him very sharp in spirit, and he is able to see and sense things that we who are secure in our “perfect vision” simply miss.

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28). You would think that we in the church would understand this truth more than we do. Unfortunately, it seems that we still look for the young, the healthy and the skilled before we look to the weak.

Greg and I are members of the same church. Every year, our church has a missions conference in which various missions organizations come and share about their work. Because of Greg’s heart for God and for people, this is an exciting time for him. At a recent conference, he was overheard to exclaim, “ I feel like I’ve got my Missions Rocket Blasters on.” I’m not sure what missions rocket blasters are, but the comment makes pretty clear where his heart is.

Besides being excited during missions week, Greg also experiences a lot of frustration. I remember a few years ago standing in front of the Youth For Christ booth in the church basement along with a crowd of other agency representatives in front of their displays. Greg showed up at our booth clutching a great wad of literature from other agencies he had visited. He didn’t look very happy at that moment. As we talked, he said, “I keep going to each booth and telling people that I want to be involved in missions, and they keep telling me that I should try somewhere else.” After making a round of all the displays and getting the brush-off, he was quite discouraged. I could see logically why people were reluctant to take him on, but spiritually I sensed that God’s blessing would be on those who did. Unfortunately, at that point I didn’t respond to that still, small voice. Logic foolishly took over, and I told myself that he probably wouldn’t survive in the rough crowd of “at risk” youth we work with. I, too, brushed him off, but, as I watched him shuffle out of the room, I knew I was making a mistake. Fortunately for me, God gave me another opportunity a year later.

Greg lives with a wonderful couple who love him very much and have made him part of their family. Three years ago, they joined us as volunteers on the double-decker bus that we operate as a mobile drop-in centre. We were glad to have them, and when they asked if Greg could come along with them, I immediately said yes. I wasn’t about to mess with God a second time. What a blessing it has turned out to be. Greg has become an integral member of the volunteer team. He is our resident jester and prayer warrior all in one. We laugh at his antics and are softened by his prayers. The youth have accepted him also, and, although they were initially fearful and mocking, they quickly warmed to him when they realized he was harmless, friendly and loving. It wasn’t long before he had a group of youth standing around him laughing at something he was acting out. Greg’s freedom is a wonderful example to these young people who are so often bound by what others think about them. I believe it also frees them to see a heart that has been touched by God.

One incident remains etched in my brain. There was one very tough boy who would come around the bus and cause trouble. Always looking for a fight or a way to take something that wasn’t his, he made it very hard to love him. One day, he showed up in a particularly foul mood and seemed very down. Greg walked over to him and in his slow drawl asked him what was wrong. After the boy shared about his rough week, Greg put a hand on his shoulder and asked if he could pray for him. Surprisingly, the boy agreed, and right there in front of all these wild kids Greg prayed as only Greg can pray. It must have had an impact on this young man, for he was overheard to say later that he would punch out anyone who messed with Greg. There were still some kids who didn’t treat Greg very well, but after this incident they were never seen to bother him again.

It is unfortunate, but Greg Erickson and others like him are often viewed as the useless members of the community. Often I think this is even true in the church community. We are likely to tolerate and love them but unlikely to listen to or follow them. We still judge others based on the values of our culture, and, like that culture, we seem enamoured with those who have power, position and personality. We don’t really believe that God will use the weak, the lame and the blind to accomplish the great works of His Kingdom. We never seem to get God’s wonderful joke that He is more interested in the weak who are obedient than in the strong who have ability. Greg is one of God’s punchlines, but we don’t often get His sense of humour.

Greg is a living example of the power of God at work in a life. The reason for this is that Greg is not bound by the major “isms” of our day. Careerism, defining people’s worth on the basis of the job they perform, doesn’t bind Greg. He doesn’t have a career, a desk to wage war behind or employees to control. Individualism, that illusion that has us believing that we will someday get

Greg Erickson and Andy Macpherson

to the point where we won’t need anyone else, doesn’t hold Greg. Greg needs people to take care of him, and he knows it, accepts it and even enjoys it. Consumerism, that exhausting hunt for the perfect thing to make us content or to show others that we have “arrived”, hasn’t entangled Greg either. He doesn’t have much money to buy anything, or the desire to impress others even if he did. The key here is that Greg lives without pride. He does so because he really has nothing to be proud about apart from God. He understands that God loves him exactly the way he is, and he is content with that. When I take stock of all these things and look at Greg, I see a man who has what most people crave and work so hard to find: freedom.

To ignore Greg and those like him who seem to inhabit the lowlands of our earthly kingdoms is to ignore God, for He resides down there with them. To overlook them is to overlook God’s wonderful power that is displayed most vividly in weak people. I am anxious to not overlook or ignore God these days. The fact is that I am hoping to play a game of tennis with Him myself one day. Maybe Greg will show me how.

Greg Erickson and Andy Macpherson are both members of Central Heights MB Church in Abbotsford B.C.

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Last modified April 19, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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