Damar Hamlin, the Image of God, and Sitting Shiva Together
This week’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was hyped as one of the biggest games of the year. It now stands out for an unexpected reason, as Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed shortly after tackling another player. As I write this, he is in the hospital in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest, and the remainder of the game was postponed indefinitely. Whether or not you were watching the game, you’ve likely seen many remarks about the situation and player safety.
In a nonstop culture, this football game has reminded us all about the inherent value and dignity of human life… and it’s worth stopping everything to acknowledge. As I’ve thought about this situation, a few things stand out that youth pastor theologians would do well to reflect on.
The Image of God
The coaches of both teams and the officials decided very quickly after Hamlin collapsed to delay the game and not resume playing until they knew more about his condition. This stood in direct contrast to the actions of another football player the day before, who celebrated a vicious hit that left that player twitching on the ground with a snow angel right next to him. The NFL is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. A lot of money, playoff stakes, and jobs are tied into each game.
The players know their sport is inherently dangerous, but they knew this moment was bigger than the game of football. Why?
I think the answer lies in the biblical truth that all humans are created in the image of God. When a player is injured, it’s common for players to pause what they’re doing, take a knee, and pray for their safety - even when it’s not life-threatening. The game between the Bengals and Bills came to an abrupt stop when Hamlin collapsed. Through God’s common grace, I believe all people know to some degree that there’s a uniquely valuable about a human being. Whether they can fully give an explanation for that or not, this is an excellent opportunity for us to point our students to creation. All people have God-given dignity, worth, and value.
Sitting Shiva
Another thing that stood out in particular was the somber and patient tone of many people commenting on Hamlin’s injury and the decision to cancel the remainder of the game. With a few exceptions, no one rushed to judgment or clamored for the players to just get back on the field. Rather, the general tone resembled the Jewish practice of sitting shiva. This practice, which featured prominently in an episode of Moon Knight, involves the family and surrounding community simply sitting in the grief of those who have lost a loved one. Instead of rushing to offer advice, prescriptions for moving forward, or any other action plans, people who are sitting shiva sit in solidarity and silence, and offer their comfort through their presence.
This is a practice I don’t think we do well often in the Church. When tragedy strikes, we can be too quick to offer biblical truths about how all things work for good. This well-intentioned effort to bring encouragement and hope often belittles the reality of sadness and grief. While there is a time and place for those conversations, we end up resembling Job’s friends. And we look less like Jesus, who wept over Lazarus’ death.
Our students live in an accelerated culture, where taking the time to simply sit and wait to respond seems insane. This football game provided an example of properly stopping to grieve, comfort, and simply be together.
Pointing to the Gospel
The speed of the internet is so fast, and it drives us to merely pause before moving on. This incident seems like a moment in the sports world where everyone has agreed to sit shiva, and pray for Hamlin’s recovery, for his family, and for Tee Higgins (the other player involved in the collision). May we model what the broader culture has over the past couple days—the ability to sit shiva and value the image of God in each person.
This is certainly more important than our entertainment, our fantasy football championships, and getting back to our comfort zones. It would be exploitative to use this from the front of the youth room in your teaching, but it will certainly come up in conversations with students who are football fans (and even those who aren’t). This tragic situation can serve as a gospel onramp in conversations with our students. May we point them to Jesus, who loves Damar Hamlin, who provides comfort and grace to those who are grieving, and who promises to be with us when things are unknown.