Sermon: Vayeshev 5772

Tim Tebow, A Humbler Yosef
I. HS Football – pregame locker-room huddle, on 1 knee for Lord’s Prayer – I moved my lips but recited Shema v`ahavtah
II. Religion & Sports in America – inseparable!
A. Alex Gonzales – biblical verse inscribed on his bat
B. Home run trot – index fingers pointing to the sky
C. Stat: This fall TV season, 23/25 most watched shows – NFL
III. Tim Tebow phenomena – WSJ page
A. Last year Heisman Trophy winner – under eye glare protection – Biblical verses – show WSJ
B. Pro football – QB Denver Broncos
1. Has won 7/8 games
2. ¾ game = terrible – last Q, takes over, ie win over the Jets & using his fullback running ability
3. No more under eye glare protection verse – I guess not allowed in NFL, but Tebowing
a. Phase coined & made into a website by Jared Kleinstein, nice 24 yr old Jewish boy from NY, snapped a pic, posted it on the website he created & it went viral from there
b. Imagine a Rodin pose, head bowed, prayer to Jesus for help in scoring the touchdown
c. Now, little league kids are Tebowing
IV. Tebow & Yosef – Parashat Vayeshev
A. @ Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, this week’s NY Jewish Week, Tebow is a humbler Yosef
B. Both are chosen ones
1. Yosef – bring back to Promised Land
2. Tebow – Superbowl – the promised land of the NFL
C. Yosef’s assent:
1. Gen. 37:3 – Yakov loves Yosef best of all – multi-color coat –strutting
2. Dreams:
a. #1 – v. 5- 8: his sheaf of grain stands upright, brothers’ sheaves bow down (Tebow pose?)
b. #2 – v. 9 – 10: sun, moon & stars bow to Yosef – Yakov berates him – he needs to cool it
3. Not until much later, in response to Pharoah, then he credits his dream interpretation to God – it took being thrown into multiple pits to be humbled
D. Tebow
1. Already cautioned by former NFL QB great Kurt Warner to tone down his evangelical actions
2. Every NFL defense is looking to throw him into a pit, running QB’s in the NFL tend to have short careers

V. Good v. Sons of Darkness
A. This Sunday, Broncos play the New England Patriots – already being touted as a battle of good vs. evil – good v. sons of darkness
B. Tebow vs Tom Brady, the well coifed Hollywood QB (anything Hollywood =’s decademt)
C. Tebow vs Belichick – coach of Pats, the hoodie-clad diabolical coach, once fined for secretly video-tapping opponents practice – sinners must be punnished
D. Tebow vs. Bob Kraft – the Jewish owner – thru Tebow he will see the light
VI. Significance – fuel for the Christian right & Right to Lifers, his mother refused against medical advice to have an abortion, the outcome – Tebow – Tebow the new poster boy – could he take them all the way to & win the SuperBowl – post game commercial: Tim Tebow, now that you have won the SuperBowl what are you going to do? Answer, wont’ be going to Disneyland, but, I’m going to church to pray to Jesus for winning the SuperBowl for us.