Monday, March 21, was glory day at East Chr. High School.  Only in its second year of operation, with its coach Cornier Bykerk, came its basketball team home from Michigan Hatfield house, with flying colors.  Before a crowd of 12,311 the students of a (Calvinistic?) school showed the world what Christians can do.  Mr. Bykerk is a graduate of Adams St. Prot. Ref. School, and what a pity that Adams did not participate at least a little in the honors bestowed on East Chr. High. Bykerk began his coaching career at Adams and under his leadership its athletes won several trophies.  But alas, instead of the Prot. Ref. School and its people, the Chr. Ref. School and its people appeared in the lime-light.  Imagine what an honor and glory we missed, first of all the key to the City presented by the Mayor of Grand Rapids, then all the praise and congratulations for 50 minutes bestowed by the honorable Senator Zaagman and Vander Laan, along with the esteemed representative Peter Kok.  Are we not enough sport minded to see that it is high time for us to have our own high school? In Adams Street we had a little sapling planted and now we see someone else pick its golden apples in front of our eyes.  In Adams and Hope we have our athletic teams, but they get nowhere.  Hope has to play in a borrowed gym. If we have our own high school then we can combine the best players into one team, and maybe pressure Bykerk to become Prot. Ref. again, and so keep our youth in our church, and although we cannot get aspirants for the ministry, we might be able to supply the world with Prot. Ref. outstanding male and female ball players.  Holding before our youth the glory of the publicity in the sport magazines and newspapers, besides all the worship of the thousands of sport fans, who will constantly utter their praises, there might emerge one out of our midst that gets a place in the Hall of Fame which means glory even after death.

But someone will say our future High School also intends to teach our covenant youth: “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than for a season the pleasure of sin; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the pleasures of Egypt.” For all I have seen in the past happen to young people of other churches, it must be either, or.  We must dump all the sports, which is nothing but idolatry, or we must throw our religion away, the two don’t mix.  It is lamentable that our young men will go all out for sports; but it is still more deplorable that our daughters are also absorbed by it.  Listen to what Dr. A. Kuiper Sr. had to say about this: “In yester-year was the sweetness of living enjoyed in the family circle and among friends, but now this is all turned around, what in the past was sweet is now bitter, to mention former way of life fills one with disgust, such a Cinderella, tame pigeon or house hen, no now we have a different sweet and in conclusion you see a young lady in boys apparel, kick a football in the air, longing for honor, what in times of better morals, in the eyes of everybody, be to her shame (als gij in uw huis zit, pg. 216).” Now if the champion of general grace is aroused to indignation by seeing girls and young women participate in sports, then what must be our attitude?  We who don’t believe in general, much less in common grace? What is our opinion of seeing boys, girls and even married women walk in shorts and bathing suits in public? I am glad the Rev. Schipper did not allow his daughter to belong to Adams St. basketball team.  But if all our parents would be like Rev. Schipper, what would our boys and girls do, besides going to school and church? Well, they could do the same things their parents used to do, take a long walk, go cycling or skating, read some good literature, play some musical instrument, go fishing or play ball with some friends.  By this I mean not as an organized team to compete with some other team, for then they begin to emulate the godless, seeking their own glory and the praises of men.  If we would only shun more the way of evil doers and instead of catering toward the new morality, we will not need a gym.  In our future High School, and the instruction of the class room will not be in conflict, but what is done after school hour.  Our boys and girls would then by their behavior show themselves to be pilgrims and strangers, realizing that they don’t battle against flesh and blood, but against evil powers in the air.  A battle which is not waged by a selected few, as is the case in sports, but in which every youth must participate, and being compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, by the grace of God may run with patience the race set before them, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith and at the end with the apostle Paul be able to say: “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up a crown of righteousness with the righteous judge shall give me in that day.” That indeed will be glory day, yea—glory everlasting.

 I thank you.