Halftime (ADVENT-URE DAY 5)

We are near the completion of our first week of our Faith Radio Christmas Advent-ure, based on our 2025 Advent Guide, which is available free through our Ministry Magazine, displayed online at our newly redesigned website at FaithRadio.org.  You can subscribe to our Magazine online and receive it delivered to your home four times each year.  Our theme this year is "The Story For the Ages," and we're looking at the characters of the Christmas story and what we can learn.

No doubt the shepherds provided great example for us of people who received the message and acted upon it. As the Advent Guide states, the shepherds teach us that "We can respond to God’s message by seeking Jesus."  Following the angelic announcement we find in Luke 2, we can read these words:
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. ”
16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

We can be convinced that, because we know Jesus, He has provided us a better way to navigate this life.  We know His ways are higher than our own, and greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world.   We have been commissioned to show the world His love and to offer them a far superior alternative to what the world has to offer.

This seems to be something that is progressing in real time.  It actually has to do with the 2026 Super Bowl, to be played in Santa Clara, California.  A musical artist who is from Puerto Rico and currently does not play American venues because of his views on immigration policy has been selected to play the halftime show.  He will play that show and did an appearance on Saturday Night Live not long ago.

That's according to an article at the Outkick website, which noted: "Bad Bunny is known for wearing dresses and skirts during shows and photo shoots. His shows are known to include him kissing his male dancers. He is, well, not exactly family friendly."   It also quoted Bad Bunny on SNL saying after a performance in Spanish, "If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn."

Talk of an "alternative" halftime show has begun to percolate; that Outkick article said: "'It’s true, Turning Point USA is thrilled to announce The All American Halftime Show. Performers and event details coming soon,' the group, now led by Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk, announced on X."  The article, from October, related that at the time, "Turning Point has not announced a venue or what artist or artists will perform at its show. It's also unclear how the show will be available to the public – whether on some network or via alternative outlets such as YouTube, Rumble or other social media."

Then, Christian musical artists Cory Asbury and Forrest Frank entered the discussion, with Faithwire offering this in early November: "About a month ago, Asbury and fellow Christian singer-songwriter Forrest Frank teased the idea of a faith-based halftime show to take place at the same time as the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime program featuring Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican rapper known for his sexually explicit lyrics."  The article went on to report:

“In the spirit of unity, Forrest and I jumped on a call with their team,” Asbury said of TPUSA. “But, at the end of the day, the two visions [for an alternative halftime show] are just incompatible.”

Asbury went on to say he wants the show he’s potentially involved in to be explicitly Gospel-focused.

“We want this to be a Jesus moment,” he said. “We’re glorifying the name of Jesus, worshiping, praying. I almost see it like a Billy Graham crusade, a call to the altar — mass salvations across the nation.”

Well certainly Forrest indicated that, as his song title suggests, "Your Way's Better."  But, Movieguide reports that way may not be best.  Asbury posted on Facebook: "Hey friends – I want to update everyone and clear the air about the ‘alternative halftime show.’ What started as a dream to lift up the name of Jesus during one of the biggest moments of the year began to devolve into something else, something distracting. After much prayer, we’ve decided not to move forward with it in its current form. Not forever, just not now..."

He also said: "The dream was never about rivalry...It’s not us vs. Bad Bunny. It’s not us vs. Turning Point USA. It’s not about politics, parties, or proving a point. The heart was never competition, just worship,” adding, “We want whatever we do next to be pure and focused solely on Jesus, not on headlines, not on hype. We do believe there is something great to come in the spirit of what we’re dreaming up, but sense there is a different expression God has in mind.”

So far, nothing on the Turning Point All-American Halftime Show, even though there have been rumors of possible performers.  

But, the idea has merit.  In fact, television viewers in the River Region were treated to what was billed as the REAL Halftime Show, hosted by John Ed Mathison on Frazer Christian Television.   Certainly, John Ed and his guests were ahead of their time.  

The idea of Christians presenting an alternative message is nothing new - it's really baked in to the gospel - if we know Christ and have responded to His message, we know that His love now lives in our hearts, and it should motivate us to present His hope to the world. We have been called to illustrate the contrast with what the world has to offer.

The shepherds heard the message and desired to see for themselves what those angels were talking about.  Their response was to glorify and praise God.  As we seek God, we can allow His love and passion to rise up within our hearts, so that we can be bold witnesses who are, as Paul wrote in Romans 1, not ashamed of the gospel, encouraging those with whom we come in contact to consider Jesus.