Have you ever heard of Rollen Stewart? It is not a very familiar name, although I think many of you have probably seen him before. He is also known as Rainbow man. Back in the 80’s Rollen donned a rainbow wig and started showing up at major sporting events. He first showed up in 1977 at the NBA Finals, where he stood out because of his crazy wig and his even crazier dancing. Then in 1980 after becoming a professing Christian he made up a sign that said John 3:16 and he began bringing that with him to sporting events.
Throughout the 80’s he traveled all over the place with that wig and that sign, including the Olympics, the World Cup, the NFL playoffs, The Indy 500, The Masters, and even the royal wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Dianna. He also brought along a little battery operated television to figure out where the best place was to get picked up by the video cameras. So he was frequently seen on TV. Sports producers became tired of his antics and tried to keep him off the air, even going so far as to threaten to fire cameramen who allowed Rollen to show up in their frame.
He became famous enough to be parodied on Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately, his personal life began to fall apart and he wound up in prison serving three life sentences. But many still remember his John 3:16 sign and his crazy rainbow wig. And maybe they were intrigued enough to pick up a Bible and find out what that reference was all about.
John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible. People who have never stepped foot in a church are even familiar with this verse, or at least the reference. And this verse will be the focus of our sermon this Sunday. I will be looking not only at John 3:16, but also at the passage surrounding it, helping us to delve a little deeper into what is being talked about. Join us at 9:30 this Sunday at 2510 Chaska Blvd., to find out more.