Download “In the World” for August 24, 2025, here.
A SACRIFICE TO CHEER
The lead-up to a new NFL is in full swing this month, and it’s not only players and fans who are getting ready for football. Most teams have a cheerleading squad, though their pay has historically been very low, with most professional cheerleaders working for below minimum wage. Though they are ambassadors for their teams and elite dancers and gymnasts, their compensation is notoriously bad. But the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders this year pushed for fairer pay and have succeeded in obtaining a 400% pay raise. “Dancers are athletes,” says Cowboys’ cheerleader Megan McElaney. “They have so much value.” Other cheerleading squads are watching the development closely, with many hoping it will set a new precedent for cheerleader compensation throughout the league.
A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE
The writer of Hebrews urges readers to offer to the Lord a kind of sacrifice with which he is always pleased: praise, proclamation of his name, the doing of good, and sharing with others. Instead of bringing animal sacrifices to the temple, the author wanted his readers to focus their worship on offerings of thanks, love, and kindness.
- What’s a job you might take even if the pay were poor? Why would you do so?
- Which NFL team (if any) will you cheer for this season?
- How can we offer “the fruit of our lips” to God as a pleasing sacrifice?
Additional Resources
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