Tuesday, February 12, 2013

'Farmer': Lessons from the Super Bowl ad

The Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League, is watched by millions of sports fan around the globe. In fact, this year’s Super Bowl is the third most watched broadcast in history, with about 109 million viewers.

                                                    Video source: youtube.com

The Super Bowl is popular not only because it brings families and friends together; the sporting event is a hit because of the commercials. As much as the “Super Bowl Sunday” is about football, the ads that come in between plays are of almost equal importance.

Image source: petapixel.com

And one of the ads that made such a huge impact during Super Bowl XLVII was Ram Trucks’ Farmer commercial. Created by Chrysler to promote the Dodge Ram, the 2-minute ad showed still images that depict farm life, with the voice of celebrated Christian broadcaster Paul Harvey playing in the background.

Apart from the simplicity of the ad and the stirring narration of Harvey’s 1978 speech about American farmers, what made the Farmer one of the most memorable 2013 Super Bowl commercials is its verbal content, notes Jason Cummings, Chair for the Department of Leadership and Military Science in the U.K, in a post on Christian pastor Ron Edmonson’s blog. Cummings writes that “the farmer was extolled for his virtuous characteristics,” traits that “resonate with our souls, for deep down, we respect them, desire them, and want to be led by those who embody them.”

Image source: theblaze.com

The Farmer may be just a commercial for some people, but for others, it is a reminder that there is no big or small work in the eyes of God. What is important is what is in the worker’s heart.


Learn more about Mercy Church SLO’s mission and ministry at its official website.