New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr, Demario Davis Pack Theater for Worship Night
By Movieguide® Contributor
Last Tuesday, all 2,243 seats in the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans were filled for a “Night of Worship,” hosted by New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Demario Davis.
“Our relationship has grown so much, because at first it was just (admiration) from afar, not being teammates,” Carr said of Davis. “The one thing that has bonded us from the beginning was our faith. We’ve seen this faith unite us and people on the team and we said, ‘You know what? Why not do this for our city?’ And so, that’s the ‘why.'”
The goal of the evening was to help those in attendance leave with their hearts on fire for the Lord.
“This is giving our city a chance to see who we are and come together and give God the praise,” Carr said. “It’s inviting everyone to a space where we can talk about Jesus and see what happens.”
Fifteen-time Grammy award winner CeCe Winans and Grammy-nominated artist Tauren Wells led worship, while Davis and Carr spoke.
“Are we trying to be as close to the world that is acceptable, or as close to God as possible?” Carr asked in his message. “Are we getting as close to the culture as we can get without looking like it but we’re close enough to where we fit in, or are we trying to get as close as humanly possible to God? Only you can answer that question for yourself. Only I can answer that question for myself.”
“I think that there’s something happening here tonight that’s going to change generations,” Carr added later on. “God’s plan for New Orleans is sitting in these seats. If His plan for New Orleans was for somebody else, you wouldn’t live here. God did something in my life. He radically transformed and changed my life and I can’t help but tell people about Jesus.”
Davis emphasized that the worship event was for anyone, whether they had a strong faith or had never heard the Gospel before.
“Some of us came in, our faith was full and all we wanted to do was give all of our praise to the Lord,” he said. “Some of us came in and our faith was strong, but we needed something to pick us up because we were going through hard times. Some of us came in with an understanding of who Jesus is or had heard about Him, but don’t know Him for ourselves, but we’ve gotten a chance to know Him tonight.
“And some of us are in that place that all of us will experience through life, to where our faith has been shaken,” he added.
“And we believe that God can answer, but we just don’t see how it’s possible. But we just sang about the King of Kings, and you’re here in this moment because there is a way. The Bible says, ‘We walk by faith, and not by sight,’ so you don’t have to see the way out, but He’ll answer.”
Wells shared a snippet of the event on his Instagram.
“We had the honor of partnering with @derekcarrqb and @demariodavis to worship with, pray over, and speak life to the city of New Orleans yesterday and it was 🔥🔥!!” he wrote. “The Saints could hang a Super Bowl banner in their city next year but we put up the banner of the name of Jesus last night!! We’re believing that people would take back their joy, victory, and peace through the power of Jesus Christ!”
Movieguide® previously reported on Davis’ faith:
New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis truly means it when he says “thank you” to God.
“I would just start by saying, I thank God,” Davis said in a video clip. “I always hear, you know, when someone wins an award, you know, they say thank you to God, but I always wish they spent more time on that part. And I want to do that because I’m so grateful to him.”
“Ephesians 2:5 tells us that God made us alive in Christ even though we’re dead in our transgressions,” he continued. “For me, when I look back on my life, I was dead in my transgressions. A kid who was expelled from high school, a kid who went to jail his freshman year in college.”
Davis’s path took a turn when his team chaplain took an interest in him.
“I was headed down the wrong path fast, but God took a man, a team chaplain, to disciple me into a relationship with Him,” he said. “And He saved me from myself, and He gave me a life, and He also gave me a purpose. And so or that, I am forever indebted to God, and I will always live on mission for Him.”
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