The Big Game

With Super Bowl Sunday fast approaching, I am reminded of the ‘The Big Game’ story. I have heard it so many times that I have no idea when, or from whom, I first heard it preached. In case you might not have heard the story, or you’re just a bit forgetful (like me), you needn’t worry… I’ll retell it:

The football fan was so excited! His team had made it through the play-offs, and was going to play in the Super Bowl. The trouble was, his boss at the store where he worked had already set the schedule for the month, and he was going to have to cover at the store the day of the big game. He was initially very upset, and tried to get his boss to let him take the day as a vacation day. His boss explained that everybody wanted to watch the big game, and since he had the least seniority, he’d be working that day. Although sympathetic to his team fervor, his boss made it clear that his job depended on him showing up for work; no excuses.

Rather than curse his situation, he decided to record the game, and play it back later… after he’d gotten off work. To make it more fun, he invited everyone he knew who had to work during the big game to a belated Super Bowl party. They could celebrate together with food and drink, watch the recorded game, and still have a good time. In fact, they all agreed to not listen to any news reports about the game, so they wouldn’t know anything about the game, and the whole thing would be just like watching in real-time.

For the last few hours at work, he managed to cut people off if they started talking about the Super Bowl game they had just watched. He’d politely explain the situation, and everybody seemed to understand. Virtually everybody told him he was really going to enjoy the game.

Finally, the work day was over, he could close up, lock up, and go home and start his exciting Super Bowl party. But just as he was getting close to his car, he overheard a shouted exchange in the parking lot: He heard how, in a miraculous play, his team had come from behind to win in the last-seconds of the game!

All the rest of his friends attending his Super Bowl party had managed to remain ignorant of the game’s final outcome, and not wanting to spoil any of their fun, he didn’t reveal that he’d accidentally heard what the final result of the contest would be. It was supposed to be a close game, and the excitement of those watching was high. By halftime, that excitement had waned somewhat for those rooting for his team, as they were down by more than 20 points.

Knowing the final result, he encouraged his fellow fans with: “It’s not over, yet. Don’t give up hope!”

But the third quarter was even worse. Their team was getting hammered on the field; it looked like it was going to be a humiliating loss. Some of his friends, seeing many of the fans in the stadium leaving at the start of the fourth quarter, were of the opinion that they had the right idea. He kept his friends from leaving, and again exhorted them with: “It’s not over, yet. Have some faith!”

And then, impossibly, their team rallied. They made play after play; running, passing, and moving the ball for touchdown after touchdown. With only 2 minutes left on the clock, their team got possession of the ball on their own 10-yard line, and though they trailed by 2 points, a touchdown would win the game for them. But the other team’s defense hit back with everything they had, and managed to stop them in the middle of the field. At fourth down and 15 yards, it seemed like the end with only 3 seconds left to play.

As his team lined up for what seemed to be a futile field goal attempt, everybody groaned. By the time the ball was snapped and teed, the kicker would have to kick it more than 52 yards to make a field goal. Our guy was the only one who believed they could score, and he got everyone to their feet, shouting: “They can do it… they can make the kick… they can score… they can win this!” And, of course, they did.

Afterward, all his friends marveled at how he had never lost hope, how he had never lost faith, and how his encouragement had kept them all from giving up. He finally admitted to all of them that he had been told the final result, so it was easy for him to remain calm and never lose hope.

As Christians, we too, know the final result. It doesn’t matter how many times we get blitzed by Satan or the world. So what if we just got sacked and had the wind knocked out of us? That lineup coming up against us may be fierce and unrelenting, but in the end, they are destined to lose. All the fear and worry won’t change the final outcome.

Sin and death have been beaten, but Satan tries to convince us otherwise; that the contest is still being played out. We already know how Jesus, sacrificing himself, literally takes the hit for the entire team… giving us the final victory. So encourage one another. Lift each other up. Stay in the game right down to the final second… don’t you dare give up!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Anger and Forgiveness; Unkindness and Kindness

Some of the most thoughtful and Spirit led comments to this blog are posted by Monica. Monica is not a partner in ministry here at Messiah Lutheran Church, but she is a faithful sister in Christ, and has been a good friend of mine for many years. Though there are only a few people bold enough (or technically savvy enough, perhaps; LOL) to place themselves on the ‘followers’ list of this blog, I know that there are many people that read the blog; some more often than others. Of all of the readers, Monica is perhaps the most faithful at reading the blog posts every week… certainly, she is the most prolific at offering comments. She is actually fulfilling the mission of this blog: to be alive in God’s Spirit through the sharing of thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and… to extend our Christian fellowship at Messiah into the internet, to be accessible to all.

Last week’s post generated a wonderful response from Monica. After thinking about it a bit more, Monica sent me an email that expanded brilliantly on that same subject. With her kind permission, I now share it with you:

Anger and Forgiveness; Unkindness and Kindness

By Monica Martin

These past several months I have been working hard on forgiveness. It has been difficult for me to accept forgiveness myself and not keep 'beating myself up' over things that happened in the past. However, greater understanding that the Lord really loves me has helped in that regard.

So now, regarding other people...

I was glad to be 2,100 miles away from my nemesis relative, who verbally and sometimes physically delighted in fighting and debasing me. Locally, this past year has been very difficult with a few certain people undermining my term as President of an organization, and trying to remove people and other things which were specifically not their responsibility; going behind my back. Also, board meetings often turned into very unpleasant times. I believe in the cause of the national organization but the local problems were draining me completely emotionally.

So besides praying, I went to my pastor. He told me two things:

1. We are commanded to forgive;
2. It's not for them but for us.

Of course there is a benefit for them, but sometimes they don't even realize it because they are so busy attacking (sort of reminiscent of sixth grade, or junior high school girls).

Another pastor once told me that forgiveness is making no consequences for the person's having done something to me. No retribution. I had accomplished that much; I can be polite, I can greet people when I cannot avoid them and then do as little as possible with them. I thought I had it covered...

But no! As I was double-checking my own paperwork with the organization, I found yet another betrayal. I was angrier than I had been in DECADES. I cannot live like this!

I tend to sing often to turn my thoughts to the Lord. Being so very angry, and not able to control it, I turned to singing. One of the songs our vocal ensemble has been working on is one of my very favorite hymns, “Be Thou My Vision.” So that is what I found myself singing. I was stunned when I realized that if all else was to be nothing except that God Is, then all of the machinations, pettiness, and meanness was nothing to me.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

The problem here so far is that I was trying to 'behave' and act right on my own. We 'ought' to forgive, 70 times 7 (which is to say, without end). But having a rule/law doesn't always help. That wasn't enough. I wasn't really thinking that this was all nothing, but rather looking to my own hurt self. But turning to the Lord, realizing that He was my joy, He forgave me, and it freed me so very much to forgive them. That was really a great day of rejoicing.

But not so fast... turns out that being among them still chafes.

At one of the meetings someone asked me why I looked so unhappy (I wasn't happy). Then she asked me why not? She's also a Christian and aware that God is our joy and not the things we do or the people we are among. So I still had some work to do.

Then recently the other pastor spoke about what he will be doing in the New Year. I missed a lot of what he said because one point stuck in my brain and heart as something that I must do:

Be kind to the unkind.

That, by the grace of God, will effect forgiveness for them, and in me. I cannot do this myself, so I sing and pray, and pray and sing:

With God dwelling in me, with Jesus standing beside me,
“Thou my great Father, I thy true son;”
If my heart is really set on you God, and I walk in the love of Jesus,
Then your Spirit will give me the grace to forgive.

Post script: Monica is a professional photographer; one of the top photographers in Alabama. I asked her to pick a picture that best reflected the blog entry topic. I wanted her to choose something related to the topic, but with meaning to HER heart. Since I offered to credit her work, I thought she’d send me one of her photographs. Instead, Monica sent me a picture taken by her good friend Jim Solomon who took the photo at the 40th anniversary party that commemorated Monica and Diehl’s First Date March 11, 2007. She lovingly remembers the kindness and loving heart of her husband:

Diehl was always kind to me when I was angry; the rule from before we married was that I couldn't throw anything except paper napkins and pillows. So if I was frustrated and threw down a paper napkin, he would pick it up, present it to me with both hands, and say, "Pretty Lady is this yours?" with a loving smile; which, of course, made me smile or laugh.

Your brother in Christ, Dave

Do Not Judge

Jesus teaches us not to judge one another in Matthew 7:1 when he says:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

My friend in Texas, Pastor Pat, sent me the following story. It’s one of those things that floats around the internet, but I liked the way it illustrates how many of us are so quick to judge… and how often it causes us to utter something hurtful.

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Never Judge Someone...

“Some people!” snorted a man standing behind me in the long line at the grocery store.

“You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line,” said a woman.

I looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw a well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine to accept her credit card. No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.

“It's one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like everyone else,” said the man standing behind me.

The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment.

“It was me,” he said, pointing to himself.

The young lady's face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove way.

After developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use food stamps; I had learned never to judge anyone without knowing the circumstances of their life. This turned out to be the case today.

Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away.

“Why would she do that?” asked the man. Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement. “I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry,” said the man.

“Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago. He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,” he said in a very firm voice.

“I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,” he replied, shaking both his hands about.

The young man asked, “Are these paid for?” pointing to the shopping cart full of groceries. “It wouldn't take her card,” the clerk told him.

“Do you know where she lives?” asked the man who had made the comment.

“Yes, she goes to our church.”

“Excuse me,” he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier, “Please use my card. PLEASE!” The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman's groceries.

“Hold on,” said the gentleman. He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included. “Come on people. We got three kids to help raise!” he told everyone in line.

Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts. “Go back and get two big turkeys,” yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man.

“NO,” yelled the man. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds. “Four turkeys,” yelled the man. Everyone began laughing and went back to work.

When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries. He then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man. “She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,” he told the man.

The young man looked at the check and said, “This is really very generous of you.”

“No,” said the man. “Her brother was the generous one.”

Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap. And I drove home that day feeling very American.

We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave!!

Remember our Troops of Yesterday and Today!!!

A great example of why we should be kind and patient. Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.
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Your brother in Christ,

Dave