Go Team!
It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30
There are certain moments in life that are not unique to anyone. They are banner moments that become the topic or catalyst in books, movies and plays. There are weddings, births, deaths, and the one that is often supposed to be hilarious, but may fall short depending on one’s own experience, the choosing of teams.
Just this morning I was reading a book in which a now middle-aged man recalled the pride of getting his football letter jacket. He talked about how he wore that banner to his athletic prowess every day, regardless of the temperature. He then noted how that paled in comparison to being part of God’s team. That gave me pause.
I was one of those skinny, not at all athletic kids. There wasn’t much in the line of physical education that was on my list of accepted activities. I was a booky kid not a runner, not a ball player, and not at all competitive. Isn’t the fun in playing the game? Oh no, grasshopper, the fun is in winning, not just winning either but in totally humiliating the other group, even if they are your dear friends. Suffice to say, I didn’t get it. The rules of the games evaded me and frankly I didn’t care. Do you think I was one of the first ones chosen for a team? Not hardly! The grace of God was present in my life even then. I wasn’t embarrassed to be called if not last, then pretty darn close to last. I had no illusions of athletic grandeur. There is no letter jacket in my closet or whatever the female equivalent was in the 70’s. There is however a book with my name in it and that is of the utmost importance to me.
Each one of us has the opportunity to be saved by grace. We all have an equal shot at the true prize. There is no physical or intellectual requirement either. What I have in lieu of a letter jacket is a few pins for speech and debate. It doesn’t matter. I can debate all day long. I can present to you in fine dramatic form, any monologue you chose. Those things will not swing open the gates of heaven any faster than a winning touchdown. There is no requirement to receive the precious gift of salvation except acceptance. All we have to do is to ask and we are on God’s team.
Remember those teams in school? The “everybody gets to play” teams? Those were meant for kids like me who might otherwise not be chosen. Oh gee thanks! Didn’t anybody get that not everybody wants to play?
Sadly, not everybody wants to be on God’s team either. The good news for those of us who do is that we already are. The gates of heaven will not swing open based on our abilities or talents, but the arms of Jesus are wide open simply because of his love.
No letter jacket, no trophy, no pin, no shirt, no shoes, (pardon the awful grammar) no nothing, can get us into relationship with Jesus. Only love, his love for us and ours in return. We are all chosen for the best team ever, if we want to play.
There are certain moments in life that are not unique to anyone. They are banner moments that become the topic or catalyst in books, movies and plays. There are weddings, births, deaths, and the one that is often supposed to be hilarious, but may fall short depending on one’s own experience, the choosing of teams.
Just this morning I was reading a book in which a now middle-aged man recalled the pride of getting his football letter jacket. He talked about how he wore that banner to his athletic prowess every day, regardless of the temperature. He then noted how that paled in comparison to being part of God’s team. That gave me pause.
I was one of those skinny, not at all athletic kids. There wasn’t much in the line of physical education that was on my list of accepted activities. I was a booky kid not a runner, not a ball player, and not at all competitive. Isn’t the fun in playing the game? Oh no, grasshopper, the fun is in winning, not just winning either but in totally humiliating the other group, even if they are your dear friends. Suffice to say, I didn’t get it. The rules of the games evaded me and frankly I didn’t care. Do you think I was one of the first ones chosen for a team? Not hardly! The grace of God was present in my life even then. I wasn’t embarrassed to be called if not last, then pretty darn close to last. I had no illusions of athletic grandeur. There is no letter jacket in my closet or whatever the female equivalent was in the 70’s. There is however a book with my name in it and that is of the utmost importance to me.
Each one of us has the opportunity to be saved by grace. We all have an equal shot at the true prize. There is no physical or intellectual requirement either. What I have in lieu of a letter jacket is a few pins for speech and debate. It doesn’t matter. I can debate all day long. I can present to you in fine dramatic form, any monologue you chose. Those things will not swing open the gates of heaven any faster than a winning touchdown. There is no requirement to receive the precious gift of salvation except acceptance. All we have to do is to ask and we are on God’s team.
Remember those teams in school? The “everybody gets to play” teams? Those were meant for kids like me who might otherwise not be chosen. Oh gee thanks! Didn’t anybody get that not everybody wants to play?
Sadly, not everybody wants to be on God’s team either. The good news for those of us who do is that we already are. The gates of heaven will not swing open based on our abilities or talents, but the arms of Jesus are wide open simply because of his love.
No letter jacket, no trophy, no pin, no shirt, no shoes, (pardon the awful grammar) no nothing, can get us into relationship with Jesus. Only love, his love for us and ours in return. We are all chosen for the best team ever, if we want to play.
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