Cheering for the underdogs

The NFL playoffs are over and the Bengals and the Rams are headed to the Super Bowl this Sunday. Before each playoff contest, the pundits and announcers chose their favorite teams. Some fans may have changed the channel early during the games, sure their team or the opponent won. But the momentum changed. Playoff games were won during the last few seconds, and two went into overtime.

I was able to sit back and relax, sort of, as each game looked like a shoo-in for the home team. But that’s not the way, it turned out. Despite what the experts described, what the oddsmakers were predicting, and even what players on both sides were spouting, the underdog won. In the fourth game, the home team was the comeback kids, truly stealing victory from the jaws of defeat.

That led those “in the know” to speak of the winners in new ways. Teams garnered respect by the way they persevered, in spite of the odds and the uphill battle before them. 

I can’t help but feel like we are the new underdog. Christians active in our faith journeys, dedicated to missions and ministries making a difference, are often undervalued and underestimated. Sunday is no longer our day. Businesses are open, welcoming customers to walk through their aisles during what used to be our sacred time.

Wednesday night prayer meetings have been swapped for Parent-Teacher Conferences and intramural and Little League sporting events.  eBay, Etsy, Amazon, and Carvana are among the ways we can sell our things, replacing rummage sales. Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash invite us to create our own potlucks delivered to our homes, rather than gathering in a Fellowship Hall to share our recipes and relationship with one another and our Lord over a common meal.

You get the picture. The world is changing around us. A relationship with our Lord has become a difficult journey. There are some who deride us for believing in God and practicing our faith. We have been constrained from praying in schools or the workplace, as a way to begin or end our days. COVID has been used as the reason for some people to leave the church with no plans to ever return. We are constantly being told that there is no need for church or religion anymore. Most people have moved away or moved on. 

I recently heard a sermon from 2 Samuel 21: 15-20. The pastor spoke about the continuing war between the Israelites and the Philistines. Goliath wasn’t the only giant sent to defeat their foes. And yet, the Israelites prevailed. The pastor went on to say that in today’s world, we have our own giants to fight. One of them is keeping our faith in the midst of all that we are experiencing. 

Hear the Good News! God is with us!

The Lord’s light shines in us and through us as we continue to answer what God has asked of each of us. We have learned, or been reminded, that church is not defined by our buildings, but by the people who come to us troubled, weary, and overburdened. It is with us that they find healing, rest, and renewal.

We are still here, preparing the way of the Lord, one person, one prayer, one mission, and one ministry at a time. Our tasks are still before us. God’s plan of salvation has yet to be accomplished. Our road is not easy. Many have predicted that we’re going, others that we are already gone. But I invite and encourage us to keep the faith. God is making all things new, shaping us and the way we serve for what is and what is yet to come. 

And Amen.