Greeting Sisters and Brothers in Christ!
Based on my regular use of sports metaphors in my sermons, I think most of you know I am a sports fan. I have been as long as I can remember. I find the nature of competition to be interesting if not occasionally exhilarating. And it can often be a bit of an escape from the often chaotic nature of life. One of my favorite times of the sports calendar is March Madness, which is happening as I write this article.
March Madness, as it’s commonly known as, is the end of the season men’s (and women’s) college basketball tournament. I pay very little attention to regular season college basketball but when the 68 teams that participate in the tournament are selected my attention turns to the hardwood. It’s called March Madness because of its often chaotic nature and frenetic pace. Every year high ranking favorites lose to the underdog (or Cinderella) and there are always plenty of close games that come down to the wire. The unpredictable nature creates this sense of chaos or madness and it can be thrilling for sports fans like me.
What does this have to do with a newsletter article? It certainly isn’t because I love chaos in my life or in the church. I have a strong aversion to chaos. I like predictable and stable. This is why I love a routine even if it can be a bit ‘boring’. There’s enough crazy in the world that for the sake of my mental health I like to create an illusion of stability with my daily routine. I’m probably not alone in feeling that way.
But, the reality is life is unpredictable and we have very little control over the chaos that often impacts our lives. Accidents happen, illness is unavoidable and we live in a sinful world with sinners like us. Nothing contributes more to chaos than sin. And unlike watching a basketball tournament, I find the chaos to be less than thrilling. When chaos interrupts my sometimes boring life I find that my faith is the thing that helps the most.
I know it may sound cliché and predictable for a pastor to write such a thing, but remember, I haven’t always been a pastor. And we are no more immune or impervious to the trials of life than anyone else. Although because of my vocation I do have the advantage of being what I have called a ‘professional Christian.’ A significant part of my job is to do the things Jesus and the scriptures encourage us to do in order to make our faith more functional in our lives. Things like prayer, reading and studying scripture, serving others, praise and worship help develop a greater knowledge of God and a deeper relationship with Jesus. In doing so I’ve discovered that the more I know God and the closer I get to Jesus, the more I find that chaos has no place with God or my relationship with our Savior.
God is faithful and steadfast in all His ways. Without getting to theological what that means to me is I can always count on God to be who and what He is and has proven to be. He is the Rock in my life, the firm foundation, and the one thing I can always count on when all else fails. That doesn’t mean God is predictable, but God always acts in ways that are consistent with who God is. Easter is proof of that. Jesus said things that were literally unbelievable, yet were proven to be true. He made promises that were always kept and He always acted out of selfless love.
The joy of Easter is about so much more than the promise of eternal life. It is an invitation to a hope that is real on this side of heaven when the you know what hits the fan we have a counter to the chaos that most of us would like to avoid. When Jesus rose from the dead He defeated our greatest enemy and the source of chaos. Yes, for the sake of our eternal life, but also to help us deal with the crazy until life eternal begins. I find that to be much more satisfying and infinitely more exciting than March Madness. I am a voyeur for the chaos of March Madness but it has no impact on my life so I don’t need a Rock to steady the ship. But in life I can’t imagine living without the Rock who reminds me that there are no upsets or underdogs and I am the Cinderella story thanks to all that God has done for me.