Last month I attended my first Sunday afternoon Cardinals’ game. Kind of goes with the territory of being a pastor—Sunday games are hard to come by. Yet this Sunday worked out well for me and there I was sitting in 99 degree weather watching the Cardinals play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Per my custom, I made sure I was in my seat at least ten minutes before the opening pitch. From my seat the first thing I noticed was the starting lineup. As I read the names off the jumbo-tron I failed to see Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, or Colby Rasmus. On top of that, aging veteran Jeff Suppan was the starting pitcher. I said to the guy next to me, “Are we trying to lose? Who made this starting lineup—LaRussa or Fredbird?” He just looked at me with a blank stare. Maybe he was a fan of Fredbird.
The game went as predicted for our superstar-exempt lineup. By the bottom of the 8th inning, we were down 4-0. Even worse, the Dodgers had turned the game over to their bullpen—of the most feared group of relievers in baseball. By this time about half the stadium had left the game for greener pastures. They didn’t want to see the Cards lose. Or maybe they were out of sunscreen. In any event, we scored two runs and all of a sudden it was 4-2. The crowd could sense the momentum shifting when all of a sudden the Dodgers sent Jonathan Broxton to the mound. Broxton is big and mean and throws a fastball near 100 mph. I don’t know where he’s from but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Texas. Broxton took care of the 8th inning, including retiring Albert Pujols, and for all practical purposes it looked like the game was over.
Then the miraculous happened. The Cardinals finally got the best of big mean Broxton in the bottom of the ninth. Down to their last out, a single by Alan Craig tied the score 4-4. As the crowd was still trying to figure where Alan Craig came from Matt Holliday ended the game with a base hit and gave the Cards a 5-4 victory. The half of Busch stadium that had hung around went crazy. With an improbable lineup on an improbable afternoon we had scraped out an improbable victory. I high-fived everyone around my seat and left the stadium with a huge smile. A couple of days later I told one of my y colleagues that “instead of preaching the gospel Sunday I’m just going to talk about the Cardinals’ game.” He shot back, “In this part of Missouri, do that and you’ll probably have more people in church.”
“Comeback” stories are often “feel good” stories. Whether the subject is an athlete, a musician, a politician, or some other public figure who has hit bottom, we always celebrate when they return the limelight. Why? I think comeback stories give us hope. Hope that no matter what the circumstances, the human spirit can always bounce back. Hope that we ourselves, if we find ourselves in a rough spot, can always turn it around and return to a more abundant life. When we watch the Cardinals pull out a victory against all odds we receive a glimpse of that hope.
When we are part of the body of Christ, however, we receive more than just a glimpse. Our hope of a personal comeback becomes a reality when we hear the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Do you find yourself in need of a personal comeback? Are you in a low point right now in your life? Join us for worship here at Trinity. Hear the words of Christ. Receive his body and blood. Join in prayer and fellowship with other believers. Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. In so doing you will find that God loves you, that God is your biggest fan, and that God is calling you out of the shadows and into a new life.
And that’s the comeback story of the year.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Zac
