We’re more half-way through the NFL season. You’re either putting hopes on your favorite team for post-season playoffs—maybe even the Super Bowl. Or you’ve long given up on your favorite team because of their dismal playing and depressing win-loss record.
My own favorite is doing quite well-maybe will even play in the Big One. However, their Win-loss record has been blemished twice by teams at the bottom of the conference heap. What was the Lombardi quote: “On any given Sunday any team can beat any other team.” Even unsuspecting top scoring teams can be beaten by a non-contender.
Winners lose. It can happen in any field: athletics, business, entertainment, or politics. A person once at the top of his game encounters a set of circumstances and finds success easily replaced by humiliation and obscurity. The rich and famous are easily displaced by an indiscretion, a bad decision, a fickle turn of public opinion, a faltering economy or a badly conceived project.
I was reminded of this while sitting in church Sunday and thinking about the humble birth of God’s Son. All around were powerful soldiers of the magnificent Roman Empire, who forced circumstances that sent Mary and Joseph traveling the rugged terrain to Bethlehem for the birth of Messiah.
King Herod was the builder, creating magnificent monuments to himself, but who was so paranoid about any potential contender to his throne that he killed wives, brothers, and sons who might be a threat. So threatened was he about the prophesy of the King being born in Bethlehem, he commanded the slaughter of innocent baby boys in that village.
How the mighty have fallen! King Herod died an ignominious death and is remembered as the most cruel King in Jewish history. The magnificent Temple in Jerusalem built by Herod was destroyed stone by stone less than a generation after Christ died.
The mighty Roman Empire, Pax Romanas, later collapsed in its own weight.
I’ve been reading the book of Revelation this month. It’s interesting to read history’s final chapter during the Christmas season. Jesus, who became a poor human, a humble servant, dying an ignominious death might be considered by some a loser. But when Jesus came to earth, a great cosmic battle was taking place in the heavenly realms. Satan was doing his best to foil God’s plan to bring salvation to mankind. But Herod’s threats, Satan’s temptations, the Roman executive, even the tomb could not hold back God’s plan.
This Jesus survived the attacks, the temptation of sin, the penalty of death. He rose victorious over death. God has given Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
That’s what the Book of Revelation reveals. The next time God’s Son comes to earth, He comes not as a lamb, but as a lion. Not as a suffering servant, but as conquering King. The loser will be the winner. And previous winners will be the big losers. The persecuted and martyred will receive special awards.
Don’t be discouraged. Though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. He’s got a game plan for this planet. He’s waiting for the fullness of time to be complete to make all God’s losers eternal winners.
That’s what Christmas is all about.
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