It was a cool October night in 2004. The Boston Red Sox of the infamous curse were falling yet again to their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. It was the ninth inning and they were down one run. With Mariano Rivera taking the hill that's as good as a Win. Normally. The Yankee fans could sense another trip to the World Series. It was the ninth inning of Game 4. Did I mention that the Yankees were up 3-0 in the series? Then it began to happen. Dave Roberts stole second. Bill Mueller singles to score Roberts. With the score tied up, the game headed to extra innings. David Ortiz finally ends it in the 12th Inning with a walk off Home Run. The Red Sox pushed back elimination by one game, or so the Yankee fans thought. The Red Sox went on to win game 5 in extra innings. They won Game 6 with the famous "Bloody Sock" of Curt Schilling. Finally, making history, they Boston Red Sox closed out the Yankees with a thumping in Game 7. It was Bean Town's turn to head to the World Series. They came from 3-0 in the series to win the next 4, count'em 4 games to finally defeat the dreaded Yankees for a chance to end the 86 year "Curse of the Bambino." Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they won the World Series.
The world was fixated on the two ballparks during October that year. People who weren't even fans of either team tuned in to watch History unfold. It was electric. For the sports fan, it has to listed among the top come from behind victories of all time. We like those kind of stories. We can relate to feeling defeated and counted out. We all hope for a chance to prove everyone wrong and come out victorious. Even though that's a great story and a phenomenal comeback, it has nothing on Friday to Sunday turn around that took place about 2,000 years ago. Jesus looked as if he had been defeated and Satan was sure he had won. On that Sunday, at the darkest hour, literally and figuratively, just before dawn, victory began to stir in the cold, lonely tomb. The world as we know it changed...forever.
The interesting thing is that it didn't end there. That was the beginning of the end for Death and Satan but just the beginning for God's people. The messengers of life and light. Jesus was soon going to give us the task of telling people about His new life and their shot at it too.
Then, a few years into the work of spreading the Gospel, a man was in prison. Not some common criminal. One of the leaders of this movement of Grace. He was in chains for telling people about the life in Jesus. To many, especially the enemies of the church, and even some of the followers of the way, it looked like Satan was winning. Christians were scattered and attacked for their faith. The leaders, like Paul, were arrested and beaten. Was all of this for nothing? Maybe, just maybe, as some were about to give in and walk away from it all, Paul added one little sentence in his letter to some believers. This is what he said, look closely, or you may miss it. "All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household." A short, almost uninteresting sentence. One that is easy to skip over. Yet it carries some valuable information. The Gospel had reached even into the house of Caesar! The very man who was commanding the persecution of Christians. The one who would not tolerate the praise of anyone above himself. The Good News had pierced the hearts of people who were right under the nose of the Emperor of Rome. Paul was saying, "If you think all is lost, just wait." You can almost see the gleam in his eye as he shared those words. You ain't seen nothing yet. Hang in there, the Gospel isn't done. It's going to go where Jesus has commanded. Everywhere!
So, if you feel defeated, just wait. Victory has been won. It may be the bottom of the 9th, but there's a comeback waiting. Jesus is victorious. So don't give up on your neighbors, your husband, your wife, or your kids. Jesus Wins! We Win!
Read Philipians 4:21-23
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