August 27, 2016–Devotions from Rio Olympics
Wrestling

“The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:22-28

When I was in my freshman year of high school, I tried out for the basketball team. Now, my high school, though very small, had a long and decorated basketball program – and a really tough basketball coach. Though I was not very good at basketball, I still tried out for the team. When the inevitable happened, and I did not make the team, I decided to join some friends on the wrestling team. I had never wrestled, had only ever watched professional wrestling on television, and so had no knowledge of what I was getting myself into. During my freshman year, I had one win and many, many loses, but I learned something very important – I learned how to lose.
In many of our recreational sports programs today, we take too much emphasis off winning and losing, in my humble opinion. In the era of “everybody gets a trophy” and “we do not keep score”, we have forgotten that there is a lot to be learned through losing. After all, once we hit the work force, we will not always “win”. We will not be hired after every interview, we will not win every negotiation, and we will not always have the last say in a meeting. In fact, we may lose more often than we will ever win in life. Losing can teach perseverance; losing can teach tenacity; and losing can teach us character. If I had never lost in my life, I would never have learned anything about how good it is to win.

Jacob persevered with his opponent, and in the end he received a blessing, even though he was injured in the process. Winning does not mean that we remain injury-free. But, even if we are nicked once in a while, and even if we lose most of the time, persevering to the end for the Christian means the reward of life eternal with G-d. Nice……

Pastor Dave

August 26, 2016–Devotions from Rio Olympics
Tennis

“As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’” John 9:1-11

Back and forth and back and forth, so goes the tennis ball when professionals are playing the game of tennis. I was listening to the radio the other day, and a man was talking about a book he had just written. The book describes his experience of growing up in another country and participating in the youth tennis development program in that country. He talked about spending three to six hours every day playing tennis. He talked about how many of the youth in these programs often burn out and drop out in their teens because tennis no longer is something they love – it becomes their job. But listening to his description of the tennis development programs in this and in other countries, it opened my eyes to the reality of how difficult it is to become a professional in any sport – even one that can seem so monotonous as tennis.

When you listen to the disciples ask their initial question to Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” – you can hear how common place it was for the people of the first century to believe that a disability was directly a result of someone’s sin. And then the sparring began — back and forth went the accusations, and the questions — between the man born blind, his family and the Pharisees. How difficult it was for the Pharisees and the others to imagine that Jesus might heal a man born blind. How is that possible? This man, steeped in sin, is healed, meaning also that he is forgiven: how can that be? It can only happen through Jesus, the one who understands our sin, but also understands the true nature of Grace. No one deserves Grace – but everyone is eligible for Grace – the only person who decides is Jesus. No matter what we do, no matter how much we argue, it is Jesus who decides – all we can do is accept the gracious nature of his Grace.

Pastor Dave