“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is risen, just as he said.”
— Luke 24:5
A new high school football season is just around the corner. I love this time of year. Expectations are high on each campus and in every locker room. Right now, everybody is undefeated!
The last of the preseason polls are out, and the experts have ranked ordered the teams. (Have you bought your Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine yet?) Everyone knows who is supposed to win the early games, but they still line up and play. That is what makes each Friday night exciting. You never know until the game is played who will win. That uncertainty is what makes the games exciting. Each year, some teams knock off predicted champs for big wins.
While we seem to like that type of uncertainty when we are talking about ball games, we don’t like it much in the other arenas of our lives. We don’t like it at all. We are usually a bit skittish about the unknown. Christians have less to be nervous about, however, because we know the Good News.
Recently, a friend of mine shared a family story with me. He told me that he and his family had gone to his church to attend an Easter service. It was a musical drama about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He told me that, when it came time in the production for the crucifixion scene, he became a little concerned about his 5-year-old son who was sitting next to him. The dad put his arm around his young son and asked him, “Are you okay?” The boy leaned over to his dad and said, “Yes. Don’t be afraid, daddy. I know how this ends.” That seemed to make a big difference. The 5-year-old was not afraid. Why? He knew how the story would end.
I don’t know who will win the state football championships this year in Texas. That’s okay. It actually adds to the excitement of the games.
But some things are too important not to be sure of.
The Word tells us we can be sure of how our earthly story ends. As God’s people, we should live with confidence, because we know that our lives on this earth will end in victory. That victory is secure, because it has already been won for us on the cross and through an empty tomb. Because of that, our eternal futures are secure. Now that is a big win. We should celebrate that victory every day!