Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment on CFMQ, sponsored by the
Hudson Bay Ministerial.
This month, I'm
drawing images of Christian faith and spirituality from the world of
Sports.
Let's go back to
the 1985-86 NHL season and playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens team that
year was a mix of rookies and veterans. With Bob Gainey as captain,
Larry Robinson anchoring
the defence, and Mario Tremblay contributing some serious minutes in
what would prove to be his final season, they had several players
from their dynasty team of the late 70s.
But the team mixed
in no less than 8 rookies, including rookie scoring leader Kjell
Dahlin, right winger Stephane Richer, and goalie Patrick Roy.
The result was a
strong team that finished 2nd in the Adams division to the
Quebec Nordiques. They might have finished 1st but had a
poor month of March, losing 9 of 11 games in one stretch.
Come the playoffs,
the Canadiens swept the Boston Bruins in the first round. The
Hartford Whalers pushed Montreal to a 7th and deciding
game, but Montreal advanced and then beat up on the New York Rangers
in the semis to advance to the Stanley Cup finals. There, they met
the Calgary Flames, who had dropped the defending champ Edmonton
Oilers in the quarter-finals.
Calgary had
home-ice advantage, and they took advantage and won the first game,
5-2. But Montreal took the next one in Calgary, a 3-2 overtime
thriller, then took games 3 and 4 back in Montreal. With a 3 games to
1 series lead, the Canadiens headed back to Calgary, where they won a
fourth game in a row, and claimed Montreal's league-leading 23rd
Stanley Cup. Maybe all those young rookie legs made the difference in
the long slog through the playoffs!
That year, the
Canadiens found a perfect blend of youth and experience. Their
veteran leaders kept things on an even keel, through a long
late-season slump, and when they dropped game 1 of the finals. They
could draw on their experience and wisdom. And their rookies had key
roles to play, too, especially Patrick Roy, who won the Conn Smythe
trophy as playoff MVP for his 15 and 5 won/lost record, and his 1.92
goals-against average.
Montreal had a
terrific mix of young and old, and of Canadian, American, and
European players. Just as they had great diversity on their
Cup-winning team, so, likewise does God want the Church to have a
wide diversity.
That was the idea
for God's people right from the start. Part of God's promise to Abram
back in Genesis 12 was:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will
curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
And this idea continues right to the end of the Bible. The last book,
Revelation, in chapter
5, says that Christ brought to God “persons from every tribe and
language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests to serve our God.”
The Church is to
be made up of people young and old, men and women, White and Cree,
English and French, and much more. And of course it is, around the
world. But this great unity, this gathering of all manner of people
should be reflected right here in our local churches. That's one
reason it makes me sad to see my generation largely absent from so
many churches. They are not only weakening their own spiritual
journey, but their absence also hurts those who remain.
When the Church is
only a group of grey-haired white people, if I may put it that way,
then we fall short of being the amazing force for good that God calls
us to be. The Body of Christ is missing a few important parts. We
need the mix of wisdom and experience on the one hand, and vigour and
daring creativity on the other. We need the perspective of people
from all backgrounds. Rich and poor, new immigrant and long-time
resident, youth and middle-aged and senior, outgoing and introvert.
There is an important place in God's Church for you. See you this
weekend?
For St Patrick's
Church, I'm Steve Page.
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