Good morning, I'm
the Rev Steve Page from St Patrick's Anglican Church, and you're
listening to the Daily Devotional moment, sponsored by the Hudson Bay
Ministerial.
This month, our
images of Christian faith and spirituality come from the wonderful
world of Sports. This is my final devotional, I hope you have enjoyed
them and found them spiritually helpful.
With the Super
Bowl coming this weekend, let's end with a football lesson. Let's go
back to Super Bowl 22, between the Washington Redskins and the Denver
Broncos in January 1988.
One of the biggest
story-lines heading into that game was that Washington's Doug
Williams would be the first-ever African-American quarterback to
start a Super Bowl. He entered the league a decade earlier, as a
highly-touted 1st-round draft pick. But a somewhat disappointing
career landed him the role of the backup quarterback for the
Redskins.
But Washington
head coach Joe Gibbs chose his backup quarterback as the starter for
the Super Bowl. It was not a total surprise, as Williams had been
playing better than starting QB Jay Schroeder over the last few
games. A bigger surprise was Gibbs choosing rookie running back Timmy
Smith for his 1st-ever NFL start in the Super Bowl.
The first quarter
was all Denver, as the Broncos opened up a 10-0 lead. But Washington
came storming back in the 2nd quarter. In fact, they
scored a Super Bowl record 35 points with 5 touchdowns in the 2nd
quarter.
It started with a
bang, on an 80-yard catch and run by Ricky Sanders. A few minutes
later, Gary Clark made a diving catch in the end zone for a 27 yard
TD. Their next drive took only two plays, capped by rookie Timmy
Smith's 58-yard touchdown run. Another long touchdown reception by
Ricky Sanders, this time 50 yards, made the score 28-10 Washington.
But they still were not done. A 43-yard run by Timmy Smith set up an
8-yard touchdown toss from Williams to Clint Didier. They went into
the half-time break with an insurmountable 35-10 lead, en route to a
42-10 victory.
Along the way they
set a pack of Super Bowl records, like most total yards and most
points in a quarter. Some of the records have been broken since 1988,
but one that still stands is rookie Timmy Smith's record for most
rushing yards in a Super Bowl. He finished his first-ever NFL start
with an amazing 204 yards on the ground. And Doug Williams was named
the game's MVP.
Coach Gibbs chose
a couple unlikely starters in Williams, his backup quarterback, and
Smith, his rookie running back. They rose to the occasion in
spectacular fashion!
The Bible tells us
that God chooses us. We are chosen to be a part of his people. Saint
Peter writes, “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises
of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
(2:9)
God has chosen us,
and has a mission for us. A role to play in God's own mission in the
world, one that has been in the works since the beginning. “we are
God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph2:10)
You might think,
“Who, me? God chose me to help in his mission in the world?”
Sometimes the choice is obvious, someone who has just the right set
of skills. But God delights in choosing and preparing surprising
people for key roles. Think of the Bible stories of David or the
Disciples. David was the youngest son, there were at least 7 older
boys in Jesse's family in the little village of Bethlehem. But David
was God's choice to become King, and what a king David became!
(1Sam16)
Or the disciples.
Many of them were fishermen and labourers. They are described as
“unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13), but God chose them for
the job of launching the church after the death, resurrection and
ascension of Jesus.
You are chosen by
God, for a special relationship with him, and for a special purpose.
No matter if you are a backup or a rookie. Are you up for it?
Thanks for joining
me over the past month. For St Patrick's Church, I'm Steve Page.
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