THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS AND THE CHURCH

I grew up in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City.  I graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School there in 1984.  I then went to college at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.  I've gone to several baseball games at Royals Stadium (Now called Kaufman Stadium in honor of the man who got the Royals started and built the stadium for so many to enjoy.)  With the Kansas City Royals so much a part of my childhood, looking up to and wanting to be like the 1985 World Series champions, I remember the thrill of their come-from-behind win over the St. Louis Cardinals (whom I also later grew to love).  I remember specific games.  I remember idolizing the players.  I remember playing with my friends and imagining we were those players as we played our summer-league baseball games.  It was a time filled with imagination, hope, and wonder.  And it was a time when our community - which crossed cultural and state lines.  The Kansas side owned the Royals as much as the Missouri side.  The Royals were "our team."  And they united us all.  Even as I sat in our student union in Emporia, Kansas watching the 1985 World Series, we all pulled together for the Royals!  And what a surprising win that was!

Now, sitting here in South Central Missouri, "saddened" that my "other" team, the St. Louis Cardinals were not playing the World Series, I ponder the reach of unity and celebration the World Series Champions of 2015 bring to the area.  My friends and family closer to Kansas City than I are using Facebook to announce their plans to take the day off to attend the victory parade.  School Districts are closing in KC to allow staff and students alike to celebrate.  That team, the Kansas City Royals, has won more than a World Series - they have won the hearts of people for miles around - as far as their fans are across the globe!  The thrill of seeing the underdogs (at least the underdogs from the media's perspective) win by coming from behind game after game after game is something that stuns, amazes, and delights the heart - even if you root for another team.  And it unites you with the community of Kansas City! 

I say all that because I sit here also pondering that the excitement over the our "Boys in blue" is a very fleeting thing.  In a few weeks, Spring Training will begin again, and a new season will begin, making the journey to the World Series a whole new race, with entirely new contenders in the post-season, uniting their communities.  With that in mind, why is it the church sees so few victories worthy of such amazing celebration?  Or have we simply forgotten the amazing victory of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Talk about a "come-from-behind" win!  I mean, He was dead!  He was buried!  His tomb was sealed!  And still He came back!  That should have us all attending a parade!  We should all be cheering, making and wearing apparel, and lighting up social media with our pride that our Lord has won the day!  Every enemy, every opposing team has lost, and Jesus is King!  We should take a day off and truly celebrate this win!  It's an eternal win.  And it will be repeated by everyone who will follow Jesus!   Shouldn't that make us all glow with wonder, excitement, and spark our imaginations?

And that's Just A Thought for today!