Game 6 of the World Series last night was one for the books. Not only did it display brilliant pitching and hitting from the Nationals, it set a World Series record for 6 away-game wins. With the news of Max Scherzer unable to pitch Game 5 but slated for tonight’s game, the drama could not be higher.
Drama is, of course, what draws us most to sports. Sports may be the last frontier of unspoilable drama. With the ubiquity of smartphone cameras and spoiler websites, most movies and TV shows have to go to extraordinary lengths to keep their plot twists under wraps. Not so with sports. Barring any illegal “throwing” of a game (which may have happened in the infamous 1919 World Series), no one knows who will win any game. Entire industries exist around gathering statistics, making predictions, and commenting on the action in real time. But the thrill is in the unknown. It is where we remember that we are human, bound by time, uncertain about the future.
The World Series also reminds us that some of life’s unknowns matter more than others. I learned this in 1997 when my Cleveland Indians (it’s a long story) lost to the Florida Marlins in Game 7 after being two outs away from their first World Series championship since 1948. After a few days of very big feelings I started to evaluate how much mental and emotional investment I was making in this game played by people I didn’t know in places I rarely visited. I was too deep in a drama of only relative meaning.
As with any drama we dive into—a serialized TV show, a series of novels, a true crime podcast—the ultimate value of sports comes when our seasonal experience points us to the larger drama in which we find ourselves—life, death, love, loss. As followers of Jesus, we have a beautiful mixture of the known and the unknown. Our risen Lord has promised that he will return. He will wipe away every tear and make all things new. The truest story will end “happily ever after” for the people of God (Revelation 21-22).
At the same time, so much unknown remains before us. What will it be like to inhabit resurrection bodies? How will it feel to have purified affections for the Father, Son, and Spirit? What will a society look like where we look at one another with holy hearts and loving eyes—not to take but to share? What will we build? How will we worship? What will the joy taste like?
Perhaps the most sobering unknown about this eternal state is, “Who will be there with us?” When it comes to sports, we give fans of other teams a hard time and casually invite others to cheer for our team. When it comes to eternity, the stakes are infinitely higher. What we know is that this eternal life only comes through Jesus and we want everyone to find life in him.
As we look toward the future with all its knowns and unknowns, let us actively invite others into this ultimate drama, calling them to full trust in the Son of God who became human, showed us the power and love of God, died for guilty sinners, and rose again to eternal life. We may not know all that lies on the other side of death, but we can know the One who has been there and came back to lead us home one step of faith at a time.
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