James 1:3

You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

“Pursue faith” Paul encourages Timothy; desire faith in your life. Faith is belief in what you cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). Oftentimes that faith can be tested when, in times of struggle, God may seem absent. As we work with the concept of faith this week, we highlight some of the greatest comebacks in the world of sports. These comebacks exhibited a “faith” in self or team when most people considered it ‘game over’. But as you will see, seemingly hopeless and really hopeless are not the same thing!

Tennis: Wimbledon semi-final June 30th, 1927 Talk about perseverance: Frenchman Henri Cochet comes back from two sets down and a 1-5 deficit in the third (one game from elimination!). Amazingly, Cochet would win the match, 2-6 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-3. Spectators were 'too spellbound to applaud' said the referee.

Lord, help me to persevere in tough times, and to be an encourager toward others also.  Amen.

We step into this week singing alleluia to You, Father, who gives us the gift of faith;

We sing alleluia to You, Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith;

We sing alleluia to You, Spirit, who enlightens our faith with deep truths of Scripture.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Luke 18:8

“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Who honestly believed this could happen? It never had before! Baseball’s 2004 AL Championship: The Red Sox trailed the NY Yankees 3 games to 0 (best of 7) – and were losing in the last inning of game 4. But a ninth inning rally and three amazing games later, Boston became the first baseball team ever to come back from 0-3 to win a 7-game series.

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Lord, don’t let my faith slip when I feel like I am losing, that things and situations and even people are against me. I know that you are for me and that is all that matters…

Amen.

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Eye on the prize: Olympics 1972: When runner Lasse Viren slips and falls near the halfway mark of the 10,000 meter final, his chance of victory seems to slip away as well. But Viren calmly gets to his feet, runs his way back into contention and eventually overtakes even the leader – not only winning the gold, but setting a world record in the process.

Luke 7:50

Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Football: NFL playoff game Jan 3rd, 1999. Trailing 35-3, back-up quarterback Frank Reich masterminds a Buffalo Bill’s comeback against Houston. Steve Christie's 32-yard overtime field goal seals a stunning victory for the Bills – with a back-up quarterback!! Whether anybody else believed, apparently Frank Reich did – and saved the game! Thought: Your faith in Jesus is powerful because of God’s faithfulness.

Luke 22:32

I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.

Ever heard of “willing” a team to victory? Basketball, December 11, 2004: Orlando Magic player Tracy McGrady scores 13 points in 35 seconds, erasing a 10-point lead in the final minute of a Rockets-Spurs game. Unparalleled achievement! Jesus “willed” for Peter’s victory – even prayed for it! While Peter failed that night, he won the battle by finding forgiveness, moving forward and honoring God with later obedience that was amazing – like Jesus had “willed” it into him. Who could you be praying for that could use a infusion of hope? Now pray for them and consider how else you might be of service to them along with praying.

Romans 1:12

...that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

Soccer: 1957, London: With host Charlton a man down and Huddersfield enjoying a 5-1 lead after 70 minutes, Charlton seemed dead and buried. Many fans left early and missed the final, frenetic 20 minutes. Those who stayed saw the home team score a final goal as time was expiring, winning 7-6 in spectacular comeback fashion.

The Apostle Paul wanted dearly to get to Rome and share some spiritual blessings, that both parties would end up encouraged. Think about how you can do the same for others in your world. How badly do you want to bless others as an instrument of God?

Plan to encourage others while attending worship at your chosen time!

Ephesians 2:8

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith.

Hardly a sport – and not at all a game, but still the greatest comeback in history: Jerusalem ~30 A.D. Jesus not only seemed dead and buried – he was dead and buried. His fans left heartbroken, and only a faithful few (not expecting him to win), came back to even see what happened in the end. What they found was an unexpected comeback victory and the celebration has not stopped since that moment of resurrection. With God, it ain’t over – even when the fat lady sings!