"RSVP: Valuing The Victory"

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

1 Thes. 4:13-18

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

INTRODUCTION:

What do you think of when you hear the word "VICTORY?" Crowds cheering? Banners flying? Ticker tape parades? Trophies? Accolades and interviews? Gold medals? Pictures on the front of the Wheaties box?

I know we all think in terms of winning a game or a race. And sometimes we think of the conquest of an enemy. At times we even think of triumph against the odds. For Paul it was a little of all of these. Paul's letter deals with one of the greatest Victories of all, the Resurrection.

I. VICTORY:

I believe the greatest Victory of all comes from God through Christ Jesus, His son and has three parts:

First: there is the defeat of sin through the willing sacrifice of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, on the Cross.

Second: there is the defeat of death through Christ's bodily resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven.

Third: there is the presence of the risen Christ with us everyday through the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. These three things guide, allow and inspire us to live a life of Victory.

They help us value the victory and live victoriously for Christ.

II. VICTORIOUS LIVING:

A. How do you describe a victorious life? How do you describe what Valuing the Victory can mean in our daily lives and the lives of those around us? I'm not real that sure you can. But I do know that you know it when you see it.

B. Last summer on vacation, while visiting Mary's folks, we took a day trip to Witts Springs, Arkansas. My great great Grandfather settled there and is buried there. My great grandmother taught school there. So, when I saw Witts Springs in an article it caught my eye. The article by Larry Pillow from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette (2-7-99) caught my heart. He writes:

Like every graduating class in Arkansas, the 1997 graduating class of Witts Springs, Arkansas, had a valedictorian and a salutatorian. Unlike other graduating classes, the two top graduates were the only graduates. Witts Springs, population 100, produces few graduates. They also have a hard time producing athletes from a student body of 41 in grades 7-12. But they manage to produce athletes that take team play to a new level.
In a game with rival Leslie, Witts Springs trailed by over 30 points with just over two minutes to go. The fans began to chant, "Put in Scotty." "Scot-TEE !Scot-TEE! Scot-TEE!" Coach Nash obliged and inserted senior guard Scotty Harmon. Harmon has cerebral palsy.
Harmon received a pass, stood alone on the perimeter, and unguarded, flung the ball toward the goal. He missed. His teammates scrambled for the rebound and gave Scotty a second chance. He missed again, which started another fight for the ball. "The kids know when Scotty's in there, their game is over," Coach Nash said.

"They're doing it for him now. The atmosphere changes. If they're worn out, they'll break their necks to get that rebound. Our kids will go above everybody to get the ball to Scotty." On his fourth try, Harmon sunk a three pointer. Fans on both sides of the gym cheered wildly. The scoreboard said Leslie 89, Witts Springs 58, but everybody left a winner, especially Scotty's teammates. We may not be able to put into words what Valuing the Victory can mean in our daily lives and the lives of those around us, but we know it when we see it

C. In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school careers, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional Jewish schools. There are a few children who attend Chush for most of the week and go to a regular school on Sundays.
Shaya is one of those children. One Sunday afternoon, Shaya and his father came to the school as his classmates were playing baseball. The game was in progress and as Shaya and his father walked towards the ball field, Shaya said, "Do you think you could get me into the game?

"Shaya's father knew his son was not at all athletic, and that most boys wouldn't want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his son was allowed to play, it would give him a great sense of belonging.

Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked, "Do you think my Shaya could get into the game?" The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs and the game is already in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." Shaya's father was ecstatic. Shaya had a huge smile. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored again; and now with two outs and the bases loaded and the potential winning runs on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shaya was told to take a bat and try to get a hit. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible, Shaya didn't even know how to hold a bat properly, let alone hit with it. However, as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya could at least make contact. The first pitch came in and Shaya made a clumsy swing and missed.

One of Shaya's teammates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shaya. As the next pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have thrown it to first base with ease.
Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far and wide beyond the first baseman's reach. Everyone started yelling, "Shaya, run to first! Shaya, run to first!" Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second base who could tag out Shaya, who was still running.
But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head, as everyone yelled, "Shaya, run to second! Shaya, run to second." Shaya ran to second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran towards him, turned him toward third base and shouted, "Shaya, run to third!" As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shaya, run home! Shaya, run home!" Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, He'd just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
We may not be able to put into words what Valuing the Victory can mean in our daily lives and the lives of those around us, but we know it when we see it

In helping Shaya become victorious, those boys showed us what valuing the victory is all about.

CONCLUSION:

We show how much we value the victory in our daily lives. In how we treat people. In how we support the Church and the ministries that change lives. In the way we treat strangers and those different from us.

We have been given a life changing mission. We're called to let the Son of God shine through us so that others can see the Victorious life. A life of living resurrection. A life of love and grace. A life of hope based upon the promises of God in Christ.

Live the triumphant, victorious life of faith and hope. Let Christ touch you and change you. Let others see how much you value the victory of Christ in your life, through the way you live. And through the way you serve Christ.

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

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Bibliography

1. Larry Pillow from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette (2-7-99)

2. Emailed to me by a friend, adapted.

3.

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Other References Consulted