Please allow me just a minute or two to celebrate last night's events.
My family is originally from New England, and both my father and his father have been Boston Red Sox fans since long before I was born. In some ways, I've gotten the easy end of the fandom; I've never seen the Sox lose a World Series. Before last week, I had never seen them lose a game in the World Series. (They always remind me of how easy I have it whenever these situations arise.) This year, with truly impressive performances from MVP David Ortiz and Jon Lester, as well as clutch performances from basically everyone on the team, the Red Sox won their third World Series title in 10 years. It's easy to say that they might have swept the series again if it hadn't been for a couple of miscues in games 2 and 3. Last night, the baseball season came to a close with Boston's no-doubt 6-1 victory over rookie pitcher Michael Wacha and the St. Louis Cardinals (the second time Boston has beaten St. Louis in the World Series since 2004).
It was great fun to watch last night, and it has been a joy to watch this team throughout the season. Whether it was watching their beards grow out or seeing their impressive 97 wins during the regular season (tied with the Cardinals for the best record of the year), this team certainly played well and enjoyed playing with each other. This story is even more heartwarming since they dedicated their season to helping morally rebuild their city after the tragic marathon bombing. "Boston Strong" has been a motto for this team, but also for the city. It seems very fitting that they should make it to the playoffs and win in such a fashion. This was also the first time the Red Sox have won the World Series in their home stadium since 1918.
I could go on like the rest of sports newscasting seems to, but I'd rather not. Because honestly, while last night was a fantastic game and I got to enjoy it with my family, it was just a game. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't mean that much. Oh, to the secular world and in Boston particularly, it means a lot...for now. Soon the excitement is going to wear off and we'll want our team to do it again just so we can revisit that fleeting feeling again. Yet despite this fact, I woke up this morning completely content, not because my favorite sports team had won, but because I am able to rest securely in the arms of my Savior.
Baseball does not ultimately matter. It may be a fun game, and it may bring people together (or pull them apart) in a way other things cannot, but it has no eternal significance. I have confidence that my standing is secure, regardless of how well the Red Sox play in a certain season. If I can find a way to share the Gospel with somebody because of baseball, I will gladly thank my Father in heaven for that. But in the end, all those hallowed baseball fields will burn up, or disappear in some other way.
This is usually the stance that the losing side takes. I remember seeing a bunch of my friends after the latest election say that God is sovereign regardless of the election results. But God is sovereign in the victories too, even something as seemingly meaningless as baseball. It's okay to have a little revelry when you win, but always remember from where that victory comes.