We are the Champions

I don’t know how many of you are into football – I’m sorry if you’re not. I’m personally a Brighton and Hove albion fan, which isn’t the easiest thing to be, as they’re not the greatest team, but that’s by the by. What I want to talk to you about this morning is being a champion. 

I was scrolling through sports headlines recently and saw that Manchester City Football Club have a decent chance of winning what’s called “The Quadruple” – that means winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup (or Carabao Cup) and the Champions League all in the same season. They still have a long way to go, but it would be amazing if they managed to do it, because no other club in the history of football has ever done it! 

And their rise to the top, as with any football team winning a tournament, is pretty straight forward. They win a lot of matches, they might lose a few, but it’s never in doubt that they’re going to at least get close to winning. It’s never likely that they’re going to come last in the league! And I was thinking about the whole idea of being a champion, and how we all want to be champions – put it this way, it’s a lot more fun being a Manchester City fan right now than a Brighton fan! 

We all want to be champions, and when we’re a supporter of a football team, we become champions along with them. We don’t say “They won” we say “We won!” And the Bible tells us that that’s the way things are going for followers of Jesus. 

There’s a verse that says “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. And last week we remembered Easter, where it looked pretty bad for Jesus, as he was killed on a cross and publicly ridiculed. But when He rose again, He was victorious over death. And those who follow Jesus can join him in His victory. We can be champions along with him “We are more than conquerors” because He loves us. 

Now, as much as it seems great to be a Manchester City fan, I think being a Christian, being with Jesus, and joining in His victory is even greater. I’ll leave you with a song about champions that re-entered the charts during a football world cup in 1998. 

Followed by “We are the Champions” by Queen

Matt Gurtler 9/4/21

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