Like many Chicagoans, I have Cubs Fever. I’m hoping this is the year they finally break through and win the World Series. After last night’s 9th inning comeback that eliminated the San Francisco Giants, I’m thinking these Cubbies could well be a team of destiny.
I had a similar feeling last Friday night. A buddy that I bike with is a Cubs season ticket holder. When his wife decided not to go to the opening game in the series against the Giants, he gave me a call. “I have a free ticket if you can make it,” Bob said. Of course, I jumped at his offer.
You may remember that game was a classic postseason pitcher’s duel. Cueto for the Giants and Lester for the Cubs were dealing. A shut out for both thru 7 ½ innings. Then, with one epic swing of the bat, Cub second basement Javier Baez launched a moonshot into the night that barely made it into the left field basket. Bedlam! We all went wild… we were all yelling and cheering, high-fiving and jumping up and down like giddy school kids! It was one of those magical moments in a tense, high stakes baseball game.
As the cheering was in full roar, I looked up. Floating down from the sky (my friend’s tickets are in the lower deck) were dollar bills! Some exuberant fan was tossing singles into the air from the upper deck, in celebration of Baez’s home run. No pennies from heaven, these were singles from the sky, so happy was this fan over Baez’s game winning smash.
Which got me thinking… in the exuberance of that moment, singles from the sky didn’t seem irresponsible or wasteful, but a perfectly appropriate expression of this fan’s (and the whole ballpark’s) collective joy.
It reminded me of something Gary Walter said in his sermon at our 75th Anniversary celebration. Given the remarkable love of our God and the incredible gift of salvation made possible thru God’s Son, Jesus Christ, there are those times when exceptional generosity in gratitude to God is the only appropriate response. Like singles from the sky, it may not be rational, but it is so right!
Let’s be mindful of that as we enter this season of thanksgiving with the opportunities we have to generously and tangibly express our gratitude to God for those blessings that are so much greater than a game winning home run.
And…. Let’s Go Cubs!
Pastor Greg