Game Over

My wife Julie is an official "Cheesehead!" Born and raised in the Dairy State of Wisconsin, Julie is a faithful, dedicated, rabid, passionate NFL Green Bay Packers fan. As a matter of fact, while we were in our embryonic stages of dating Julie accidentally cut her finger and she literally bled "Packer Green and Yellow!" (It was very cool to witness...)

On Sunday night the Green Bay Packers were playing one of their arch nemesis's, the San Francisco 49ers in a Wild Card Playoff Game. We settled in front of the fire and the flat screen TV to cheer on the Packers. In the midst of pizza, snacks, throwing the football to Faith and Joshua, taking the dog out and a host of other interruptions, we decided to take advantage of the DVR (Digital Video Recording) feature on the TV and enjoy the game at our own pace.

With less than two minutes left in the game the score was tied 20-20. San Francisco had the ball and was starting to move down the field. The tension in the house was palpable. We were rooting our hearts out for the Packers. All of a sudden the phone rang and the caller id notified us that it was my mom from Kentucky calling.

My daughter Faith politely and lovingly answered the phone to talk to "Grandma Judy." Faith listened intently as my mom spoke to her...

Then...then... Faith said, "Oh... no...we are still watching the game. The game isn't over yet here in our house."

Faith spoke the truth quite eloquently.
In our "DVR" world the game was not over.
In "real time" it was "GAME OVER" as the Packers had lost the game on a last second field goal.

Once I realized that mom had "blown" the ending of the game for us, I politely declined to talk to her. Maybe next week I will catch up with her. It took about an hour to scrape Julie off the couch with a spatula. She was so devastated by the premature defeat.

My iWitness...

Listen to this incredible bit of good news.

SPOILER ALERT!!! (I am about to tell you who wins the "Game of Life")

When Mary and Mary and the other Mary went to the tomb to offer their condolences to the stone covered tomb of Jesus, they were bewildered and blown away to see that the "Stone" had been rolled away and that the tomb was empty! The angel declared with a hearty laugh, "He's not dead! He's risen! Game Over!"

Jesus wins on a last second field goal, kicking the stone of death aside and raising His arms up in the air to say, "I'm alive! I win! Game over!"

Here's the hard part.
We live in a "DVR" world.
The game is still going on some 2000 years later.
We still get tacked.
We still get knocked down and thrown out of bounds.
We still get thrown for a loss here and there.
We still run for three or four yards and get mobbed, only to get up and do it again.
We still fumble and stumble.
We still play the game with passion, fervor and intensity.

But...
the reality is that Jesus has won and the question over who wins has long been decided.
Jesus wins!
When Jesus wins, so do we!

Push "Play" on the remote of life.
Live out the rest of the game!
Embrace it!
Run with it!
Score!
Enjoy it!

We win!
Game over!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

ps - I did call my mom right back!! We had a hearty laugh about it!

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴ And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” ⁸ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (Matthew 28. 1-10)