Complete Victory

The University of Georgia won its third Football National Championship last night, totally destroying TCU 65-7 in a game that was a blowout from the beginning. I didn’t watch the game, but I did check an app on my phone to see the plays and score. The app has a win probability chart that gives the chance of victory at any particular point in the game. It was pegged at 99.9% for UGA from the middle of second quarter till the end.

While I have always been a University of South Carolina fan, my father and his family were all UGA fans. I can vividly remember my grandfather, father, and uncles watching the Bulldogs play on TV. Grown men were yelling, “Go Hershel!” or “Get’em!” In the American South, college football is like a religion. In fact, I fear many nominal Southern Christians are much more passionate and committed to their college team than their local church. A discussion of college football (really sports in general) as idolatry in America is probably needed, but that not my point today.

Let’s go back to the game last night. It was a blow out. In a sense it was sad and boring. The two semi-final college playoff games had been outstanding. They were battles that went down to the wire. I had hoped that at least TCU would make it a game, but it didn’t happen. UGA took control early and never let go.

A theological reflection on the game last night is that while UGA held a 99.9% probability of winning, the entire second half there was a chance TCU could come back. A few years ago another Georgia team, the Atlanta Falcons, held a commanding lead in the Super Bowl. Everyone thought it was over, but the New England Patriots came back and won.

As Christians, we need to understand that King Jesus has won the victory. It is not in doubt. It is not a probability of 99.9%, but 100%! The Christian life is not boring. There are challenges we face every day, but we need to face these challenges knowing that in the end, God has won the victory.

One of the most awkward Sundays of the year in South Carolina is the one after Clemson and South Carolina play each other. I often will say in the announcements, “Just remember in the big scheme of things, if they never play another game of football, would it really matter?” My point is that we have to keep it in perspective. The same needs to be done with the Lord’s victory. He has won! Never forget that as you go through this world and face trials. The Lord’s will is being done and His victory is assured.