Faith - Family

The World Series and the Gospel

The Chicago Cubs are World Series Champions. Wow!! The last time the Cubs even played in the World Series was 1945. My Dad went to one of the games. He was a WWII veteran, just home from the war.

World War II veteran

 

Some one gave him a ticket. He was cheering for the Detroit Tigers who eventually won the series.

I grew up a Tigers fan, but 38 years in Chicago has made me a casual Cubs fan. This 2016 team has been fun to watch.

Throughout the playoffs they have cheered their teammates along. When errors were made they picked each other up. So much fun to see them leaning over the railing in front of the dug out, jumping with joy for every run scored.

image courtesy of wikimedia commons
image courtesy of wikimedia commons

In this 7th game I watched Kyle Hendricks pitch with steady precision. When Joe Maddon took him out I thought it was the wrong decision. I wonder what the team thought? Lester and Ross came into the game. David Ross had trouble with a couple balls and Cleveland scored two runs.

But the team stayed focused on their goal of winning. Ross hit a homerun in the next inning. The passed ball was forgotten.

The game hit another valley when Chapman gave up two runs in the 8th inning. After nine innings the game was tied and a rain delay was called.

I sighed. How late was this game going to go? But something special was happening in the Cubs locker room. Jason Heyward gathered his teammates and made a speech. According to USA Today this was the heart of his speech:.

“He spoke up and said this is about your teammates,” David Ross said. “He just said, `We’re the best team in baseball for a reason. Continue to play our game, support one another. These are your brothers here, fight for your brothers, lift them up, continue to stay positive.  We’ve been  doing this all year so continue to be us.”

The Cubs scored two runs in the 10th inning and held Cleveland to one run. The Cubs won with a final score of 8 to 7.

This team has demonstrated qualities that we should take note of.

  1. The Cubs had a goal that they stayed focused on.

  2. The team encouraged each other and picked each other up in the tough moments

As believers and followers of Jesus we should be the same way. Our focus is the message of the gospel. The apostle Paul sets down this goal.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes Romans 1:16

We are also a team. We need each other as we focus on the message of the gospel.

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3

Sharing this post with Word of God Speak,  Christian Blogger,  Thankful Thursday and Thought Provoking Thursday

Carol is a follower of Jesus and a wife, mom & grandma. She worked for many years as a childbirth nurse and prenatal educator. She recently retired from clinical work. She has written articles for nursing journals and devotionals. Her novel, Aliisa's Letter, was published in 2010 and she is currently working on another project.

12 Comments on “The World Series and the Gospel

  1. How fun! I wrote about the Cubs all month long! So many great parallels between baseball and our Christian lives! Blessings from another Cubs fan!

  2. Wonderful post Carol. I had the pleasure of visiting Chicago 15 years ago with my mother. I was taking her to an awards banquet for my job. She went to visit Moody Bible Institute and I rode the train with some colleagues down to Wrigley field. What a beautiful ballpark. I believe the Cubs lost that day but it was a wonderful experience. I heard about the speech Heyward gave on ESPN. I love the parallel you draw to Christians and the need for us to support each other. That is one of the primary reasons I started my blog. To not only encourage and give hope but to lead people to Christ. Thank you for this relevant reminder for Christians. With the changes taking place in the world, may we band together and lift each other up as we remember we have victory in Jesus! I hope you have a fantastic weekend and may God bless you and yours.

    1. Thank-you for your comment, Horace. And now, after a tumultuous election, may we continue to encourage each other and pray for our nation. Blessings!

  3. Growing up in Atlanta where Harry Caray’s son Skip Caray announced for the Braves, we sort of felt like the Cubs were our second team. I love this story and you draw the parallel to the Christian life. So many great lessons we can learn from it. Thanks for sharing! Found you at Thought Provoking Thursday.

    1. Harry Caray would have loved this season & the World Series win. This team has renewed my enjoyment of baseball. Have a lovely weekend!

  4. This is super, Carol. I’m not a baseball fan, but hearing how this team stuck together is something else. No Christian should ever feel that sharing the Gospel is a competition. We are to be supportive of each other. Thanks for sharing this reminder with Thankful Thursdays.

  5. What a fine post and so perfectly timed for this celebratory day!! Telling me about the Cubs and the way they cared for one another all season and stayed focused makes the team even more special. Comparing them to us as Christians makes me ponder my relationships and my focus. Thank you for this. Much encouragement!
    On the Cubs side of things, my mother was born in Chicago in 1914. Her father was born to Italian immigrants in 1891, also in Chicago. Grampa was our first USA-born generation from that part of the family. Grampa was a bricklayer which he learned from his Italian father. Grampa also LOVED to play baseball and joined up with the Chicago City League, playing in Garfield city park each Sat. during season. Mama grew up loving the Cubs (and even the White Sox if she had to) and went to many a game on the streetcar with her dad and brother. Grampa taught the kids in the neighborhood how to play too. I am guessing that Grampa might have gone to the 1908 World Series. ?? But last night, I found myself thinking about the special people in my life and just how delighted they would have been with last night’s outcome of the 2016 series!! Mama came to live near me in her last 15 years. She never forgot her Cubs. She taught me to love them almost as much as we would watch WGN-TV when a Cubs game was one. We went to our AA local team games and she taught me what the word “enthusiastic” really meant! She would sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” all the way to Whataburger Field. Thanks for reading and letting me babble along!

    1. The Cubs stir up our memories, don’t they? I enjoyed reading about your family’s ties to Chicago & the Cubs. Have a good weekend!

  6. crazy exciting game! Loved reliving it in your blog. and yes there are many many lessons to be learned about living the Christian life through sports!

  7. Carol…So many lessons can be learned from the game of baseball. You share some real good ones here. The Cubs winning is truly amazing since they haven’t won in 108 years in which they won back to back (1907 & 1908). Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Visiting from Thought Provoking Thursday.

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