HOPE...

Earlier today, Croatia beat Brazil in Penalty Kicks to advance to the final four of the world cup. Leigh-Ann and I were at the airport to come back to Kansas City during the game and we found a TV at a restaurant just down from our gate.

The game was a very exciting 0-0 after 90 minutes of regulation. During the overtime, Brazil scored first and then Croatia tied it up with only a few minutes to play. The game ended with Penalty Kicks and Croatia won.
I am pretty sure there were millions of people in airports, offices, and homes around the world watching the game.

As we watched, the crowd around the TVs grew from a few people to a few hundred. I’m sure many like myself and Leigh-Ann were just watching for fun, however, there were a few others who were clearly cheering for one team or another. The guy next to me was from Brazil and he was most certainly disappointed with the loss.

On Television, they zoomed in on the players from each team as they took their shots. I couldn’t help but think about how nervous they would be to potentially decide the World Cup for their country.

Can you imagine?

Many of the athletes were praying…and hoping their team would pull it out.

Sports are fun because they offer us hope.

But even the greatest teams take their fall from glory eventually…and hope follows close behind…unless you are fans of the Detroit Lions.

Since the beginning, humans have been empowered by hope. And to be honest, a sporting event will never offer the hope for which our souls long…it’s hard for me to even remember who won the World Cup four years ago.

Two thousand years ago, people were longing for hope…and they thought it would come from a Messiah with military strength. And then the Angel appeared…and Mary was pregnant…and the Shepherds were surprised and baby Jesus was born…

Hope fulfilled!

After centuries of waiting, Jesus came unexpectedly in every way. And this is good news for a lifetime.

This Sunday, Pastor Don will continue our sermon series on “Hope” from Malachi 3:1-4 where we learn God will send a messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah. We know this Messenger was John the Baptist and he offered the hope of the Messiah.

There is so much HOPE! I look forward to seeing you at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 9:15 am. Additionally, we are also publishing our sermons on Spotify.

See you soon,
Troy

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