Superbowl 56 - Who did God Cheer For?

A few fun facts of Superbowl 56:

• 1.42 billion chicken wings were consumed

• One 30-second commercial went for $6.5 million

• Rams players earned $150,000; Bengals earned $75,000

• The coaches were only 36 & 38

• QB Joe Burrows is only 25 years old  

It was a fun game to watch and for those of us in Philadelphia, we couldn’t stop talking about our win in 2017-2018, Nick Foles beating Tom Brady, and how great the Philly Special play was.

I don’t know about you but if I don’t have any connection with the teams I always cheer for the underdogs. I believe that God always cheers on the underdogs. The Bible is full of underdog stories... Moses, a discarded child, was God’s choice to free His people in Israel. David, a shepherd boy, defeated the giant and became king. Even Jesus came not as a king or a warrior, but as a carpenter whose first moments on earth were spent in an animal’s feeding trough.

God loves us, the underdogs. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul quotes Jesus, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” God knows in advance that we are weak and He chooses us anyway. God knows we are sinful and He saves us anyway. When we were slaves to sin, Jesus sets us free and gives us His righteousness (Romans 6). Thankfully He doesn’t stop there but adopts us as sons and daughters.  

In ministry/missions we hunger for the weak to be saved, for the lost to be found and for the one hurting to be made whole. 2 Corinthians 5:18 says we have been reconciled to Jesus Christ and He gives us the ministry of reconciliation. This means wherever we are and whatever situation we are in, we need to be looking at ways to connect others with Jesus. I had a student this week share a story in tears about how two years ago he caused his family lots of damage through a really bad decision. Although it has gotten easier, I had to assure him that God’s grace is sufficient for him day after day and year after year. God loves him so much and has provided for him strength, grace, and power. His story is one of many where God cheers for us and takes us from Underdogs to More than Conquerors (Romans 8:37).  

Things you can be praying for and thanking God for in Philadelphia, Bucks, and Montgomery Counties:

1. Montgomery County Community College is finally back in person as of this week. Pray for our re-launch of “in-person” bible study and outreach activities.

2. Delaware Valley College just hired a new Women's soccer coach and he is a Christian. We are praying to start a bible study for the team.

3. Pray for the Delaware Valley Football team bible study, we meet every Monday.

4. Pray for Chestnut Hill College and the Men’s Lacrosse team. We share a study with the entire team every Friday and Bible study on Tuesdays.

5. Alternative Spring Break Trip: Pray as students from Del Val U and MCCC do some Disaster Relief Ministry in York, PA in March of this year.  
   

Click here for a great read on the Cooper Kupp Story!