Game Over

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
The other night, Bambi and I were channel hopping when we stumbled upon a gripping NCAA tournament game between Kansas State and Xavier. It was an epic match in which the lead kept passing back and forth. The basketball artistry, the oft-reversed flow of momentum, the earnestness etched on the young men’s faces--all of it made for an unforgettable contest.

Eventually, the game ended in a tie and went into overtime. By this point, I had gone to bed, but Bambi--our night owl--soldiered on. She stayed on the edge of her seat by the television, as everyone in the arena leaned forward with anticipation. The first overtime ended in a tie. Finally, the buzzer sounded at the end of double-overtime as the Kansas State Wildcats snatched the win from the anguished Musketeers.

Only later, did we discover that we were watching a rerun of the game! (Let’s just say once the Yellow Jackets got whipped by Ohio State, our NCAA tournament watching was mostly over.) Thus, the basketball game we watched on Monday night with such rapt attention was actually decided the Thursday before.

This Sunday, the church will sound her proclamation of Christ’s Easter triumph in words and music. We will gather to raise our confession, "He is risen!" and to sing our "Alleluias." With Christians throughout time and eternity, we will give thanks for the victory that changes everything.

Indeed, if the New Testament is to be believed, Christ’s victory over death is the Great Reversal. All that has gone so terribly wrong with the world--sin, evil, death--has been trounced by our Lord’s triumph over the grave. As 2 Timothy 2:9-10 sings, "(God’s) grace . . . has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

That’s a lot to claim, a lot to hope, a lot to count on, that Christ has "abolished death and brought life and immortality to light." But the great, glad cry of Easter is nothing less. Because "He is not here! He is risen!", the stranglehold of sin and death is broken.

To be sure, we remain creatures in process. Like the mythical centaur, half-man, half-beast, our new, resurrected self in Christ has not fully emerged from the person we used to be. And yes, those we have loved and lost, have passed beyond our sight and reach into God’s nearer Presence.

But the day is coming--by God’s great mercy and power, the day is coming--when at last faith will turn to sight and God will wipe all the tears from our eyes (Revelation 21:4).

Easter means we know how the game will end. And because of that, we can live with a Christlike courage and calm and good cheer that would not be possible apart from who Jesus was and what he did.