God's Choice

Former QB for the Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl MVP, Nick Foles got to play late in the 2017 regular season and go on to win it all thanks to an injury to starter Carson Wentz. After the surprising Super Bowl win, starter Wentz was ready to play during week 3 of the 2018 season and Foles was once again relegated to backup.

There was a lot of debate regarding Foles as the backup. Should the Super Bowl MVP really be relegated to backup? Long time, knowledgeable football fans, ex and current players and coaches all were adamant that their choice--Wentz or Foles--was the right and smarter one.

Many people were surprised that Foles took his relegation back to backup so well. In his 2018 book Believe It, Foles writes:

What they saw as a riches-to-rags sports story, I see as part of God’s divine plan. I’ve said all along that my desire is to play for God’s glory, not mine, and that’s exactly what I plan to do. My unique path from backup to Super Bowl MVP to backup again is a powerful message to share with people, and God has given me an ideal platform to do that from. To cheerfully return to a backup role after reaching the pinnacle of the sport contradicts everything the world tells us about success, fame, money and self-worth. To me, it’s a tangible reminder that we are called to humility and to a life of service….

Some people might think I deserve a better deal, but it’s not about what I deserve. It’s never been about that. The truth is, I’ve already been given far more than I deserve--a wonderful family; a job I love; grace and forgiveness; great friends, coaches and teammates. Everything I have is a gift from God, and I’m thankful for all of it. I am where I am now because of God’s grace, and I’ll continue to follow wherever he leads.

Author Heather Havrilesky writes about finding meaning in the mundaneness of everyday life using Mozart as the example:

Mozart’s father, Leopold, viewed his son’s musical talent as a miracle given by God. He believed that it was his job to help Mozart share his miracle with the world. In Mozart’s time, composers weren’t seen as an exalted class of humans. … Musicians were exactly in the same position as other household servants—cooks, chambermaids, coachmen, and sentries. They existed for the comfort and well-being of their masters and mistresses. Leopold Mozart didn’t agree. He believed that his son should be displayed “to the glory of God,” as he put it.

Mozart … was often impulsive and he thought nothing of thwarting convention. He rarely had enough money and he died young. But when you listen to his music, it’s impossible not to believe that he was a joyful and deeply satisfied human being.

Nowhere in her bio does Havrilesky claim to be a believer. However, she encourages her readers not to prioritize accumulating wealth or social media likes and friends. Instead, “Imagine being told that you have been given your talent by God, and you must honor God’s will by manifesting that talent in your creations.”

You can read an excerpt from the book here.

Possible Preaching Angle: Mozart was dedicated to excellence in a ‘mundane’ chore and used his gift to God’s glory. This is a good analogy to the Christian doing God’s work, but possibly being discouraged if the work seems endlessly menial and tedious.

In the early 80s, an image campaign began in the city of Atlanta with the hopes of encouraging Atlantans to see their city with pride and hope—despite some of its darker issues of race relations, violence, poverty, and unemployment. The jingle was endearing, if cheesy, chirping birds in the background and all: There's a feeling in the air, that you can't get anywhere … except in Georgia. I taste a thousand yesterdays and I still love the magic ways of Atlanta.

All of it was meant to inspire nostalgia, loyalty, and camaraderie—and to counter all the city's negative images. Those who remember it speak fondly of the "Hello Atlanta!" song's ability to highlight Atlanta's unique brand of urbanism and the pride.

Makes no difference where I go, you're the best hometown I know. Hello, Atlanta. Hello, Georgia. We love you on 11 Alive!

The song served as something of an anthem for the city, so much so that Ira Glass featured it on his program This American Life. He interviewed people who remembered the song. And then he completely burst their unique sense of city-pride by playing for them the exact same song and lyrics with "Milwaukee" or "Calgary" substituted out in chorus and pictures. As it turned out, this "image campaign" was a syndicated campaign that took place in 167 different cities worldwide. There's a feeling in the air, that you can't get anywhere, except … fill in the blank.

The Bible does not give us an image campaign about God's good news. It is not meant to play on a sense of nostalgia for generic people and places. The promise of the gospel is for particular people in particular places. And this good news can be for you today.

In J.R.R. Tolkien's (The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings) lesser-known short story "Smith of Wootton Major," Tolkien has a profound insight on spiritual gifts and God-given talents. As a young boy, Smith Smithson receives a rare gift at his small village's celebration—piece of cake that contains a silver star. As Smith wears the star on his forehead, it shines with light and it allows him to travel to magical lands and possess special powers and privileges. But one day as he travels home from one of his fantastic journeys, Alf, the Master Cook and baker of the cake starts walking beside Smith. Unbeknownst to Smith, Alf is actually the king of all the land, and the one who chose to give Smith the silver star.

As they near Smith's home, Alf (or the King) says, "Do you not think, Master Smith, that it is time for you to give this thing [the magic silver star] up?"

Smith replies, "What is that to you, Master Cook? And why should I do so? Isn't it mine? It came to me, and may a man not keep things that come to him so, at least as a remembrance?"

The King says, "Some things. Those that are free gifts and given for remembrance. But others are not so given. They cannot belong to a man forever, nor be treasured as heirlooms. They are lent. You have not thought, perhaps, that someone else might need this thing. But it is so. Time is pressing."

One of the most beloved songs of the Christmas season started out as an advertising gimmick. In 1939 Montgomery Ward tapped advertising executive Robert May to write a poem that their store Santa Claus could give away to children who came to visit him. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" first appeared in a little booklet published by the department store chain. More than 2.5 million copies were handed out. And by 1946 more than 6 million copies of the poem were distributed.

Rudolph's story came to musical life in 1949 when May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, wrote the music. After it was turned down by Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, singing cowboy Gene Autry recorded it. Today "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is the highest-selling Christmas carol, at more than 25 million units.

What makes this little carol so loved? Some people might say that it's the pluckiness and courage of Rudolph, the alleged hero of the story. But the real beauty of the story focuses on grace. By grace, Santa chooses Rudolph despite the fact that he's a clear outsider and "reject." He has a defect—his big, annoyingly shiny red nose—that has usually disqualified him from getting chosen for other reindeer games. But despite all the other available candidates, who did Santa choose (or "elect") when the fog rolled in? That's right, the one with the weird shiny red nose. The "weakness" that was considered a liability by Rudolph and his fellow reindeer became the "strength" that Santa used to accomplish his mission.

Regarding the doctrine of election, Christopher Wright notes that election isn't just for our individual benefit and salvation. According to the biblical story, election means that "the elect" become agents of blessings to others.

Wright uses the following story:

It is as if a group of trapped cave explorers choose one of their number to squeeze through a narrow flooded passage to get out to the surface and call for help. The point of the choice is not so that she alone gets saved, but that she is able to bring help and equipment to ensure the rest get rescued. "Election" in such a case is an instrumental choice of one for the sake of many.

In his love for us Jesus acts like a hound-dog, intense and focused as he pursues the hunt. That image comes from Francis Thompson, a 19th century British poet who wrote "The Hound of Heaven." Although Thompson was a follower of Christ, he struggled with poverty, poor health, and an addiction to opium (which in those days was sold as an "over-the-counter" medication).

In the depths of his despair, Thompson described his flight from God: "I fled him, down the nights and down the days. I hid from him, and under running laughter. I sped … from those strong feet that followed, followed after [me]."

But Thompson also knew the unrelenting love of Jesus, the hound of heaven. In the poem Jesus pursues Thompson with "unhurrying chase, and unperturbed pace, deliberate speed, and majestic instancy [or urgency]." He hears the feet of Jesus beating after him as Jesus calls, "All things betray those who betray me."

In a recent biography of John Stott, Stott refers to Thompson's poem. According to Stott, he owes his faith in Christ not to his parents or teachers or even his own decision, but to Jesus, "the hound of heaven." Stott writes:

[My faith is] due to Jesus Christ himself, who pursued me relentlessly even when I was running away from him in order to go my own way. And if it were not for the gracious pursuit of the hound of heaven I would today be on the scrap-heap of wasted and discarded lives.

The Princess Diaries tells the story of Amelia Thermopolis, a shy, awkward teen whose only goal in life is to be invisible. She tries to get through each day with as little embarrassment as possible. Her world is turned upside down when estranged grandmother (Julie Andrews) comes to America to give Amelia the biggest news of her life.

Amelia visits her grandmother at her opulent mansion in San Francisco. A butler leads Amelia to the grand living room, where she stands amazed as several servants bustle about. Suddenly, all the servants stand at attention as Amelia's grandmother enters the room. The contrast between Amelia and her refined grandmother is painfully apparent. After some small talk, Amelia, feeling uncomfortable, finally asks her grandmother, "What is it you want to tell me?"

Her grandmother answers, "Something, I believe, that will have a very big impact on your life." They walk outside to talk, and her grandmother begins to explain. "Amelia, have you ever heard of Eduard Cristof Philip Gerard Renaldi?"

"No," Amelia responds. Her grandmother tells Amelia he was the crown prince of Genovia.

Amelia is as baffled as she is indifferent and shrugs her shoulders. "What about him?" she asks.

Her grandmother says, "Eduard Cristof Philip Gerard Renaldi was also your father."

Thinking her grandmother is only joking, she laughs, rolls her eyes in disbelief, and says, "If he was a prince, that would make me a—"

"Exactly," says her grandmother, "a princess. You see, you are not just Amelia Thermopolis. You are Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, the princess of Genovia."

Amelia can hardly speak as this new revelation sinks in. "Me…a…a…a princess? Why on earth would you pick me to be your princess?

"Since your father died, you are the natural heir to the throne of Genovia. That's our law. I'm royal by marriage; you are royal by blood. You can rule."

Mia blurts out: "Rule?! Oh no, oh no, no, no, no. Now you have really got the wrong girl. I never lead anybody, not at Brownies, not at Campfire Girls. Queen Clarisse, my expectation in life is to be invisible, and I am good at it. I don't want to be a princess!!

The Bible says we are heirs of the God of the universe. The implications of that are far more surprising.

Elapsed time: 00:12:55 to 00:15:48 (DVD scene 4).

Content: Rated G