Delivered by the Reverend Donald Ng, Senior Pastor of First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco during the Church Picnic of 2002
The Lord’s Baseball Game
Barry and the Lord stood by to watch a baseball game. The Lord’s team was playing the World’s team.
The Lord’s team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate whose name was LOVE.
LOVE swung at the first pitch and hit a single because love never fails.
The next batter was named FAITH, who also got a single because FAITH works with LOVE.
The next batter up was named GODLY WISDOM. The World team’s pitcher set, wound up, and threw the first pitch. GODLY WISDOM looked it over and let it pass: Ball one. Three more pitches and GODLY WISDOM walked because GODLY WISDOM never swings at what the World throws.
The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Barry and told him He was now going to send in His star player. Up to the plate stepped GRACE.
Barry said, “He sure doesn’t look like much!”
The World’s whole team relaxed when they saw GRACE. Thinking that they had won the game, the World’s pitcher wound up and fired his pitch 99-MPH! To the shock of everyone, GRACE hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen. But the World’s team manager was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; then it continued over the fence for a home run!
The Lord’s team won!
Then the Lord asked Barry if he knew why LOVE, FAITH, and GODLY WISDOM could get on base but could not win the game. Barry answered that he didn’t know why.
The Lord explained, “If your love, faith, and wisdom had won the game you would think you had done it all by yourself. LOVE, FAITH, and GODLY WISDOM will get you on base but only MY GRACE can get you Home.
The Apostle Paul talks about Grace in Romans 3:22-25,
“For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a
sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.”
For sure, we can all live good and moral lives. But ultimately, it is God’s grace that saves us from ourselves and wins the game of life.
Let us pray.
Gracious Lord, we thank you for this day when we may gather for fellowship and give thanks to you for summer rest. Help us to trust you with our lives and through the grace of Christ Jesus, we received your calling and blessings. Amen.