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And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
-Matthew 16:18
March Madness is an annual wild ride in college sports. NCAA college basketball, both men’s and women’s, are exciting for so many reasons, but especially because anything can happen. Teams are ranked in four regions from 1 to 16. A casual fan could well-expect very few high-ranked teams to be upset by teams who rarely even make the cut for the tournament. For example, few people would ever pick a 15 seed (2nd lowest) to beat a 2 see (2nd highest) in the first round of this tournament. In fact, only 3% of people who filled out a bracket predicted the upset of St. Peter’s over Kentucky this weekend, whereas almost a third (30%) of folks had the Kentucky Wildcats to reach a coveted Final Four game. It’s only the 10th time in history that a 15 seed beat their competitor in the first round since the championship began in 1938.
Why is that so shocking? It has happened 9 other times, after all. However, even casual sports fans or non-sports fans can see on paper what a surprise this was. A quick comparison reveals some obvious differences… UK’s $18.3 million basketball budget to St. Peter’s $1.6 million, a home gym capacity of 20,545 to 3,200, a school enrollment of 31,536 to 3,009, and a recruitment class that included 3 five-star, 5 four-star, and 2 three-star recruits to St. Peter’s roster with zero! And yet, St. Peter’s Peacocks, who practice and play in the Run Baby Run Arena (real name), defeated the Wildcats handily. Everyone loves a David and Goliath story, especially watching one unfold in the arena, rather than living it. And historically, Christians have not fared well in arenas and coliseums, even if Medlock Bridge has more than a few full coliseums each Sunday.
It would be understandable for us as Christians in a modern context to not choose our team to go the distance in facing the challenges of a modern world, especially at our small gatherings and churches that meet in chapels, our Great Halls, or our homes online, just as it would have been for the Early Church or the followers of Jesus in the dark hours between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Those followers of the way were much less than 3% of Israel, let alone the Roman world. And yet, God chose a handful of men and women, led by a guy named Peter to establish the Church of Jesus Christ, shattering all expectations of what a ragtag group of never-heard-ofs could do. Few churches our size can boast even St. Peter’s budget, and yet we can do extraordinary things no one expects. From Habitat houses to food pantries, blood drives, foster families, mission trips, scouting and service groups, addiction recovery, and community engagement, we can do mighty and surprising things no one expects. We are up to that challenge every season. Let’s go, team.
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