Tonight marks the final game of the ALCS, and baseball fans everywhere are eager to find out who will advance to the World Series. The series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners has been a thrilling back-and-forth battle for supremacy, with each team claiming three wins in a series characterized by lopsided scores.
For Mariners fans, this is uncharted territory. The club has never before made it this far into the baseball postseason, showcasing their endurance and skill. Regardless of the outcome, many see this as a positive development—it signifies that the team is heading in the right direction and has cultivated the talent necessary to compete at a high level. However, winning would be far more gratifying; securing a spot in the “big game” is the ultimate goal.
In defeat, we often discover a lot about ourselves. In sports, losing builds character and a resolve to improve for the next time. One might even argue that losing can be more beneficial, but the primary objective of playing any game is to win. At its core, sports serve as an analogy for conflict and competition. No one would intentionally lose a battle; that would be unwise on many levels. Yet, losing imparts valuable lessons about life.
This duality is precisely why the message of the Gospel is so compelling—it encompasses both realities. There is death, but through that death, one is raised to new life. It is not the avoidance of death that brings victory; rather, it is the willingness to identify with Christ in His death and suffering that grants us true victory.
Philippians 3:7-11 states, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
These words not only convey the metaphorical suffering and death of Christ, but Paul also expresses a desire to fully identify with our Savior in His death. Paul is willing to forfeit and lose, so that he might gain the glory of Jesus, ultimately seeking to know and participate in the power of His resurrection.
In sports, there are winners and losers. By tomorrow, we will know if the Mariners are advancing to the finals. However, for Christians, we are prepared to endure loss in order to ultimately win. We are willing to suffer and die to achieve victory. For us, it is not an either-or proposition; it is a reality in which losing is winning.