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The Unlikely Spectacle
Brian Mashburn
March 13, 2016
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The Unlikely Spectacle
Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors. Many are still talking about it. Why? Teams are winning and losing all the time. Why is that game so noteworthy?
Because it was so unlikely.
The Warriors are the best team in the Western Conference and the whole NBA. Maybe in history, since they are on track to break the all-time, one-season record.
The Lakers, on the flip side, are the worst team in the Western Conference, second worst in the NBA. They have almost as many losses as Golden State has wins. They are pitiful, the only reason to watch them is because their aging star is playing his last season.
It is precisely because the Lakers had no business winning that made it special. Worth looking at.
In Ephesians 3, Paul says that God's intent is to use the church to show His glory, and that by doing so, even the angelic and heavenly powers turn their heads to see. Why would God's glory seen in the church be so noteworthy?
Because... it is so unlikely.
God's glory in His stunning creation? Yes. In miracles? Certainly. In his revelation, whether through a dream, a vision, a voice, a book, or an incarnation? You bet. Those are impressive. But the church? A bunch of imperfect, unholy, bumbling, can't-get-it-right people?
Yes. It is precisely because the church has no business reflecting God's glory that makes it special. Worth looking at. Far too many of us disqualify ourselves as being forgivable, worthy of belonging to the church, or qualified to be useful in God's plan. But Paul says, "If he can use me, he can use anyone. And He does."