INTRODUCTION: In a small town in Washington State a girl’s college softball game was played between Central Washington and Western Oregon. It was the 2nd game of a double-header between the two teams that were neck and neck fighting for the conference championship. It was Central Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky’s last chance to win a championship. She had never hit a home run before but at the top of the 2nd inning with two runners on base that all changed when she hit one over the fence. However, as Sara was rounding first base she tore her ACL. According to the rules if a substitute was made the hit would count as a two-run single. Also, according to the rules, no one on Sara’s team could touch her to help her around the bases. That’s when Central Washington’s Mallory Holtman, a player with more homeruns than any other player in conference history, a player for the opposing team, spoke up. She and teammate Liz Wallace volunteered to carry Sara around the field. They asked Sara if it would be okay if they carried her around the bases and Sara replied “Yes, thank you so much.” Mallory said “You hit the ball over the fence, you deserve it.” They carried her around, pausing before each base to let her touch it with her foot; home run. Mallory Holtman, Liz Wallace and the Central Washington team lost the game that day, 4 to 2. Sara Tucholsky lost the rest of the season, and her career, to a knee injury; but for the spirit of sportsmanship, a greater victory.
(The five minute film clip is available at YOUTUBE entitled “Girls Softball Miracle – Central Washington vs. Western Oregon” and makes a great visual introduction.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEDBnKahuNs
Anyone need a hanky? Those girls are champions even though they didn’t win the tournament. Today I want to talk about “champions.” I’m using that term to designate a high-impact leader who is used by God to bring hope, strength and spiritual inspiration into our lives. A champion is a game-changer who can alter the course of our lives or the chemistry of a fellowship of believers in a positive direction.
EXAMPLE: Remember the judges of the Old Testament? The Bible says that after Joshua and the faithful elders of Israel died, the next generation of Israelites forsook God, worshiped idols, and everyone just did what was right in his own eyes – which wasn’t right at all. But then the Lord raised up special leaders, called judges. Judges 1:18 “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived.” The judges were champions, game-changers, high-impact leaders. If you lived during the tenure of one of these judges he would impact your life and you would never forget him (or her).
Similarly, I believe that every one of us has had one or more champions in our lives. If I asked you to write the name of a person like that, whom you have known, on your bulletin outline I believe almost all of us could do it immediately. This morning I’d like to suggest that these people, these champions, are actually part of God’s spiritual stimulus plan. They’re used by God to keep our spirits strong and healthy, even if our outward circumstances have become difficult and discouraging. Paul mentions two of them in his letter to the Philippians, Timothy and Epaphroditus. From his description let’s identify four qualities of a champion.
