The 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs were built to win a championship. Every Spurs fan had their sight’s set on beating the mighty Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, right out of the gate. San Antonio put up a 67-15 record over the course of the season that included a remarkable 40-1 home record. It was a historic season for the Spurs.
As I watched the Spurs get bounced in the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder, far short of expectations, I was in shocking disbelief. In my mind, and I’m sure in the minds of most Spurs fans, there was no way the Spurs wouldn’t win the NBA championship this year. But they lost. In the second round. To the Thunder.
Amidst my post-loss disarray I came across a video that was posted by the official account of the San Antonio Spurs. The video was of the team’s return home to San Antonio that very night following the loss. As the team was exiting their plane, there was a crowd of faithful Spurs fans waiting for them, and cheering as loud as ever for their Spurs.
As I watched the video, it occurred to me what was happening – they were cheering for their team that had just lost. Do you realize how profound this is? That’s not how sports go. There are cheers for success and boos for failure. But what I observed was just the opposite; then I realized: what an incredible picture of the gospel this is. The basis for the fan’s acceptance of their team was, at least in that moment, not based on the team’s success but on the fan’s love for them. The fact that the Spurs lost, and fell far short of expectations did not cause the fans to boo, but rather to cheer, and to cheer loudly as their team arrived home late that night. Imagine the disappointment the players must have felt – and maybe some shame. But to arrive home to a crowd of fans cheering of their love for them, must have been quite a moment for those players.
As it is with God. We are far worse people, than the Spurs are a team. We are colossal failures – the biblical term being sinners. We are colossal sinners before an enormously holy God. Yet God’s acceptance of us is not based on our success – as if we had any. Rather, it is based on us being united with and loved in Christ. At the height of our failures, and in the depths of our sin is when Christ died for us. So it is there that God our Father is cheering for us. Amidst your failure, and your shame, lift your hanging head, Christian, and look to the cross of Christ. There you will see God not booing you, not disappointed in you, not ashamed of you, but shouting his love for and acceptance of you.
This is unique. I like the “observations on life being comparable to the gospel” theme.