Opening Day

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

It’s Opening Day!

Yeah, there were two games last night, but today is Opening Day. The Royals take the field in Cleveland tonight, tied for first place. It won’t last. The Royals are probably going to be awful. But they might not be. Soler might prove last season wasn’t a fluke. Perez might stay healthy. Mondesi might finally put it all together. Gordo might recapture the old magic here at the end of his career. The young pitchers might figure it out.

That’s a lot of mights. Too many. It’s probably going to be a long short season for my team.

Then again, they might win it all.

Hope is a wonderful thing. We wake every morning to a new day, fresh and full of the possibilities that come with being forgiven children of God. We’ll probably get a lot wrong today, and we might get a few things right. But our hope as Christians is not about what might come to pass. It is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The hope Jesus offers doesn’t disappoint.

Whatever happens today, place your hope in Christ. I can’t control the fate of the Royals, but it’s fun seeing Anders and Torsten back on the ballfields, masks and all, enjoying the game they love.

Go Royals!

Be well, friends. You are loved.

God of hope, thank you for the gift of grace, freely given through Christ Jesus. Enliven our faith and restore us to hope that, come what may, we would always know your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Image: Greta at her first Major League Baseball game, ten years ago today! We saw a 95-loss Royals team beat the Yankees in the Bronx with Alex Rodriguez sitting on 599 homers. It was swelteringly hot and absolutely wonderful; holding a cute baby probably prevented me from getting beat up.