Thursday, May 6, 2010
By Dave Sonnenberg
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
That was the chant the Notre Dame crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs in the final game of the season in the early 1970’s. Notre Dame’s football team was ahead of Georgia Tech with about 2 minutes to go and the crowd began to scream in unison for Rudy Rudiger to be put into the game.
Rudy, whose story was made into a movie, had walked on to the football team (his lifelong dream) with the only goal of being on the team. He went to great lengths to try get into the school, he worked odd jobs, had barely any money, struggled academically, but somehow- had a heart that wouldn’t give up. Finally, he was given a shot to be on the scout team- a practice squad to go up against the first string. In a nutshell, the practice squad was the punching bag for the first team to run over, pummel, destroy, etc. Rudy was a small guy and he would get run over time and time again in practice, yet would jump right up like the energizer bunny. He’d be getting hurt by guys 150 pounds bigger than him, yet he’d give 200% because he wanted to make sure they were ready for the game. He understood he wasn’t a star. He understood his job was to make them ready to play their game on Saturday. Sometimes the first squad was slacking off and the coaches kept pointing to Rudy as the heart and soul of the team- one who never gave up.
The Christian movement is filled with Rudy’s- people who put their heart and soul into living out their faith; who were not overwhelmed by obstacles or persecution or hardship. We see James killed today in the story- one of the key leaders in the early church. In the aftermath of the killing, however, we see the church not flee in fear but rather “advances” to make inroads in more and more peoples lives.
We live in times when it is easy to lose heart. We must hear the voices of the Christians who have gone before us cheering us on. We must hear them chanting our names and urging us to be faithful witnesses of Jesus today! When we jump up and take our faith seriously and try to follow Jesus’ words and example each day, we will help advance the cause of Christ- little by little.
The key question for us each day to ask ourselves- “are we helping to advance the cause of Jesus or are we helping to hinder the cause of Jesus?” Take note of your actions as you answer that question, not just your intellectual beliefs. How we live shows what we believe.
Help advance the cause of Jesus today!
Reading- Acts 12
About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. 2He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. 3After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) 4When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. 5While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.
Peter Delivered from Prison
6 The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his wrists. 8The angel said to him, ‘Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.’ He did so. Then he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’ 9Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. 11Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’
12 As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying. 13When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. 14On recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. 15They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind!’ But she insisted that it was so. They said, ‘It is his angel.’ 16Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. 17He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, ‘Tell this to James and to the believers.’ Then he left and went to another place.
18 When morning came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
The Death of Herod
20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. 22The people kept shouting, ‘The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!’ 23And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents. 25Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark.
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