Centerfield

Centerfield
by John Fogerty

Easter Sunday

The Lord is risen, indeed! A glorious Easter Day to you and yours! Today, the victory is won. Let's celebrate it (and wrap up our Lenten Blog journey) with John Fogerty’s anthem from his multi-platinum comeback album:

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.
A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.

We had a wonderful day in church today. The music in all the services was top-notch. My dear friend Jim preached a powerful and heartfelt sermon from John 20: Mary Magdalene has returned to the tomb to find it empty. Her grief is so strong that she isn’t even afraid of the two angels sitting in the tomb. In fact, she thinks the resurrected Jesus is the gardener at first – after all, there is nothing in her frame of reference to make her think that dead people get up.

I can somewhat relate to Mary’s overlooking of Jesus. A few years ago, my daughter and I were walking on the streets of London. We passed someone in the crowd and I remarked to Lindsay, “Wow, that fellow looked just like my cousin.” Of course, I didn’t think there was any way it could be him – he lived in Texas and we were in London, after all. Come to find out when we got home, it was my cousin, and he had said essentially the same thing to his business associate as they walked down that London street, “Wow, that fellow looked just like my cousin.”

But, when Jesus calls “Mary” by name, she knows it is the Lord. She is overcome with joy. And here’s where Jim said something that really hit home. He said that Mary is the first one that Jesus “commissions” after His resurrection. He tells her to “go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ (John 20:17)” And Mary gets in the game:

Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Each of the eleven disciples will also get into the game. After spending the last few days hiding in fear, completely destroyed after the death of their friend, each one will meet the Risen Lord, and everything will change:

Well, I spent some time in the Mudville Nine, watchin’ it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Casey struck out.
So say hey, Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio;
Don’t say "it ain’t so", you know the time is now.

Peter, especially, will receive some invaluable time with his Coach and friend. At the end of St John’s Gospel, when Jesus asks three times if Peter loves him (mirroring the three times Peter denied Jesus), Jesus is in effect saying to him, “I need you, Peter. Come on, my friend, get back in the game.

Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Yeah! I got it, I got it!

Each and every one of us has been gifted with unique talents and abilities – ways that we can serve the Master. And here’s the really amazing thing about the Lord’s farm-system: sometimes He doesn’t even work through the Minor Leagues, from Double-A to Triple-A – He might just lift us out of the sandlot and say, you’re in “The Show” now, my friend!

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
(Pop) it’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

So my prayer for you and for me is that we answer the Lord’s call and get in the game. Be there for Him for the whole season. Suit up. Run it out. Make the diving catch. Swing for the fences! There’s nothing more exciting than this adventure!

Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.