March madness, a phenomenon every year in the NCAA world of basketball. 68 teams compete for the prestige of being crowned the national champion – this occurs in both the men’s and women’s arena. This tournament lasts into April – very remindful of the season we are currently in.
March madness is an annual tournament that turns offices into betting meccas with pools created and studies show a significant drop in productivity. Excitement arises and talks around the water coolers replay the previous evenings events. And the build up to championship weekend in April is intense.
Unfortunately, the excitement of our Lenten season does not match that of March madness.
Services are sparsely attended and even the grand finale of our championship called Easter is not as jam packed. Tickets for the NCAA championships are hard to get and expensive as well. Seating at churches is easier to come by. Why is that? Some will tell you that the tournament only comes around once a year so it’s really important. Easter and the good news of Jesus’ resurrection only comes around once a year also – and its importance far outweighs any basketball championship by an immeasurable amount.
My prayer for all of us is that we get excited for our March madness leading up to our championship Sunday of Easter. Talk about it around the water cooler – visit with friends at the café – and remember there is a sure bet for us. Christ died and rose again for our sins – he did all this because of his love for us – let us show our love for him with our March madness.
Just one of you in Christ - Ralph
