Pastor Kory's Page for Sunday, November 10, 2024

Through the years, I’ve been in and out of a bunch of gymnasiums at Lutheran schools. It’s not unusual in a Christian school’s gym to see some positive messages or biblical quotations on banners or murals. One of those is a phrase like “Humble in Victory, Gracious in Defeat.” That’s the essence of good sportsmanship!

Whether on the ball diamond or the basketball court or in an academic competition, young people need to learn appropriate responses to both winning and losing. This is important, of course, not only in sports or school but in life itself! Victory can be welcomed with humble gratitude and even excitement without turning into prideful gloating. Defeat can be endured without wallowing, remembering that some defeat is inevitable in both competition and life. Learning to congratulate the victor is a valuable skill, whether you’re playing a game or conceding defeat in an election.

I have a lot of respect for candidates for elected offices who can humbly welcome victory, while giving credit to all the staffers and volunteers and voters who also deserve credit, plus giving credit to the opponent and his or her campaign team and voters. I also appreciate seeing candidates graciously conceding defeat and congratulating the victorious candidate. As hard fought as the 2024 elections were, and as divided as the two major political parties are, I think that even small demonstrations of humility and graciousness can go a long way.

The same principle applies to each of us as citizens and voters. Maybe you got all the election outcomes you were hoping for. Maybe you didn’t. Or maybe it was a “mixed bag”, like much of life. But now is neither a time for boasting nor despair. Instead, humility and graciousness ought to be part of our response to one another and to our neighbors following a major event like an election.

As subjects of God’s kingdom, such attitudes ought to be part of our response to the Gospel in every area of our lives. God’s Word says to us in Philippians chapter 2, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2:3-11)

Christ endured (what seemed to be) ultimate defeat on Good Friday. He humbled Himself to suffer and face the full verdict of our sins, being forsaken by His Father on His cross. He died and was buried in a borrowed tomb. It seemed to be a shocking defeat right after some of His greatest triumphs, such as raising Lazarus from the dead and parading into Jerusalem on “Palm Sunday.”

Jesus humbled Himself as low as He could go, but in His case, it wasn’t truly a defeat but the beginning of His victory which was sealed by His triumphant resurrection on the third day. Having paid the penalty for our sin, God the Father exalted His Son and gave Jesus Christ our Lord the name that is above every name. And as Jesus now lives and reigns over us and all things, He does so in grace, blessing us and forgiving us and saving us without any merit or worthiness in us. 

Our faith is in Christ alone, the One who showed ultimate humility on His road to the cross and whose grace amazingly flows for us each and every day. How shall we respond? As St. Paul put it, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5). Strive to be humble in your victories and gracious in your defeats (in whatever forms they come), while entrusting yourself and all things to your crucified and risen Savior.

In Christ,

Pastor Kory Janneke