Those of you who are not golfers please be patient and read on.  I do have a point that you might be interested in.  The U.S. Open this past weekend, you see, begs to be written about (especially since I am a golfer myself and a fellow "loser").

Phil Mickelson, the #2 golfer in the world coming into the U.S. Open last Thursday, gave away a tournament that was well in hand.  Phil had a one shot lead going into the final hole.  All he had to do was take a long iron off the tee and place his drive in the fairway; get on the green and make a seemly simple par (I say "seemly simple" because Phil nearly mastered the back 9 at Wingedfoot Golf Course not because I could do it myself).  Instead Phil used a driver, something that had plagued him all day and put his drive way left…in trouble.  His next shot hit a tree (something I can relate to).  Phil’s third shot was a "shot in the dark" that buried itself in the sand bunker near the green.  Phil’s fourth shot out of the bunker went over the green in the long ruff.  His fifth shot (which needed to go in to force a playoff) missed badly.  Phil finished tied for second in a tournament he should have won.  Geoff Ogilvy from Australia won, but the thing is, no one is going to remember who won, but rather who lost.  The 2006 U.S. open will always (and I mean always) be known as the Open that Phil lost, not the Open that Geoff won.

Jean Van de Velde was leading the 1999 British Open by 3 shots going into the final hole.  All he needed was, at worst, a 6 on a par four to win, but Van de Velde carded a 7 to force a playoff.  He lost by three strokes in the four hole playoff format.  Who won the 1999 British Open?  I do not know off the top of my head, but I know who lost it.

I feel sorry for Geoff Ogilvy and Paul Lawrie (1999 British Open winner.  I just looked that up).  They won major tournaments but yet the world is going to remember who lost them.  The world won’t remember how they won, but how Phil and Jean lost.  Wow!  What a way to be remembered…a loser…someone who choked under pressure.  But here I am; speaking when I have no place to speak since my golf game is no where even close to the same plant has Phil’s or Jean’s.  But anyone who is a sports fan thinks they know how to do things better than the actual athletes out there (And YES, golfers are athletes.  Don’t make me argue with you).

So…those of you out there who could care less about golf (like my wife who thinks I have a "golf" disease) your question about now is "Where are you going with this? Stop with the golf stuff."  Well hold on to your pants, I am getting there.

In the cosmic game of salvation we are losers.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 5 he writes, "God proves his love for us that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us".  Loosely translated, "While we were still losers in the salvation game, Jesus won the prize FOR US."  You see, people throughout time and today have tried to earn their way to heaven.  People thought and still think today that we can appease God and win the salvation game; if we do enough "stuff" and well enough then God will have to give us our prize.  My friends, that is not how it works.  We lost the salvation game; we are losers if you will.  So God sent his Son, Jesus Christ to run the race.  Jesus not only ran the race but won the prize through his death and resurrection.  But he not only won the prize, but won the prize FOR US…a bunch of "losers". 

So if the world remembers losers, I am glad to be counted among them; for Jesus (the winner we should not forget about) died for a loser such as me and you. Amen. -EDH-