underdogs

one of the remnants of my many years of living in california is that i'm a huge golden state warriors basketball fan. those of you who follow the nba know that's been a pretty hard road for over a decade; they've been through coach after coach, franchise saviour after franchise saviour, and for their trouble, they haven't seen the playoffs since bill clinton was still in his first term as president.

until this year. after a big mid-season trade netted four new players, and a couple of key contributors finally got healthy, the warriors went on an incredible run at the end of the season and just squeaked into the playoffs. unfortunately (or so it seemed), that left them paired with the dallas mavericks, the team with the best record in the league this year. experts figured that it would be a quick ending for the warriors, a team that should just be happy to have gotten to the post-season.

but lo and behold, the warriors came to play. they took the first game of the series at dallas — a very hard thing to do, winning a playoff game on the road — and have since taken a commanding lead in the best-of-seven series at 3-1. if the warriors take the series, it'll be the first time in league history that a number 8 seed has beaten a number 1 seed in a seven game playoff.

bay area basketball fans are elated. the largest basketball crowds in california history cheered the team to victory at the oracle arena in oakland, and regionally, more people watched the most recent game than desperate housewives. the national media is suddenly covering the story in a big way.

i know — it's only sports. but i wonder if there's also something else at work here, some deeper part of us that resonates with the story of someone (especially a team of relative little guys) who overcomes incredible odds to be victorious…

when goliath the philistine looked and saw david,
he disdained him
for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.
the philistine said to david, “am i a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”
and the philistine cursed david by his gods…

then david said to the philistine,
“you come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin,
but i come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel,
whom you have taunted.
this day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands…
that all the earth may know that there is a God in israel,
and that all this assembly may know
that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear;
for the battle is the LORD’S
and He will give you into our hands.”
1 samuel 17:42-47

finally, be strong in the Lord
and in the strength of His might.
put on the full armor of God,
so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
for our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers,
against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

therefore, take up the full armor of God,
so that you will be able to resist in the evil day,
and having done everything, to stand firm.
ephesians 6:10-13