MOMENTUM!

I’ve been staying up late these past few nights watching cricket. For those of you North Americans oblivious to the existence of that majestic sport, here’s a brief lesson: You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's on the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in, and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in, and the side that's been in goes out, and tries to get those coming in out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When both sides have been in and out, including the not-outs, that's the end of the game. Simple, isn’t it?

Anyway, India is playing Australia in Sydney and the other day there was a spectacular display of batting at its best. One of the foremost batsmen ever, the incomparable Sachin Tendulkar (IND), scored 154 runs, ceasing only because he ran out of partners at the other end of the pitch. What a sight to see (there he is after reaching his 100)! Masterful strokeplayer—regal in technique, astute in judgment, delightful in style, dazzling in execution. One less-than-theologically-accurate sign in the stands said it all:

Commit all your crimes
when Sachin is batting,
They’ll go unpunished;
even the Lord is watching.

One reporter noted that a bunch of noisy school boys in the bleachers were admonished by their teacher, “Nobody talks when Tendulkar is on strike.” Soon the kids were chanting: “Nobody talks / when Sachin strikes.”

The applause when Tendulkar reached his century carried on for close to two minutes.

Not that Sachin was the only batsman to score well that day. Others had begun India off well earlier, but it was up to this maestro to consolidate the innings. “Ignition is vital,” said a commentator, “but it means nothing if there’s nobody to switch on cruise control.” Though cruise control driving is a passive exercise, the point is well taken: It’s not enough to start well; one must sustain a strong beginning for the long haul.

So it is, also, in the Christian life. It’s not enough to start well. We must sustain that momentum. But there are detours aplenty and distractions galore. And before you know it—we’re shanghaied, snared. Cruise control lost! Momentum dissipated! Good start forgotten!

So then let us not sleep
as others do, but let us be
alert and sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:6

Alert and sober, let’s dive into 2008, doing the work of the Lord with dogged perseverance, unflagging momentum.

Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding
in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil
is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58

And let this be our prayer for one another …

… that [we] will walk in
a manner worthy of the Lord,
to please Him in all respects,
bearing fruit in every good work
and increasing
in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all power,
according to His glorious might,
for the attaining
of all steadfastness and patience.
Colossians 1:10–11

Let’s be working steadfastly, patiently for the Lord, …

… knowing that from the Lord
you will receive the reward
of the inheritance.
Colossians 3:24

Hang in there, trusting God to keep us standing firm, even when everything around us crumbles.

Some boast in chariots
and some in horses,
but we will boast in the name
of the LORD, our God.
They have bowed down
and fallen,
but we have risen
and stood upright.
Psalm 20:7–8

Sustain the momentum, stand upright … till the end!