March Madness
It's that time of year again where the college men Division I basketball tournament kickoff this weekend with the top 68 teams being selected to rumble for the national championship. It has also been tagged as "March Madness" or "The Big Dance." It is quite a prominent sporting event where millions are spent on corporate advertising and sponsorship.
The format of the tournament is broken into four regions where the top-seeded team plays the bottom-seeded team in a single-elimination game. The winner advances until they win their region and reach the big weekend called The Final Four right here in the Bayou City (Houston).
For many of us, it really is a big madness. There are so many games going on that it is hard to keep up with who's who. I just don't know how these college kids stay focus on their study when they're always traveling, practicing, preparing and playing the game. And of course, the coach's job is to motivate and inspire his team to victory.
Can you imagine the coach in the midst of the pre-game pep talk telling his players what Jesus told his disciples on the way to the cross?
"If you want to win, you've got to lose!" "If you want to be first, you've got to be last!" That would really be madness, wouldn't it?
But that is the message of Christ during this season of lent. Greatness is not achieved by fighting our way to the top, but rather through humble acts of service, submission, sacrifice and self-denial. This concept is madness to the world, but a must for the followers of Christ!
"Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all" Mark 9:35
The format of the tournament is broken into four regions where the top-seeded team plays the bottom-seeded team in a single-elimination game. The winner advances until they win their region and reach the big weekend called The Final Four right here in the Bayou City (Houston).
For many of us, it really is a big madness. There are so many games going on that it is hard to keep up with who's who. I just don't know how these college kids stay focus on their study when they're always traveling, practicing, preparing and playing the game. And of course, the coach's job is to motivate and inspire his team to victory.
Can you imagine the coach in the midst of the pre-game pep talk telling his players what Jesus told his disciples on the way to the cross?
"If you want to win, you've got to lose!" "If you want to be first, you've got to be last!" That would really be madness, wouldn't it?
But that is the message of Christ during this season of lent. Greatness is not achieved by fighting our way to the top, but rather through humble acts of service, submission, sacrifice and self-denial. This concept is madness to the world, but a must for the followers of Christ!
"Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all" Mark 9:35