Have you heard the joyous good news?

No -- I'm not talking about that Good News. (God certainly doesn't take the side of one baseball team over another.)

I'm talking about the joyous good news that the Phillies are the champions of the National League Eastern Division!!! Their first playoff game is this afternoon.

The Phillies were only in first place two days during the entire 162 game season -- but they were in first place on the last day of the season, and that's the one that counts. It was an exciting last weekend of the season in the Philadelphia area, and it was fun to be up there, since Patty and I were attending a wedding. During the rehearsal dinner on Friday night and the wedding reception on Saturday, guys were sneaking into the bar to see a few minutes of the game on TV, and bringing back reports of the score. (The bride is dancing with her father? That's nice. But what's the score??)

I got to hear nearly all of the final, clinching game on the radio, as Patty and I were driving home from Wilmington this past Sunday. For the first four innings we were within range of the Philadelphia station and when that was fading out I thought, "Hey! They're playing Washington! I'll pick up the game again south of Baltimore!" So we did.

Any of you who have driven south on I-95 know of that terribly frustrating six to eight mile backup through Springfield, VA, as the highway loses two lanes. On this trip, the backup was a gift! It delayed us enough so that I could hear the end of the game before the Washington station faded out! It was the first time in my life that I was perfectly happy in stop and go traffic.

So, I'll be in front of the TV this afternoon, for the first playoff game. To impress you with my dedication for my work, tomorrow afternoon I will convene the prayer study group, and I will spend time with the candidate for our open Director of Music position who we're interviewing later in the evening -- even though the Phillies' second playoff game will be on TV!!!

Now, back to theology. It is true that God does not take sides in baseball games. But I am absolutely sure that God has special affection for Phillies fans. That's because, in the Bible, God especially loves those who are suffering. And no fans of any team have ever suffered more than Phillies fans. The Phillies have lost more games -- by far! -- than any other team, of any sport, in history. As Casey Stengel used to say, "You can look it up!"