It’s rugby fever everywhere. We’ve forgiven the shenanigans and perverseness of the last 6 months and we’re all sucked in now to the ‘greatest game on earth’. This weekend is the hour of glory for the footy stars and fans of the two ‘best of the best’. I’m always intrigued by these sporting social phenomena– the Olympics, the footy, the cricket. They galvanise us. We rally to them. They pull us together. It’s more than a game. It’s a spectacle. It’s human physicality and endurance at its peak. It’s a contest. It’s the big crowd. And grand finals have the lot. I was reading Revelation 18 on Tuesday morning for my quiet time and it reminded me of grand final Sunday. John describes the end of Babylon (the epitome of evil and all authority that is anti-God). It’s the grand final. The angel proclaims “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” It is the day of glory, the victory, the day when the trophy is held high for all to see– the Lord, the king, the Father of the Lord Jesus is victorious. This weekend will see streamers, flags, painted faces, great buzz and euphoria, (and disappointment!). It’ll be the first story on the evening news. You won’t miss it even if you tried. But also this weekend, Malabar remembered Bali. Terrorism, death, anger, sadness, evil. Remember the horror– the panicked faces, the blood and loss. It brings me back to God’s victory again and again– the greatest victory of all. What a spectacle that day will be! What a day! What a relief and what joy! Every Sunday we gather in anticipation of the greatest victory of all, the grand final, when death and evil will be no more. May the name of Jesus be lifted high in your hearts this day. Andrew

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