Epiphany 5 January 8, 2026 The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
History, Hero, Heartbreak, and Hope
“When
I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of
God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in
fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with
plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” (1
Corinthians 2:1-12)
The coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel,
had reorganized the team, its coaches, and the staff soon after he had been
hired as their new head coach. But before he “laid down” a bunch of plays for
them to learn, he wanted his team to build some trust among them. He wanted
them to learn personal knowledge about each other. Not easily done with highly
competitive and, dare I say, young men! Who needs any of this “touchy-feely”
stuff when you’re playing in what has become an increasingly violent sport?
So, the trust building began with a few activities,
not the tried and true stand in the middle of a circle and fall backwards,
trusting that your colleagues will catch you. No, his trust activity was based
upon the T.V. show called Survivor. Pairs of teammates had to navigate a course
on their field, one of them blindfolded while listening to their seeing
teammate guide them through it. Jump here, turn right there, go left, listen to
my instructions carefully.
Then Vrabel took trust building to another level. He
had his team members share their 4 H’s with their teammates: history, hero,
heartbreak, and hope. Standing in front of their teammates and sharing their 4
H’s, they exposed themselves. No shoulder pads, no helmets, no audibles from
their quarterback, only them, standing alone and vulnerable in front of a group
of men known for their toughness.
So
individually, each person shared their 4 H’s: history, hero, heartbreak, and
hope. Now I’m not a 20 something young man playing in a highly competitive
sport but I do have some history that I would prefer not to share. As a human
being, I have had a checkered past. As a Christian, my faith journey has
involved many ups and downs, some detours and doubts. Blind, often needing
amazing grace, I had to trust in Someone who could see my way forward and guide
me along the right pathways.
And how about those teammates of mine? I’ve been
bullied and betrayed, enduring some end-runs and tackles I didn’t see coming,
in various professions and relationships. At times of self-preservation and
protection, not wanting to be vulnerable, I’ve hidden myself from others. If I
truly shared what I thought and felt then I opened myself to all sorts of
negative responses. Moral finger-wagging and virtual signaling silenced me. And
then, more often than not, I found some deep and abiding friends for life. BFF’s.
“When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not
come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I
decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I
came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my
proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration
of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God,” wrote St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians.
These were his words that came after his years of inciting violence,
encouraging murder, and spewing hate-filled speech, indeed even arrogant
proclamations about his righteousness. In the name of God no less!
I have often looked for a hero to help me. Turning
first to human beings, I became careful about my choices and how much I might
reveal. I’ve also come to realize that playing “hero ball” is a failure on my
part. Going it alone is not a wise decision. If I don’t find some teammates to
share the journey with me, I’m the poorer for it. Knowing that there can be a
variety of gifts, but the same Spirit, I try to keep my mind open to various
perspectives. If we’re only carbon copies of the other, then who needs the
other? Carefully, after a time of retreat and sitting on the bench, I step back
onto the playing field.
Heartbreak comes early and often in our human lives.
There is no avoiding it, as much as we might try. Having moved frequently as a
child because of my father’s occupation, I would be hesitant with friendships.
My teammates often changed. And yet, I learned that even when you stay in one
place, other people leave. So teammates come and go; they are injured or die,
and heartbreaks are common. So too are lasting friendships around the world.
While the Patriots’ teammates had various responses to
their history, heroes, and heartbreaks, there were some common and frequent
responses. Heroes often included their parents or siblings and the heartbreaks
that they mentioned were when their parents died. When asked about hope, more
often than not, they cited their desire to play in the Super Bowl.
Coach Vrabel, upon winning the Eastern Conference
Title that ensured their place in the Super Bowl, reminded his players that
sometimes there are things you can’t see but still can believe. At the
beginning of their season, it was inconceivable that this team would play in
the Super Bowl. And yet, they could hope and believe that all things are
possible. And so it came to pass! Today, win or lose, their hope was realized.
If we lose hope, we lose everything; we’ve lost the
game. Maybe even our life. Perhaps too often we overly rely upon human wisdom
rather than God. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Yet among the mature we
do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this
age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden,
which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age
understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory.” History often reveals our mistakes; maybe it shows us a new way
forward.
So for me, Super Bowl Sunday is today; and I hope the
New England Patriots win! Super Bowl Sunday is also every Sunday; for it is the
day of Resurrection. It is when our history and heartbreak were revealed in the
death of Jesus on Good Friday; and yet my hero, who is Jesus, revealed a hope
three days later. It is a hope that can never be seen now, but only fully
realized in the life hereafter. On that day, we all become winners.
When her 84 year old mother was abducted from her home
this week, Savannah Guthrie, an NBC co-anchor on the Today Show, wrote on her
Instagram, "We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison,
in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we
believe in Him. Please pray. 'He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts
are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.' A verse from the prophet Isaiah for all
time and for all of us," Savannah wrote.
Until then, listen to Jesus and follow his guidance;
for He once called us his teammates. “You are the light of the world. A city
built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the
bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In
the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Be vulnerable and share your history, heroes,
heartbreaks and hope with your teammates. Trust in the Lord, who will guide us
eventually into the endzone.
1 Corinthians 2:1-12, [13-16] Matthew 5:13-20
