NHL Cup = Battle of The Birds

People were standing 20 deep on some streets and throwing black and gold confetti. Others were dressed in the team jersey, with some clinging to handmade replicas of the most recognizable trophy in all of professional sports.

It was all about the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the highly coveted ‘holy grail’ of sports – the Stanley Cup! The memorable series came down to a game 7 and a narrow 2-1 final score. The last furious minutes saw a talented and desperate Detroit Red Wings hitting the goal post and then being denied a chance at overtime by a miraculous save by a young Pittsburgh goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. The staggering save, with just precious seconds left on the clock, will be a haunting memory for the losers in red for years to come. The series was a rematch of last year’s final, but this time around the hungry and younger Pens prevailed.

The Stanley Cup is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. It was established in 1893, and winning it requires more than just physical skill or talent. It is also about pure survival. The vicious nature of the game and the intense grinding playoff stretch has been likened more to a war zone than a mere sporting event. And no single championship is more highly valued by or sought after by those who sacrifice everything to win it.

The reason is simple. To win the Stanley Cup is to also to have one’s name literally inscribed on the 35 pound piece of hardware. It is seen as almost becoming immortal. It is an exclusive fraternity and even many of the greatest have done everything imaginable in the sport, only to see the cup elude their grasp. And most everyone who has ever played the sport, at any level, has at some point dreamed of being honored in such a lasting and unique way.

Again, the inscribing of names into the rings of hockey’s grand trophy is every player’s fantasy. It certainly was the dream of this young fanatic. But the seeming permanence of the cup and its long history will not last forever – not according to the Bible. In 2 Peter 3:10 the apostle spoke about a future day that will see the physical creation literally and fully burn away. Verse 10 reads, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

The Scriptures teach that material things are but temporary – all of them. That’s why the Savior stressed the point as He did in Matthew chapter six. Beginning in verse 19 He warned, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” Then John wrote about a future day of judgement and revealed the existence of a literal book containing a list of literal names. It is also comprised of a very select group – namely who possess salvation through personal faith in Jesus Christ. (Revelation 21:27) Paul also spoke of this exclusive book club in Philippians 4:3 and how it contained the names of his fellow workers in the ministry.

The vast majority will proceed through their brief and rather pointless lives seeking material security and comfort and often worldly fame and fortune. Some will achieve great things - humanly speaking, A select few may even experience mountain top sensations like seeing their name fastened on Lord Stanley’s unique trophy. But worldly glory will someday become eternally gloomy if, at life’s end, one’s name has been restricted from the book of Lord Jesus. An absence there will mean a presence elsewhere and in a place of unimaginable torment! (Mark 9: 43-48)

Ultimately, all must address and answer the question of all questions posed by Jesus himself in Matthew 16:26-27. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Certainly the obvious answer is nothing humanly or earthly speaking – including the likes of a Stanley Cup! To ignore the question is to remain spiritually lost. But for those found in Christ, that all-important question has been answered and forever settled. Their names forever reside in His special book.

- Theirs is a life characterized by exchange – an exchange of sinfulness for righteousness, of selfishness for godliness, and of carnality for spirituality. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

- Theirs is a life that has been saved through the sacrifice of Christ and not by some feeble, self-styled, extended effort to try to please, in vain, a holy God. (Hebrews 11:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-9)

- Theirs is a life filled with the blessings of God’s infinite power, love, hope and peace. (Philippians 4:6-7)

- Theirs is a life of responsibility and service to their Savior (Ephesians 2:10)

- And theirs is a life complete with the God-given promise of a glorious future that can never be tarnished or taken away. Eternal wrath has been replaced by eternal rewards for those things done in God’s name and in His strength. (Revelation 22:12-13)

Only a select few will ever appear on a silver ring on hockey’s great Stanley Cup. But any who are willing can make their way through faith into the pages of God’s eternal book.“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

Bill Breckenridge