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To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27
Reflect
Last Sunday we reached the pinnacle of the NFL season with the Super Bowl. Each year, regardless of who plays in the big game, it’s hard to overlook one of the biggest accomplishments of any team in NFL history – the Buffalo Bills of the early 1990s. The Bills, sadly, are mostly known for reaching – and losing – four straight Super Bowls. But one of the Bills’ most amazing feats didn’t take place in a Super Bowl but did help them reach one in their third bid for a championship.
During the 1993 Wild Card playoffs, the Bills hosted the Houston Oilers, and the game looked like a complete rout for the Oilers. To begin with, Buffalo’s starting quarterback, Jim Kelly, didn’t play, as he’d been injured in the final game of the regular season. And by halftime, Houston was up 28-3, and quickly moved to 35-3 after an interception return for a touchdown early in the third quarter.
It was bad enough that people watching on TV turned to other channels and many of the hometown Buffalo crowd headed home rather than endure a blowout. Houston’s radio announcer quipped, “The lights are on here at Rich Stadium, they’ve been on since this morning, you could pretty much turn them out on the Bills right now.”
Most of those who sold the Bills short missed out on the greatest comeback in NFL history.
By the end of the third quarter, backup quarterback Frank Reich had led the Bills to four touchdowns and closed the gap to 35-31. In the fourth quarter, he hit Andre Reed for the go-ahead score. Houston later kicked a field goal to tie it 38-38 and take the game into overtime. In the extra period, Houston quickly turned the ball over, and Buffalo kicked the winning field goal.
But what happened after the game was perhaps the most remarkable thing of all. During the postgame press conference, Reich stood up and recited the lyrics to the song, “In Christ Alone,” by Michael English:
“In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength, my source of hope
Is Christ alone”
His testimony was an amazing witness to the power of Christ, especially on a day when he could have taken the full spotlight for engineering such an incredible comeback. Instead, Reich pointed all of us toward the cross of Christ as the source of his strength and hope.
Today, be sure to give praise and honor to the One who is our source of strength – Jesus Christ. Thank Him for all that He has done for you, and remember Him to others when you speak of the success you’ve had in life.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
