Across the Pastor’s Desk by Don Malinsky

Have you noticed lately how often the word miracle is being used in the sports world today?

Most recently we climbed aboard the bandwagon of the “Minnesota Miracle,” — that unbelievable, last second, game-winning catch made by Stefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings that pushed the Vikings into the NFC Championship game. Needless to say, the carryover from that miracle was not enough to land our Vikings into the promised land of the Super Bowl.

Not long ago, we had the “Miracle of Morris,” Jack that is, the Minnesota Twins player who pitched his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame by throwing a 10-inning complete game shutout in the deciding seventh game of the 1991 World Series. Not much carryover in that miracle considering that was the last time the Twins were in the World Series.

And how about the “Miracle Mets of 1969?” They went from the basement cellar to championship penthouse seemingly overnight. It took them until 1986 to reach that pennant height again.

Turning to the Winter Olympics, who could forget the “Miracle on Ice” of 1980 coached by Minnesota’s own Herb Brooks. The ultimate David vs. Goliath hockey match up of the USA Team of college athletes vs the mighty Soviet Union professionals. Unforgettable victory, right? Miracle maybe.

According to Luther Seminary Old Testament Professor Rolf A. Jacobson in his book, “Crazy Talk,” a miracle is, “An occurrence that seems impossible and supernatural from a human perspective; an occurrence that from a divine perspective, ain’t nothing, but a thing.”

Jacobson writes, “Everything has a natural explanation, the more scientifically minded will want to tell us. Which is true since godly intervention is, in fact, quite natural, since God created nature. Miracles are not predictable, or measurable. This science doesn’t see them as real. But as far as God is concerned, miracles are part of reality — just ask a believer if there’s such a thing as miracles and see what kind of answers you get!”

Now let’s fast-forward to today’s 2018 winter Olympics. Are any miracles being witnessed there?

Many would say a miracle occurred right in the opening of the ceremony. Seeing North and South Korea marching under a unified flag, and playing together on a women’s hockey team could be considered a political miracle. How long they stay unified needs our continued prayer.

So far, the Winter Olympics miracle I would like to lift up involves three 15 kilometer plus 15 kilometer skiathlon racers — one from Norway, Simen Hegstad Kruger, and two from Russia, Denis Spitsov and Andrey Larkov. I chose this story because of its parallels to our Lenten journey.

Kruger overcame a crash at the opening gate to win gold. At the first 200 meters of the 30-kilometer race, Kruger collided with Russian athletes Larkov and Spitsov, breaking the pole and giving the rest of the 67 racers a huge head start. Imagine a horse race where a horse goes down in the middle of the pack, rider and horse are lucky to get out alive, let alone get back up and continue the race, but that is exactly what all three racers did. Methodically, Kruger, lap by lap, creeped back into the competition, 67th, 24th, 14th, seventh and ultimately cruising to a 10-second lead that could not be overcome. A miracle comeback victory, but what of the other two?

Larkov placed a respectable 30th place and Spitsov placed fourth, just missing the bronze medal. Kruger receives the gold honors and rightfully so, and Spitsov is but a footnote, but the point is, all continued the race to the end.

As we prepare to journey with Jesus this Lenten season, let us be reminded that Jesus has his crashes, too, — crashes of injustice, betrayal, denial, sleepy disciples and crucifixion, yet he continues to what we think is the end. Then Jesus saves the best miracle for us. A miracle that continues to impact us to this day.

Jesus reminds us it’s not how we start that is important; it is how we finish.

Chaplain Don Malinsky is the pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Communities Luther Place and Fountain Lake.