I believe that God likes basketball.  He made us in his image and it certainly seems that we like basketball.

I enjoy watching, rooting for the underdog, watching the sweetness of victory — the joy that is shared among the players and the fans — and watching the “agony” and sometimes heartbreak of defeat.  As I was watching tonight, I happened to open my Bible again (a double header day):

You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God, for:

“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilts; but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

1 Peter 1:23-25

I was struck with one thought as I read this, with one eye on the basketball scores (and my bracket that was quickly going down the drain):  March madness is a beautiful microcosm of all worldly things.  Perishable.  Whether your team wins the game, wins the tournament or even experiences the ultimate Cinderella story — the victory is perishable.  The victory is fleeting and will eventually wilt.  Even the worst loss, the humiliating defeat, the broken dreams.  These too are perishable.

Next fall the teams will all start anew.  This year’s victories and losses will be meaningless.  Just memories.  As with most things in life.  Easy come.  Easy go.  Today’s peaks, quickly turn into tomorrow’s valleys.  But one thing remains:

GOD.

All the glory of today will fade away.  All the glory of March Madness will be gone by mid April.  But the Glory of God reigns true.

So cheer your team to victory (as long as they are not playing my team), and remember one team endures forever.