A Thought For The Week Of December 1

"Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died." (Genesis 5:20) I've always felt a little sympathy for runners-up. To finish second (to be the second best at anything) is actually pretty impressive in my opinion. But, for the most part, all the attention goes to the person who finishes first.  That's generally the way it is in the world. We notice those who win, and everyone who doesn't win is pretty much forgotten. The New York Islanders won 4 consecutive Stanley Cups between 1980 and 1983. How many people remember the teams they beat? For the record, it was the Philadelphia Flyers, the Minnesota North Stars, the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers - but who knew? All we really think about is who won, not who lost! Now I'm not part of that movement who thinks that we shouldn't have winners and losers; that no child should play a game where someone loses because it will hurt their self-esteem. Please. I've probably learned more from losing and failure over the years than I have from winning and success. Children need to know how to lose; how to react appropriately when things don't go their way. Because they won't always g their way. But I still feel sorry for the runners-up. That's all. According to the biblical account of creation, the oldest man who ever lived was Methusaleh. He is said to have lived 969 years! A lot of people still know that, or - if they don't know that he was the oldest person the Bible refers to - at least they're familiar with the name. But how many people would know who Jared was? He was the second longest living person in the story of creation. He lived 962 years! But who knew? I didn't. I only noticed it when reading through Genesis 5 the other morning. And believe it or not, that made me think of Advent, which started yesterday. Poor Advent. It's usually overlooked in the rush to get to Christmas. There's so much to do: gifts to buy, cards to send, family to visit, parties to attend. Do we even think about Advent? Probably not all that often. Like most other people, Christians just call this time of year the Christmas season. Advent, if marked at all, is in a distant second place. Take some time to think about Advent this week: remember, it's really about the promise of God that, in the end, whatever struggles we might face, Christ will be victorious. And that's pretty good news. Have a great week!