When the Saints Go Marching In

Reading Through the Bible In 2010 (Lev. 16-18)

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Lev. 17:11

Last night Charlie and I joined with a bazillion other people in the world and watched Super Bowl XLIV. I always enjoy the Super Bowl because Green Bay is rarely in it. That means I can watch football with a normal husband who jokes and laughs. When the Packers play during the regular football season, life takes on a tension in front of our TV that is probably unsurpassed. We never relax unless the Pack is winning with a score like 49 – 3. Even then, even if it’s the last minute of the 4^th quarter, Charlie won’t eat or say anything except a terse: “Green Bay could still lose it!” (Which, I’ll have to admit is always a possibility with the Packers.)

But last night was different. We all ate pizza and munched chips and spoke to each other. We talked and laughed and didn't feel the least bit uptight. These weren't our teams. "This is a great way to watch football," I thought.

When the Saints won and Drew Brees got all emotional, we made mild comments like, “Seems like a nice guy. Wasn’t that a cute picture with him holding his little son!”

Things definitely weren't calm in New Orleans! Thousands and thousands of excited people were gathered together in the stadium jumping up and down - hollering and yelling. When New Orleans won and the big trophy was passed around, it was hard to see - the air was so thick with confetti. Players were being interviewed saying things like, “Being a part of this team is the greatest moment of my life!” Just before we clicked off the remote, we watched multitudes of celebrating fans packed tightly together moving en masse down Bourbon Street. The Saints fans were marching in.

But, in to what? A night of revelry and for sure a big headache in the morning.

Today’s Leviticus reading is about the laws of social order that God gave to the nation of Israel. There is a lot written about the laws concerning sexual sins and worshiping idols. But the verse that stands out to me is “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Every one of us who is alive knows that is true. When the Saints and the Colts started beating on each other in a huge pile up of bodies on the field, someone commented, “Whew, things are firing up. They’re out for blood!”

Our blood is our life and when we lose it we die. Ask any EMT about their experiences with blood loss victims and they will say, “Oh, yes, the life is in the blood all right!” Our physical life is in the blood.

True spiritual life is in the blood. When Jesus Christ becomes our Lord and Savior, we join a new team. It is a group of players united by the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross. Because His blood has washed away our sins, we can truly call ourselves “the saints.” When all the saints of the living God have come marching in, our team will spend eternity together.

Our life is in His blood right now as we travel through life. The Holy Spirit that lives in us is our coach guiding our plays and moves. We can say, “Being a part of this team is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”

We’re on our way en masse toward spending all of eternity with Jesus. No headaches the next morning. Only new bodies, new mansions and the never-ending joy of being reunited in heaven with our loved ones who are waiting to welcome us.

Now that’s worth celebrating!

“Oh when the saints, oh when the saints, oh when the saints go marching in, Well, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in!”