Post Four: July 4, 1939

While searching for a good topic for the Children’s Sermon I was to deliver last Sunday, I saw in a sports devotion book a bit about July 4^th, 1939.  Since our church was celebrating Patriotic Sunday (always the Sunday before the 4^th of July) I wanted something related to that celebration. Below is basically what I said with some additions after the fact for this post.  It is a combination of the material from the devotion and my own thoughts on the subject.

The New York Yankees declared July 4^th, 1939 as Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day.  He had just retired from baseball because of “amyotrophic lateral sclerosis” (ALS) later known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Up until his retirement he had played in 2,130 consecutive games and had many other achievements.  Between games of a double header he gave a short speech in which he said, “Fans, for the last two weeks you’ve been reading about the bad break I got.  Yet today I consider myself to be the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”  Here was a man who is still had plenty of baseball left in him but his career was cut short by a disease he didn’t cause to happen.  His attitude was one of gratitude for all the good things he did have which included a wonderful wife, good parents, and the opportunity to play baseball in numerous ballparks.  He didn’t focus on the bad, he chose to remember the good.  July 4^th is an opportunity for us to focus on the good of this country.  You can turn on the TV at any moment and find somebody talking about what is wrong with this country.  Never forget that we still live in the greatest country on the face of the earth.  We have our flaws, but there is no other country I would rather live in.  Many people since July 4^th, 1776 have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to see that we have the freedoms we enjoy today.  There was another sacrifice that gave us freedom.  It was Christ dying on the cross freeing us from the bondage of sin.  In Christ we are free to love and serve one another knowing that He paid the price for our salvation. So remember this July 4^th to honor those who sacrificed to make this country great and thank God for the sacrifice of his Son so we can live eternally with Him.

Some thoughts on Lou Gehrig:

Lou Gehrig is the greatest first baseman to ever play the game.  His 2,130 consecutive games streak stood as a symbol of endurance and commitment for over 56 years until 1995 when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke that record.  The Iron Horse as he was known was often overshadowed by his teammate, Babe Ruth, but those who played with him or against him knew how good he really was.  He still has impressive career and single season feats.  One of those feats was 23 career grand slams which has since been tied this year by Alex Rodriguez (who is a topic for another day).  Gehrig’s ability to drive in runs was impressive by any generation’s standards.   The fact that he was so good at baseball and also so well liked because of his personality is truly a testament to how we should all live our lives.  His attitude in the face of a disease that took his life just two years after it forced him to retire is as impressive…is more impressive than his baseball career. It is certainly more impressive than my own attitude at times.  I strongly encourage you to research the life and career of Lou Gehrig.  A great starting point is the movie The Pride of the Yankees, starring Gary Cooper as Gehrig.