March 29, 2026 (Palm Sunday) - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART

Abby Cheng

If you've lived in Edmonton for any amount of time, chances are high that you are, or have become an Oilers fan and you are familiar with the team's captain, Connor McDavid. Since entering the NHL 11 years ago, McDavid has racked up award after award, record after record: 5-time recipient of the Art Ross trophy (NHL points leader), 3-time Hart Memorial (regular season MVP), 4-time Ted Lindsay (most outstanding player in the league), among many other accolades. He is widely recognized as the greatest hockey player of this generation. There are many who disagree with that statement though, arguing that McDavid cannot be the greatest simply because he and his team have not yet won the top prize in hockey: the Stanley Cup. The dissenters say that all the accolades in the sport don't matter in the end if he has not raised that Cup over his head.

In the Bible, Paul is a man who has racked up many accolades of his own. He writes that if anyone should have a reason to be confident that they have achieved salvation by their works, it would be him (Philippians 3:4-6). He goes on to say that he counts all of these former achievements as loss, compared to the top prize of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord (Phil 3:7-8). Just as I'm sure McDavid would trade all of his individual trophies for the Stanley Cup, so did Paul choose to give up his worldly merits in order to gain Christ. 

Take note that Paul says the prize is “knowing” Jesus, not just being saved and going to heaven when we die. McDavid’s not going to retire immediately after he wins the Stanley Cup; if you've listened to any of his interviews, you know that the guy lives and breathes hockey and he doesn't want to be doing anything else. The prize for him is to get better and better at hockey and to help bring his team to victory every year. Ours is one of eternal worth, to walk closely and become thoroughly acquainted with Jesus and to become more like Him every day. Let's keep pressing on so we can take hold of this prize, for the praise and glory of our coming King and Savior!