Groundhog Day

Did you know that Groundhog Day is more than just a silly ritual with a large rodent? It's really about something that all Christians should have. Interested? Read on...

Here’s the good news for the morning: winter is officially halfway over. Yes, all the dreariness that is Ohio in the winter will end in only six more weeks, when spring officially begins on March 21^st. And today is the official midwinter holiday – Groundhog Day! Only Americans could invent such a crazy holiday. For just a minute, think about what happened on the morning of Feb. 2 in the little town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. At the crack of dawn, dignitaries dressed in top hats and tails coaxed a large rodent out of his den, and held him up in front of a large crowd who had also gathered at the crack of dawn. These dignitaries then offered a long-term weather forecast based on whether or not that rodent saw his shadow. And to add to the silliness, all this was televised and watched by several million people.

And it doesn’t stop there. When I looked up “Punxsutawney Phil” on the internet – in case you didn’t know, that’s the official name of the “official” groundhog – I found a website named “Groundhog Stuff.com.” This site offers all sorts of groundhog souvenirs – mugs, scarves, hats, and tote bags. They even sell envelopes of Phil’s Hot Chocolate Mix and groundhog wine bottle stoppers! (If you’re planning a visit to Punxsutawney, by the way, you can stop by Punxsutawney Phil's Official Souvenir Shop located at 102 West Mahoning Street.) What a silly holiday! It seems to be just another way to rake in money from people who have nothing better to do than to engage in midwinter tomfoolery – another example of people spending their money on nonsense.

But maybe Groundhog Day merits a second look. This early February silliness might be a lot more serious than it appears to be at first glance. Groundhog Day isn’t really about a rodent making long-term forecasts. We have Jim Cantore on the Weather Channel to do that for us. No, way down deep, Groundhog Day is about hope. It’s about the hope that this year, spring will break out in February! It’s about the hope that one morning soon, we’ll wake up to robins singing under a clear, blue sky. It’s the hope that when we go outside to get the mail, warm breezes will caress our faces, and little green buds will dot the tree branches. It’s the hope that winter’s bleak, grey dreariness won’t get the last word, after all! “Did the groundhog see his shadow?” Each year, we hope that the answer is “no.”

We Christians understand the importance of hope. Hope is what keeps us going. An old proverb confidently says that “hope springs eternal.” But hope doesn’t spring eternal, not for everyone. Lots of people have no hope at all. They are convinced that there is no God, that love isn’t real, that miracles are impossible, and that when we die, it’s all over. Period. The end. But that’s not what we Christians believe! We hope in all kinds of things! We hope in the power of God to create and to recreate; we hope in the power of Jesus Christ to defeat even death; and we hope in the power of the Holy Spirit to work miracles. Hope is a powerful thing; and on some days, it’s the only thing that keeps us going. But let me be clear – hope doesn’t guarantee that we will get what we want. Anybody over the age of 5 knows that life is uncertain. Sometimes things turn out; sometimes they don’t. But that shouldn’t cause us to lose hope! God has our back; and sometimes God intervenes in our lives in ways that we could never even imagine!

A little over 15 years ago, a charming movie came out that appeared to be about sports – but it was really about hope. That movie was titled Angels in the Outfield. It was about two young boys in the California foster care system who were huge fans of the Angels baseball team. It didn’t matter that the Angels couldn’t hit a ball, catch a ball, or run the bases. They were huge fans anyway. The younger boy, JP, was always upbeat. “It could happen,” he would say, flashing a dazzling smile. The older boy, Roger, was less hopeful. He had been sent to foster care by his widowed father, and wanted nothing more than to be a part of a family. Early in the movie he asks his father, “When can we be a family again?” “When the Angels win the pennant” was the sarcastic reply. And so, that night, Roger said a prayer. “God… if there is a God… If you’re a man or a woman… if you’re listening, I’d really, really like a family. My dad says that will only happen if the Angels win the pennant. The baseball team, I mean. So, maybe you can help them a little. Amen.” And then, to everyone’s amazement, the Angels started to win games – lots of games. They won game after game because heavenly angels – angels with wings and halos -- were helping the batters bat, the pitchers pitch, and the fielders field. Sometimes they even helped the runners run. And Roger was the only one who could see them as they helped the team.

Midway through the movie, Roger’s father abandons him to the foster care system; and Roger loses what little hope he has. “I’ll never have a family now,” he mourns. JP’s hopeful response? “It could happen!” In the end, Roger does, indeed, have a family again. He is adopted by none other than the Angels’ coach who has grown to love him as a son; and coach adopts Roger’s friend JP, too! Roger’s prayer was answered in a way that he could never have imagined. And as the movie ends, the Angels do indeed win the pennant. No, we don’t always get what we hope for; but sometimes we get something even better! After all, what we hope for is only what we can imagine. God can bless us far beyond our own imaginations.

Now, I know that hope doesn’t come easily. There are plenty of discouragements in the world that extinguish our hope like so many blown-out birthday candles. But the Bible tells us time and time again not to lose hope! Abraham and Sarah gave up hope for a son. In fact, when God’s messengers told them that she would get pregnant, Sarah laughed until her false teeth fell out! And then… guess who had a son the very next year! The Israelites gave up hope that they would ever be anything more than slaves of the Pharaoh. And then, along came Moses, and… well, you know the rest. A thousand years later, Jesus’ followers lost hope that he was the Messiah. After all, he was dead and buried. But that was on Friday. When Sunday morning dawned, they got the surprise of their lives and the fulfillment of their hopes!

So, while most people around will hope in the groundhog and his shadow, I will hope in something else. I will hope in the power of God to surprise us in the most wonderful ways, even when we have given up all hope. I will join the great cloud of witnesses that remind us again and again never to lose hope that love, compassion, justice, and the fullness of life will have the last word. Maybe this year, even if we have no hope that spring will come early, we can hope in God’s promises. And, after all, those promises will give us even more joy than an early spring!

Here’s the good news for the morning: winter is officially halfway over. Yes, all the dreariness that is Ohio in the winter will end in only six more weeks, when spring officially begins on March 21^st. And today is the official midwinter holiday – Groundhog Day! Only Americans could invent such a crazy holiday. For just a minute, think about what happened this morning in the little town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. At the crack of dawn, dignitaries dressed in top hats and tails coaxed a large rodent out of his den, and held him up in front of a large crowd who had also gathered at the crack of dawn. These dignitaries then offered a long-term weather forecast based on whether or not that rodent saw his shadow. And to add to the silliness, all this was televised and watched by several million people.

And it doesn’t stop there. When I looked up “Punxsutawney Phil” on the internet – in case you didn’t know, that’s the official name of the “official” groundhog – I found a website named “Groundhog Stuff.com.” This site offers all sorts of groundhog souvenirs – mugs, scarves, hats, and tote bags. They even sell envelopes of Phil’s Hot Chocolate Mix and groundhog wine bottle stoppers! (If you’re planning a visit to Punxsutawney, by the way, you can stop by Punxsutawney Phil's Official Souvenir Shop located at 102 West Mahoning Street.) What a silly holiday! It seems to be just another way to rake in money from people who have nothing better to do than to engage in midwinter tomfoolery – another example of people spending their money on nonsense.

But maybe Groundhog Day merits a second look. This early February silliness might be a lot more serious than it appears to be at first glance. Groundhog Day isn’t really about a rodent making long-term forecasts. We have Jim Cantore on the Weather Channel to do that for us. No, way down deep, Groundhog Day is about hope. It’s about the hope that this year, spring will break out in February! It’s about the hope that one morning soon, we’ll wake up to robins singing under a clear, blue sky. It’s the hope that when we go outside to get the mail, warm breezes will caress our faces, and little green buds will dot the tree branches. It’s the hope that winter’s bleak, grey dreariness won’t get the last word, after all! “Did the groundhog see his shadow?” Each year, we hope that the answer is “no.”

We Christians understand the importance of hope. Hope is what keeps us going. An old proverb confidently says that “hope springs eternal.” But hope doesn’t spring eternal, not for everyone. Lots of people have no hope at all. They are convinced that there is no God, that love isn’t real, that miracles are impossible, and that when we die, it’s all over. Period. The end. But that’s not what we Christians believe! We hope in all kinds of things! We hope in the power of God to create and to recreate; we hope in the power of Jesus Christ to defeat even death; and we hope in the power of the Holy Spirit to work miracles. Hope is a powerful thing; and on some days, it’s the only thing that keeps us going. But let me be clear – hope doesn’t guarantee that we will get what we want. Anybody over the age of 5 knows that life is uncertain. Sometimes things turn out; sometimes they don’t. But that shouldn’t cause us to lose hope! God has our back; and sometimes God intervenes in our lives in ways that we could never even imagine!

A little over 15 years ago, a charming movie came out that appeared to be about sports – but it was really about hope. That movie was titled Angels in the Outfield. It was about two young boys in the California foster care system who were huge fans of the Angels baseball team. It didn’t matter that the Angels couldn’t hit a ball, catch a ball, or run the bases. They were huge fans anyway. The younger boy, JP, was always upbeat. “It could happen,” he would say, flashing a dazzling smile. The older boy, Roger, was less hopeful. He had been sent to foster care by his widowed father, and wanted nothing more than to be a part of a family. Early in the movie he asks his father, “When can we be a family again?” “When the Angels win the pennant” was the sarcastic reply. And so, that night, Roger said a prayer. “God… if there is a God… If you’re a man or a woman… if you’re listening, I’d really, really like a family. My dad says that will only happen if the Angels win the pennant. The baseball team, I mean. So, maybe you can help them a little. Amen.” And then, to everyone’s amazement, the Angels started to win games – lots of games. They won game after game because heavenly angels – angels with wings and halos -- were helping the batters bat, the pitchers pitch, and the fielders field. Sometimes they even helped the runners run. And Roger was the only one who could see them as they helped the team.

Midway through the movie, Roger’s father abandons him to the foster care system; and Roger loses what little hope he has. “I’ll never have a family now,” he mourns. JP’s hopeful response? “It could happen!” In the end, Roger does, indeed, have a family again. He is adopted by none other than the Angels’ coach who has grown to love him as a son; and coach adopts Roger’s friend JP, too! Roger’s prayer was answered in a way that he could never have imagined. And as the movie ends, the Angels do indeed win the pennant. No, we don’t always get what we hope for; but sometimes we get something even better! After all, what we hope for is only what we can imagine. God can bless us far beyond our own imaginations.

Now, I know that hope doesn’t come easily. There are plenty of discouragements in the world that extinguish our hope like so many blown-out birthday candles. But the Bible tells us time and time again not to lose hope! Abraham and Sarah gave up hope for a son. In fact, when God’s messengers told them that she would get pregnant, Sarah laughed until her false teeth fell out! And then… guess who had a son the very next year! The Israelites gave up hope that they would ever be anything more than slaves of the Pharaoh. And then, along came Moses, and… well, you know the rest. A thousand years later, Jesus’ followers lost hope that he was the Messiah. After all, he was dead and buried. But that was on Friday. When Sunday morning dawned, they got the surprise of their lives and the fulfillment of their hopes!

So, while most people around will hope in the groundhog and his shadow, I will hope in something else. I will hope in the power of God to surprise us in the most wonderful ways, even when we have given up all hope. I will join the great cloud of witnesses that remind us again and again never to lose hope that love, compassion, justice, and the fullness of life will have the last word. Maybe this year, even if we have no hope that spring will come early, we can hope in God’s promises. And, after all, those promises will give us even more joy than an early spring!