The Arizona Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football Conference championship this morning to advance to the Super Bowl.  I am not a big fan of the Cardinals, yet they used to play the ball at ASU where I studied in the 1990s. I still have a strong attachment to the team.

The Cardinals were never being that good until this season and was never looked upon until today’s game. There were underdogs all the way up to the championship game, even still to the Super Bowl on February 1. The local media put it, “That’s not a mirage rising out of the desert, folks. It’s the lowly Arizona Cardinals soaring to their first Super Bowl.

As Philip told his brother Nathanael that he found the One that Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophet, Jesus a carpenter’s son, from Nazareth. Out of skepticism, Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” How could the Messiah come from a humble family and a lowly, unknown town like Nazareth? But God’s power and glory are manifested through His humility.

Today the Arizona Cardinals have surprised many sports skeptics, but also offered an excellent lesson for the lowly or underdogs — never give up!