UpperDogs

Church Of The Underdog

You might remember it. On October 3rd, 1964, NBC aired the first episode of their new animated series “Underdog.” America loved it. He was a kindhearted, humble pup who would duck into a nearby telephone booth whenever his damsel was in distress and emerge a bumbling hero. Underdog tangled with several different nefarious characters in his day, typically causing considerable collateral damage in the process.

But we love him. Why? Because we can tell that he represents something true, something archetypal, something that relates to us. You see, underdog is a paradox. He is not what he seems. Imagine what it would be like if Underdog actually was the underdog. What would the show be like if he always lost? Would anyone be interested in watching? Of course not. He’s intriguing because in spite of how he appears, and the name he’s given, he’s actually the champion. The contradiction is intriguing because it speaks of our own role in the story. Christians appear to be the underdogs as well, but it’s an illusion. We’re actually the champions in the story. We’re on the winning team and we’re in the middle of that moment in the story where the winning team charges ahead—taking the lead to the roar of the crowd. This is the conquering scene and we have a big part in the action.

But we, the church of the 21st century, tend to live like we’re in that part of the story where all the odds are stacked against us, like we’re hunkered down in the midst of the enemy’s camp just trying to survive. We live as if that’s our only state until our Hero returns. Jesus, of course, is the Hero in this story. At least we’ve gotten that part right. He is the one who entered into human history, into this incredible tale and made the decisive move. This story ends with happily-ever-after because of him. But somehow we’ve missed a critical piece of information. We’ve overlooked the fact that while Jesus is the Hero

We are his sidekicks

We’re not really underdogs. We’re more like Robin to Batman or Tonto to the Lone Ranger. We have a critical role to play in this story. Where would the Hero be without his sidekick? Has God, in his insatiable quest for intimacy with us, made for himself children? Yes. Worshippers? Yes. Bride? Yes.

And Partners.

As his partners, as participants on the winning side, we are actually the UpperDogs in this story, no matter how things may feel at times. Think of this: after Jesus had accomplished the decisive move of the universe, his death and resurrection, he did not say, “Alright everyone, it’s done. The story is finished. I came, I saw, I conquered. Let’s celebrate!” He did not say this because while the decisive move had been made, the “battle won,” the story was not over yet. Have you ever noticed that? Wouldn’t you think the story would’ve been over at that moment? I mean, wasn’t Jesus’ grand entrance, epic battle and final surprising victory the whole point? We may not even realize it, but we live in this world as if the story has already climaxed and now it’s just on pause. It’s as if the important stuff is done and now we are just hanging out until the next big act begins in a land far, far away.

If the average Christian asked himself, “Why is the story still going? What is this part for? What is my role in it?” I imagine that the gnawing, guilty responsibility to “evangelize” would surface as the most obvious answer, and rightfully so. We all know that Jesus’ great last charge to his followers was to “go and make disciples of all the world.” But I contend that we’ve had too narrow a view of what that charge would look like. I believe that Jesus had much more in mind than our memorization of the “steps to salvation” and their occasional, awkward regurgitation. I believe he meant that his accomplishment through the empty tomb was now to be disseminated by us, to be manifested. And the manifestation of the Kingdom of God touches every arena of life, not just formal evangelism.

Being disseminators of the Kingdom, representatives of the Truth and ambassadors of that which “draws all men unto him” requires a posture—a new paradigm. It requires that we wrap our whole minds and hearts around how the reality of the gospel informs every facet of our demeanor—in culture, relationships, science and development, finance and faith. It is no longer sufficient (and maybe never was) for Christians to be differentiated by their purity alone. In order to fulfill our role in the story we’re going to have to be known for more than what we avoid and disagree with.

Rather than being esteemed or sought after, Christians are often seen as fringe, irrelevant outsiders. But the real problem here is not with the world and their opinion, it’s with us. The problem is that largely we see ourselves this way. We act as if we’re prey in the wolves’ territory, trembling and trying to stay safe until our great redeemer swoops in to make everything okay again. We think our highest goal is to keep ourselves from getting sullied in the world’s big mud puddle—like we have to stay sheltered from them… protect our beliefs and hold on tight to each other in the great Red Rover game of life. We live like they have all the cards and we’re bluffing.

But that is a lie.

We are the UpperDogs.

In every moment, every situation, every relationship, every idea or possibility, we have the upper hand. We are the ones who know the truth. We are the ones for whom death has lost its sting, rendering all threats empty. We are the ones with the ear of him who holds all resource, all potential, all power and authority, who has seen the story to its end and called it “good.” We literally have all that every human being needs. We cannot be deceived, stolen from, humiliated or killed. We are the UpperDogs.

What if we knew it? What would it look like if we lived that way? What would it look like in our churches, in science, in politics, in relationships? How would it change the way we navigate a day, a prayer, a conversation? What if we realized that the upper hand is ours in every arena? What if we donned our sidekick capes and turned into meaningful players, respected contributors, co-movers in the story? How would it change the landscape of faith? What if we threw off the defensive posture and became UpperDogs?

The truth is that we are living in the Partnership act of the story. This is the scene in the big narrative where the hero and his sidekicks save the day. No matter how things may appear, Jesus is still the conqueror and this is still the conquering scene.

This is still the conquering scene.

We have a role to play and the advantage is ours. It’s time we took it.