The Seahawks’ second straight trip to the Super Bowl has unified our entire state.

You can hardly pass anyone on the street without hearing “Go Hawks!” To which you’ll likely respond “Go Hawks!” It reminds me of passing the peace in church.

Can you believe that unlikely victory against Green Bay catapulting the Hawks into the big game? Amazing! At the end of the first half the score was 16-0. Our team was lifeless.

Ironically, I had to miss the second half to officiate a memorial service. As I contemplated Psalm 23, the shadow of death had multiple meanings. I was mourning the end of an elderly friend’s life as well as the end of the postseason that held such promise.

I was dying inside not knowing what was going on in the game. As a colleague eulogized the deceased, I hid my smart phone behind my hymnal to peek at the score. The Packers led 16-7 at the end of the third quarter. In spite of offering hope to the hopeless in the sanctuary, I didn’t hold out much hope for the Hawks.

Nonetheless, following the benediction, I bolted out the door in search of a television. My heart sunk. The score was now 19-7. With three minutes to go, we were down by two touchdowns. Our beloved Seahawks were beaten and all but buried. There was just no way!

And then with you, I witnessed the comeback of the century! It was a resurrection of sorts. The gloom of Good Friday gave way to the glory of Easter Sunday. Sure defeat was trumped by triumph.

Regardless of the outcome of the Super Bowl, I will savor the sweetness of the final few minutes for years to come. Brothers and sisters, I’ve been to the mountaintop. I’ve seen the Promised Land. Those two quick scores, the two-point conversion, the onside kick, the successful coin toss and that overtime touchdown. Talk about milk and honey!

In a football game we’ll not soon forget, I’ve glimpsed a timeless truth of life. No matter the circumstances, it’s always too soon to give up.

That’s what a first century rabbi by the name of Paul was getting at when he penned these familiar words: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…”

Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos is the chaplain at Covenant Shores.