The "Fly Eagles Fly" Story

Rev. Andrea Brown

It was an ordinary day.  Reading what one of my former students and yearbook editors at Manheim Township HIgh School had to say about the latest Super Bowl win by the Philadelphia Eagles.  For most that might not be a big deal, but for me it was because Andrea Brown is now a Methodist minister.  I'm not quite sure how many years ago she might have graduated from high school, but I'm sure that doesn't make a difference as to the gist of this story.  Rev. Andrea Brown, pastor at nearby Grandview United Methodist Church, happened to be interviewed by the local newspaper for a story the paper was doing in their Faith & Values section.  Seems that the Revised Common Lectionary, a guide which was published in 1983 for weekly church themes, hymns and readings, which are used by many Protestant and Catholic churches, suggested the passage from Isaiah 40:31 be used this past Sunday, Superbowl Sunday.  

Isaiah 40:31

The passage can be read in my photograph and you see why so many feel that God was on the winning team during the game.  Hey, how could the Eagles go wrong with renewed strength on their wings.  Even the hymns mentioned were favorable to the Eagles being they were "On Eagles Wings," "Arise, Your Light Has come" and "Praise to the Lord Almighty," all of which reference eagles' wings.  Not only that, but the color for this past Sunday for the drapings hung on the altar and pulpit were none other than green.  More than likely Eagles Green!  Bet'cha many churches even had green flowers on the altar on Sunday.  Brady didn't stand a chance against God and his crew.  But, what really sealed the deal for the Eagles was the fact that Rabbi Paskoff of the Congregation Shaarai Shomayim in Lancaster, Pennsylvania pointed out that the passage read all over the world two weeks before the Super Bowl was Exodus 19:4 which reads: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians (maybe he meant the Vikings), and now I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself.  And the icing on the cake was the fact that last Sunday was Scout Sunday and many Eagle Scouts were in attendance.  I'll bet many of those scouts were wearing their green underwear under their uniforms.  So, do I think there might have been divine intervention that helped the Eagles win their First Super Bowl? You bet'cha!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.