The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings!
March 7, 2010

You saw it years ago, if you were a football fan of the Dallas Cowboys. It was a banner that hung over a wall at the old Cowboys’ Texas Stadium every Sunday afternoon.

The story is that a rabid Dallas Cowboy fan got an extra large bed sheet and carefully painted those words on it for all America to read. He was challenging the players, Cowboy fans and all America to never give up. “The Opera Ain’t Over Till the Fat Lady Sings.”

Far too often we jump to the wrong conclusions, assuming from the human perspective, that “it’s over with, just give up, go on home, it’s finished!” Then, the impossible happens, and God speaks or touches or inspires or empowers or sends a new preacher and the obvious becomes the very opposite. The struggling church becomes the growing church. The small church (in numbers) becomes the church “on fire” for the Lord Jesus Christ.

You remember, don’t you?

• A ragged group of Hebrew slaves escaping from Egypt came up to the Red Sea with no way to escape from a pursuing Egyptian army, and wouldn't you know it, a path miraculously appeared, passing through the Red Sea; the Hebrew slaves walked through the water on dry land.
• A young teenager named David took a sling and a rock and, wouldn’t you know it, slew a nine foot tall giant.
• The city of Jericho had a high wall built around it, indestructible and, wouldn’t you know it, when the Israelites marched around the wall six times for six days, blew a trumpet and shouted, the walls fell down.
• There was no exit at Golgotha when Jesus was crucified and buried and, wouldn’t you know it, three days later Jesus was alive and the tomb empty.
• That a ragged group of believers with nothing but faith, trust and commitment to Jesus Christ took the saving gospel into all the world. Now wouldn’t you just know they would succeed!

God doesn’t sponsor “flops,” but our adversary, the Devil, wants us to think it’s over. The clock is running out…Heritage has only a few children, a few more teenagers and several young adults, and lots of us “older folks,” the budget has been cut, the numbers are down, few are joining. But some of us “believe” and that “believing group” is growing and it ain’t over because our Lord Jesus Christ is still empowering Heritage Baptist Church.

Fanny Crosby, in her great hymn “Rescue the Perishing,” wrote in the third verse, “Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore; touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, chords that are broken will vibrate once more." Wouldn’t you know it, Jesus is restoring, and Heritage is experiencing His Grace of restoration.

Woodrow Hudson, Interim Pastor