by Doug Rehberg
There have been some great calls in sports history. Maybe it’s because I’m a golfer. Maybe it’s because I love the Masters so much, but I believe the most memorable calls are the ones by the side of a green at Augusta in the last 30 years.
In 2005 Tiger Woods chipped into the hole on the 16th green from 50 feet away. It was called the greatest chip in Masters’ history and it propelled Woods to his 4th green jacket in 9 years. As the ball fell into the cup, after hanging on the edge for nearly 10 seconds, Verne Lundquist exclaimed, “In your life have you seen anything like that?!”
But there are two other Masters moments that some say are even more memorable. They both occurred in the final round of the iconic 1986 Masters where 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus won his 6th green jacket.
On the 17th hole Nicklaus rolled in a crucial birdie putt to take the lead and Lundquist happily proclaimed, “Yes sir!” That phrase is now inseparable from that putt, that victory, and the Nicklaus legend. No retrospective of the Golden Bear’s career will fail to include it. And yet, only minutes before - 37 minutes to be exact - on the 15th hole Jack made an even more important putt. This one was for an eagle, and it caused one of the loudest ovations anyone at Augusta can remember. In the din of the moment the British CBS announcer, Ben Wright, shouted: “Yes sir!” Then he proclaimed, “There’s life in the old Bear yet!”
Why do I regale you with such frivolity? The answer is all wrapped up in that last call - “Yes sir!” In II Corinthians, chapter one, the Apostle Paul says, “For all the promises of God find their YES in Jesus Christ. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.” This verse confirms what precedes it. Christ was, and is, not “Yes” and “No”, not uncertain and inconsistent, but a resounding “Yes”, for in Him all the promises of God are fulfilled. All that God had ever promised relating to human salvation was fully achieved in Him - “Yes” in Christ! That is, God’s promises found their affirmation and accomplishment in Him. And so, as Paul says, through Him the “Amen” is spoken. In other words “Yes” and “Amen” (or so be it) are exact equivalents. The Apostle John knows this, for he says in Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and any eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. YES Amen.”
Of all the verses we could have chosen as a foundation for the next 8 to 10 years of ministry at Hebron, none is more exciting and more poignant than II Corinthians 1:20. What the unchanging Lord Jesus sets before us is an opportunity to Say Yes to Him. This is the heart of discipleship. This is the heart of stewardship. This is the heart of giving beyond ourselves to the least, the last, and the lost. This is the heartbeat of a heart that is soft and responsive to His Spirit. This is the heart of why He chose you and called you to be His. This is what it means to be a “little Christ.” All “Say Yes” presentations being made on Sunday mornings will culminate in Hebron’s Gala on Friday, September 15th at Edgewood Country Club. Please say “Yes sir!” to being there.
