This past Sunday, the church celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
At first glance, the cross looks like a defeat: Christ mocked, humiliated, nailed up to die.
St Paul says it plainly — to unbelievers, the cross is foolishness. Yet for us who believe, the cross is not the end but the beginning: it brings salvation and the greatest second chance humanity could ever be offered.
Second chances are something rugby league fans saw written across the finals this past weekend.
The Bulldogs fell to Storm, while the Raiders lost a golden-point thriller to the Broncos. Both results were gut-wrenching for their supporters.
In most competitions, that would mean the season is over. But thanks to the NRL’s finals system, both sides live to fight another week.
To some, that might look like rewarding failure. But to players, coaches and fans it’s a priceless gift — the chance to learn from mistakes, rally together, and go again.
Every second chance brings both responsibility and hope. It doesn’t erase the disappointment of the week before, but it does mean the story isn’t finished yet.
Faith works in a similar way.
None of us goes through life undefeated. We fall, we lose our cool, we give in to temptation, we let others down.
In the spiritual life, those moments can feel like the season is over.
Yet the message of the cross is that God never writes us off. He gives us the opportunity — time and again — to repent, to be reconciled, and to begin again.
That doesn’t mean pretending the past didn’t happen. It means that by God’s mercy, our failures are not the final word.
There’s something powerful about watching a team walk back onto the field after a tough loss, knowing they’ve been handed a lifeline. The crowd gets behind them, the players dig deeper, and suddenly what looked like an ending becomes a chance for redemption.
As Christians, we should approach the mercy of God with that same determination: not taking it for granted, but treating it as the precious gift it is.
The Bulldogs and Raiders now carry the hopes of their supporters into another week of finals football.
Whether they win or lose, they’ve been given the opportunity to make something more of their season.
In the same way, Christ carries us forward through the cross. The greatest second chance of all time was won there — not with a field goal or a last-minute try, but with arms stretched wide in sacrifice and love.
As we exalt the cross, we remember that what looks like foolishness is in fact the power of God.
And as the finals roll on, we’re reminded that in sport, as in life, it’s not always about never falling — it’s about what you do with the chance to rise again.
