At the PCUSA’s general conference in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago, Dr. Cynthia Rigby was given the Excellence in Theological Education Award for her decades of incredible teaching, most recently at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Dr. Rigby is passionate, funny, brilliant, and a totally captivating speaker, who has spent her career absolutely enchanting seminary students, including me, with the wonder and mystery of God. Her Young-onset Parkinson’s disease limits some of her work now, but as she reflected on her work and career at the ceremony, it was clear that her embodiment of all the grace she taught was the same.

She spoke about watching the NBA finals with her family and a commentator fully abandoning the facade of objectivity and analysis, shouting at the Mavericks,

‘Go after the ball,’ ‘Now shoot it into the basket. What the hell are you doing? Put it IN!’ ‘Just try to win. Try to win! Try to win! Try to win!’”

She then went on to say that if she had been on the Mavericks this probably would have annoyed her, but listening, she struggled to be annoyed at the commentator. He just had so much hope. He really believed the Mavericks could win. 

Looking at a room full of leaders for a mainline denomination that struggles with the same sense of decline that so many mainline denominations do, she reminded them that the Church is God’s chosen instrument, that in Jesus, our victory is secure. A brilliant woman, stepped back from her career due to illness, she told them,

“Try to win.” 

Tears rolled down my face reading about her speech in Presbyterian Outlook, partially out of my love for my old professor, and partially because, as she always is, she was so right, and so knew exactly what needed to be said. She was a person who always knew what the thing behind the thing was, and said only that. 

It is hard sometimes, in our church climate, in our political climate, in our economic climate, even in our literal climate, to feel like it’s worth it to hold our hopes too high. It is hard sometimes to continue to try to fight battles it seems inevitable you will lose, to be the bigger person, to hold space for joy, peace, for reconciliation, for better days ahead for ourselves, our people, and for the institutions we lead. 

But we have a victory in Christ. We have a God that will remain with us. So – try to win. Try to win with a new ministry, new program, a single new person encountering the love of God, or a single familiar person encountering it in a new way. Try to win by rebuilding trust where it has been broken, by doing better than you did last time, by learning, growing, and healing. Try to win by choosing the path of mercy, of love, and of peace, even when other paths are so much easier. 

It has been a dark and divisive week. There will probably be dark and divisive weeks ahead. But  the church has survived hard times before. We have all survived hard times before (ministry around 4 years ago was no walk in the park), and we all have victory in Christ, that we daily walk ever closer to. It is not the time to resign the game as lost, to hope next year, the next appointment, the next leader, will go better. We are safe in the assurance that God is near to us whether we win or lose, celebrate or mourn, succeed or fail. But we might as well try to win. 

What is one win you could go for this week? What has been sitting undone that just might make a difference? And what do you not have that you need to do it? What would it look like to marshall the resources to make it happen? (Even if that means taking a real Sabbath so you have the energy to try). We at Ministry Incubators are here to help you win however we can, We can’t help with everything, but there are certain things – coaching, project management, strategic visioning – we are well-suited for, and we would love to cheer you on. 

For hero of the faith, Dr. Rigby (or as we know her, Cindy), for the Dallas Mavericks, and for the church at large – this week, try to win.