I wonder how many of you remember the opening sequence to ABC’s Wide World of Sports?  The show ran every Saturday afternoon from April of 1961 to January of 1998.  And for those 37 years, it always began the same way, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport … the thrill of victory … and the agony of defeat … the human drama of athletic competition … This is “ABC's Wide World of Sports!”  And what was most memorable about that opening montage was “the agony of defeat” personified by the spectacular wipeout of ski jumper Vinko Bogataj of Yugoslavia (who sustained a concussion in the crash, but was otherwise uninjured).  And for those of you either too young or too old to remember the show, you can watch the opening montage on YouTube.

This week we move from Joshua 6 and “The Thrill of Victory” (over Jericho) to Joshua 7 and “The Agony of Defeat” (to Ai).  We move from a high point to a low point.  In emotional terms, we’ve gone from a mountaintop experience to the valley of death.  What happened?  Simply put … sin happened.  And this sin carries significant consequences.  There’s some big things going on in Joshua 7 … there’s a lot about prayer and repentance and obedience … but it’s hard to find the gospel in such a sad story.  It’s there, but we have to dig for it.  And it’s not easy. 

So come prepared to hear a story about trouble … that will eventually become a door of hope.  It should be interesting … I’ll see you Sunday, Dr. Dave