January 21

WALLY PIPP

Father, thank You for bringing me to this place and this time today. I ask You to speak to me right now, and to let Your Word breathe life into my heart. Please use these next few moments to bring me to more of a fullness of You and to learn more of Your Glory and how to leave the footprints of Jesus everywhere I go today. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!

Read Luke 3:7-18

Walter Clement Pipp, born February 17, 1893 in Chicago IL. and passing from this life on January 11, 1965 in Grand Rapids MI., made his major league baseball debut on June 29, 1913 at the age of 20, for the Detroit Tigers. He only played in 12 games that season, before being sent back to the minors. He then resurfaced with the New York Yankees in 1915 and quickly developed into a star. His 12 homeruns in 1916 were a record, until Babe Ruth came along. He flourished at the plate and as a defensive first basemen for the Yankees. In 1924, he had a career high,114 runs batted in and 19 triples. Most of you; except for some diehard Yankee fans and baseball historians, have probably never heard of Wally Pipp. On June 2, 1925, Mr. Pipp had a headache and asked his manager to sit out the game. The Yankees manager, Miller Huggins, inserted a young prospect named Lou Gehrig into the lineup. Mr. Gehrig went on to start a long-standing record 2,180 straight games (the record was broken by Cal Ripken in 1995). That is why most of you have never heard of Mr. Pipp.

John the Baptist makes me think of Wally Pipp. I love what John says in this sermon. He has some amazing points about living the Christian faith. Yet I cannot remember single sermon in the almost fifteen hundred Sundays in my lifetime focusing on what John said here! Why is that? Why do we not extol these principles? John the Baptist was adamant that He was not the central figure, instead he continually pointed to Jesus as the focus for our attention. He did not want to be the one who was to be remembered; he knew Jesus was greater. I have a friend that likes to say, “you recognize quality when you see it”. This describes John the Baptist. He recognized the greatness of Christ.

Today I urge you to do the same. Let Jesus be central. Leave His footprints by deferring to Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!