Games people play

Many of us, perhaps most of us, were weaned on games.

The best games teach us something about life.

My late mother and maternal grandmother used to host card parties at their homes on Friday nights.

The living room was jammed with small tables at which the action would commence.

Our family played Euchre, a game said to have been brought into my home state of Pennsylvania by German settlers in the early 1800s.

As a high school senior growing up in Pittsburgh, four of us boys would finish our lunch in the cafeteria as quickly as possible in order to get to the game.

We'd play until the bell rang summoning us all back to class,

The random nature of the deal of every Euchre hand was exciting, and I can still recall the exasperated voice of Grandma often exclaiming as she received her five cards, "Who dealt this mess?"

It's a simple game, and while this column is not about the rules of Euchre, it should be pointed out that one plays with the ace, king, queen and jack plus lesser 10s and 9s.

The object is to win the trick, which is done most easily if you have a "trump" card in your hand.

If hearts are declared trump, for example, any heart, even a 9 card, can defeat an ace of another suit.

Honor

Whoever leads the play of a trick, all others must follow with a card from the same suit even if playing that card is to your detriment.

Groans are often heard as cards are dropped into the pile that players had hoped to save for a future trick.

When learning the game as a child, my grandfather, who took the game quite seriously, would often shout, "You reneged!"

Not following suit, holding back when honor demanded the most valuable card in your hand be thrown down, is reneging.

Another word for reneging, at least from Grandpa Sam's point of view, is cheating.

It only took one or two shouts from Grandpa's side of the table, and this boy received a life lesson.

Be honorable even if it costs you.

Play from strength

As a youngster, Granddad would forcefully critique my play.

"Why did you lead with that card?" he demanded.

"Always lead with the strongest card in your hand," he implored, imparting a second life lesson.

In life, employ your strongest talents.

For me, those things have been speaking in public and writing.

Ask me to replace a doorknob, though, and I'm lost.

Biblical accounts

I don't see anything in the canonical New Testament suggesting Jesus of Nazareth personally played games or had similar diversionary moments with his band of disciples.

But he must have done so, friends.

Jesus had to have had some way of taking the pressure off 12 men who had left their lives behind in order to follow the uncertain and often precarious life of the Master.

Remember the Gospels are not biography.

What is revealed are those things necessary for the path to salvation.

The games they must have played in their travels were not germane to the mission at hand so the authors of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John didn't write about them.

In my mind's eye, I imagine what playing Euchre with the second person of the Trinity might have been like,

"Now Peter, you know you didn't follow suit right there. Come on, play the game correctly," the Lord might chide.

"Philip, you should have led with your king. It's your strongest card. Next time, lead with your strength and see what everybody else has," the Lamb of God might admonish.

Each of us has gifts, which are God-given strengths, to use for the upbuilding of Christ's community on earth.

Don't cheat. Lead with your strengths.

Two lessons from Euchre that it seems to this columnist Jesus would heartily endorse.