ENGLAND 1, USA 1 is the surprising (and somewhat disappointing) result of England’s first game in football’s WORLD CUP, and hopes are high that England can do somewhat better in their second game against Algeria. In fact hopes are high across the championship with so many questions being asked: Will South Africa pull off hosting this magnificent occasion? Will it help bring nations together? Will there be lots of stunning goals? And most importantly will England win? It was the famous Bill Shankley who said that "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that." And serious it is, with everybody hoping that Fabio Capello’s team will be the first since 1966 to finally bring the World Cup ‘home’.

The World Cup is a truly magnificent occasion and lots of people’s hopes and dreams are avidly pinned upon it - but the truth is that only the best will be able to win and lift that golden trophy! But what about you? What are your hopes placed in - and where (when all is said and done) will you be when that ‘World Cup’ story that we call life is over?

Life, just like football, can be a story of ‘up’s and down’s, with real moments of joy tempered by real moments of hurt and sadness, but whereas only the best can claim to win in football, we can all be winners when it comes to the story of life, not because we shall all receive high salaries or have the opportunity to buy expensive cars, but because in Christ we meet with someone who not only cares about us deeply but sees our true potential. Not only is he an excellent role model giving us something to aspire to, he is like a football coach who comes alongside us and teaches us not only how to play the game but how to please the ‘manager’. The only problem is that in life we inevitably get things wrong as we insist on doing things our own way and pleasing ourselves. It’s then that Jesus acts as the most remarkable ‘substitute’ ever, taking upon himself the punishment that we rightly deserve for our sins, dying upon the cross. All we have to do is be sorry and say thank you. Simply acknowledging our sins and putting our faith in Jesus Christ puts us on the ‘winning’ side - not just for 90 minutes but for always.

This World Cup gives us a moment of joy, excitement and anticipation as we look to see if England can truly win, but it also gives us perhaps an opportunity to reflect upon our own lives in the light of that greater story which speaks of hope, love, forgiveness and glorious ‘second chances’. Like the World Cup, it’s an opportunity too good to miss – who’d want to let that slip through their fingers?

Yours as ever, Stephen Thorp