[Note-Begins with children's message.] St. Paul got it right when he described our life on this earth. It’s a fight. It’s a fight against the spiritual forces of evil and against the devil himself. And every day we seem to lose a battle or two or three. We are bloodied and wounded. We lay in the guilt of our sin, and all appears lost. But it’s not! The battle has been won through Jesus Christ our Lord. Life is also a race. It’s the long hill that makes your legs burn. It’s gasping for air at every step. It is sweat and pain. It’s the long winding road that seems to have no end. One by one runners like you stagger and stop. You might even be at the point of dropping out right now. But you don’t have to. This race can be finished. This race can be won because Jesus has gone before us. He has cleared our way and lifted the weight of sin that knocks us down. You see, there is a finish after all – a finish full of promise and hope – a finish for all who believe.