In football, kick returns are plays of potential. Most of the time, the ball is kicked across the field into the hands of the return man, who then takes a knee for a touchback. On occasion, though, the return man sees something, a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos in front of him. He catches the ball and sprints forward, and the crowds slide forward in their seats, preparing for that return man to take the chance and break one free.

What if, instead of a slight and speedy running back, that return man was Jesus Christ?

Joe Maggelet proposed this question to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the ministry he oversees at Ashland University. Jesus would never think of taking a knee, Joe says. He would take it to the house each and every time. 

The Bible tells us this in Jeremiah 32:27. It reads, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” 

Nothing is too hard for God. Not a kickoff return, not a swimming race. He’d set national records every time he dove in the pool.

If God can do these things, what else could he do?

Maggelet is pacing behind a small podium in the sanctuary beneath the chapel. He is wearing a black quarter-zip AU Eagles sweatshirt, simple blue jeans and the black Nikes referees wear on the basketball court. He has hair cut close, and a salt-and-pepper goatee; pepper above his mouth, salt below. He is energized, punctuating his preaching with a fist pound on the podium. He is preaching before a small group, maybe 25 or 30 of Ashland University’s athletes. Tonight’s topic is identity in Christ. 

He uses another metaphor. This time, he abandons sports and draws on war. He describes himself as a Nazi soldier in World War II. God came at him as an American soldier, Tommy gun blazing. He was shot full of holes, but, instead of leaving him out there to die, God raised him up with him. He was reborn a Christian

The Bible tells us this in Romans 6:8. It reads, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” 

To die in Christ is to give your life over to him. Maggelet died, so to speak, when he was 14. There were no bullets, only a classmate with a book and some determination. Maggelet sat down with him and listened as he explained the Gospel to him. He had heard it all before; he was from an Italian Catholic neighborhood, the sort of place where the class roster sounds like an Italian restaurant menu to the untrained ear. Something about that day in Florida, far from home after the state took him from his mother, left him open to this transformative moment. His family in Connecticut was corrupted by alcohol and drugs, his mother suicidal. His father had abandoned the family when Maggelet was four years old. He had felt unwanted until that boy sat down with his book and refused to leave him alone.

The Bible explains this in Matthew 18:20. It reads, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

For Joe Maggelet, it only took two. With Joe Horn on his final football game for the Ashland Eagles, it was three. Horn, Maggelet and the guest speaker prayed together before the game. Horn could look up into the stands at Jack Miller Stadium and know there were pro scouts there evaluating his every play. Horn and Maggelet prayed for success, for a great game. On that first kick-off, Horn received the kick. He caught it at his own seven-yard line. Unable to find sanctuary on one knee for a touchback, he ran forward, taking the ball down the length of the field for a touchdown, just like Jesus would. He ran off the field, filled with joy. Horn leapt into Maggelet’s arms on the sidelines following this play, his first of six touchdowns on the day.

Horn associates the Book of Romans with Maggelet. In Chapter 15, Verse 13, the book reads, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

On a crisp October afternoon, Maggelet is praying for an overflowing of joy. He has the same simple blue jeans on, and the quarter-zip sweatshirt is just barely visible under a purple AU winter jacket. He has a black Nike winter hat with a cracked swoosh on the front. Walking the sidelines, Maggelet is like the big man on campus. He knows everyone’s name, and stops the occasional player for a brief moment before letting him return to practice. He finally stands still across the field from the empty home bleachers. Well, mostly still. The loud rap music pumped into the stadium instilled a slight sway in Maggelet. The first-team defense is practicing against the scout-team defense. Maggelet points out defensive linemen who have played disruptive football all year, linebackers returning from injuries and safeties who are playing their final few games before graduation. Soon, a whistle blows and the team gathers in a semi-circle for the final prayer before a road trip to Grand Valley State.

The players are all on one knee holding hands. Some have their eyes to the heavens, others with their eyes shut tight and heads solemnly bowed. Joe is praying over them, praying for fearless football, for a game played with integrity, and for pure joy on the field. With that, the prayer ends, and the team disperses.

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” – 2 Timothy 2:2

Back in Florida, Maggelet was entrusted with the Gospel. Since then, he has devoted his life to entrusting that message to others. He does this, believing they will take this message and spread it further. For if God can save Maggelet, if God can set national records in the pool or on the field, well, what can’t he do?