Team Players (Friday Devotional)

 

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

- Ephesians 2:19-22

Yesterday, my brother and I began our second season coaching Little League baseball. For more than an hour, we rolled grounders, played catch, and taught proper hitting technique to a group of 6, 7, and 8-year olds. In just a few short weeks, the Trash Pandas will take the field for the first time in a real game.

But for that initial practice, I was struck by the disparity of talent, experience, and attention span among our players. For a few kids, this was their third or fourth baseball season, and practice was just about shaking off rust. For some others, this is the season they graduated from tee ball to coach pitch, and so last night was their first time facing pitching (even if it was from me, kneeling on the grass 5 feet in front of them). And for at least one of our players, this was the first time he’d played baseball outside his backyard.

But despite this gap in experience and skill, everybody belongs on our team. The beautiful thing about Little League is that, whether you’re new to the game or an old pro, all you have to do to join the team is, well, join the team. Everybody grows together and nobody gets left behind.

In that regard, I’m reminded of the church as described in the New Testament. The early church was made up of men and women, fishermen and Pharisees, a few prosperous community leaders and a lot of poor followers. Some had spent three years with Jesus, some had only heard his story, and one was confronted by him on a Damascus road.  But whatever their backgrounds, all professed the same faith, all held tight to the same gospel. In Jesus’ name, they were transformed from a motley crew into a family of faith.

Today, the church has the opportunity to be a countercultural witness to a fragmented, divided society. If obedient to Christ, the church is a body that doesn’t care what value you bring to the organization, because as someone created in the image of God, your worth is inherent. If obedient to Christ, your education, career, and family history are part of your story, but they are not your defining characteristics—your faith in Jesus is. If obedient to Christ, the church welcomes both the well-to-do businessman and the impoverished addict with open arms—because both need Jesus.

In Little League, both the stars and the scrubs get jerseys. Everybody rides the bench at some point, and everybody plays. Nobody gets left behind. In Jesus’ name, may the church dare to embrace an even greater spirit of hospitality than that—may we not only allow anyone on our team, but welcome them into our family.