The Unit

A few weeks ago I attended one of our local high school football games. It just happened that I sat between two fathers of players. They did not know me nor did I know them. However, they did know each other. During the game they would at times banter back and forth with friendly talk. But then when the opponents scored a touchdown on a kickoff return, the father to my right turned toward the father on my left and said, "Your son missed the tackle." I looked at that father whose son had missed one of the tackles that could have prevented the touchdown. The father's expression was one of indescribable pain and loss for words. Almost immediately, without thinking, I turned to the father who was so forthcoming with his criticism and responded, "Ten other players also apparently missed the ball carrier." The father whose son had been criticzed, quietly leaned toward me and said. "Thank you." I looked and saw a man filled with relief. The other father became a little more quiet and less critical during the rest of the game.

The point of my statement to the judgmental father was this: It takes eleven players to play the game. Football is a team sport. The players of the special team unit that was on the field each had an assignment. Those assignments broke down and as a result, the opponents scored. They scored not because of one player's mistake, but because the team play broke down.

I read this morning from 1 Corinthians 12:12 these words: "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."

We are so quick to criticize, judge, and blame others for mistakes, failings, and weakness. We blame the President for our nation's predictaments. We blame our fellow worker in our place of enployment. We blame our spouse. We blame our parents. We blame our children. We blame the pastor. We blame our church board. We blame one another, instead of of taking responsibility as a unit.

In Romans 15:1, Paul writes "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves." Earlier in Romans, Paul wrote "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (12:3-5).

There is a popular TV series on Tuesday night called "The Unit" that I enjoy watching. Each week's plot is based around one secret military special ops unit and their families. This unit understands that their missions can only be successful as they stick together. They cover for one another and also hold each other accountable. The wives the the unit do the same. No one thinks of themself as more important or unneeded. The unit works together to get the mission accomplished.

To paraphrase Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:27: You are The Unit of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." Last night I watched New England dominate Minnesota in Monday night football. Tom Brady was at his best. But really, he could only be at his best and look so good because there were many other players on offense, defense, and speacial teams that were also at their best. Whenever Brady threw a TD pass, I would notice a lineman or some other player exchange words of encouragement. Brady knows he can only be as good as the guy who is in front blocking for him or the guy who is catching his pass. It's all about the unit.