Last weekend saw one of the world’s greatest sporting events as the Ryder Cup took place just outside Paris. Golf is usually a solitary sport, each golfer versus the rest, but the Ryder cup is very much a team sport: 12 of Europe’s finest playing against 12 from the USA. (If you didn’t see it – Europe won, very convincingly!)
Apart from the wonderful golf and the fact that it’s always great to beat the USA, what was most impressive was that every member of the Europe team contributed at least 1 point to the win. It was a team win won by a playing as a team.
That theme of team play, where everybody has a vital role to play, is one that the New Testament thoroughly endorses. In a famous passage in 1 Corinthians 12, St Paul uses the analogy of the body, where each part is vital to the health and proper functioning of the whole to show that every Christian has a key role to play in fulfilling the mission of Jesus.
On this ‘lifeboat for the lost’ we call the church, Jesus our captain calls everyone to play their part. Some roles are unique, but we should all give, pray, serve, love and speak of Jesus. You may feel weak or ill-equipped, but your team needs you!