Big Loads And Strong Chains
If you want to pull a big load, you've got to have a strong chain.
I am reading The Score Takes Care Of Itself by Bill Walsh with Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh. As I was reading this morning, the excerpt below stood out. It reflects both what the Lord teaches us about our service together for him, and who we are as the Spanish River Church family--the people, pastors, staff, school staff, elders, deacons, other leaders at SRC.
On the field (and elsewhere) the assistant coaches and I were conscientious about educating players so they appreciated that when Jerry Rice caught a touchdown pass he was not solely responsible, but an extension of others--including those who blocked the pass rushers, receivers who meticulously coordinated their routes to draw defenders away from him, and the quarterback who risked being knocked unconscious attempting to throw the perfect pass. Jerry was taught the same. Likewise, Joe Montana understood that he was not some independent operator, but an extensions of the left tackle's block and the efforts of many others.
This concept applied beyond the team itself. Players had a connection to--and were an extension of--the coaching staff, trainers, team doctor, nutritionists, maintenance crew, and, yes, the people who answered the phones. Everybody was connected, each of us an extension of the others, each of us with ownership in the organization. (The Score Takes Care Of Itself, page 22. Italics mine.)
The words of Walsh bring to mind our Lord's teaching through Paul, about the interdependent nature of the body of Christ.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”
One of my favorite summaries of this interdependent working is found in 1 Corinthians 3:9. Paul writes,For we are God's fellow workers.
This morning I am grateful for all the "links" that make up the strong chain that is Spanish River Church. You are pulling a big load for God. It is a privilege and a joy to be a part of that chain and pulling together with you!