Team Work

Today, as athletes and officials start arriving for the Olympic Games, all the forward planning will begin to pay off. 

The huge numbers of volunteers and additional paid staff will apply themselves to their work, and much will work well, and many will enjoy the astonishing experience of the next few weeks.

Every time, in recent weeks, that I have been to London, I have been struck by how many Olympic related signs and changes are in evidence. Such a major undertaking does require astonishing levels of team work. No doubt, some things, as the G4S shambles, will hit the headlines. Sadly, all that works well may be ignored.

On a much smaller scale, locally, both the Lakeview Funday on Saturday, and our own Outdoor Church and Barbecue yesterday demonstrated how good it is when teams of people work together to make something good happen.

Yesterday, as we worshipped together and then served together and enjoyed one another's company, there was something of a aroma of heaven in our time together. 

St. Paul described Christian team work in terms of the parts of a body working in collaboration. 'The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.' (1 Corinthians 12.12) As we know, not everything in our bodies works as well as it might, and yet while we are moderately fit & healthy, we enjoy the benefits of collaboration. And within our local Christian fellowship, it is wonderful to see different people sharing together in helping the local Body of Christ to be seen and known. 'All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.' (1 Corinthians 12.27)

St. John has two very startling observations about how people see or encounter God. We may be quite familiar with the first, as it has a flavour of Christmas about it. 'No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God,^[d] is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.' (John 1.18) The second one comes from a later reflection on how ordinary people encounter the God they do not yet know. 'No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.' (1 John 4.12)

Today, whatever we have to do, we can continue to play our part, whatever that is, in so living that others see God in Christ through us. What a privilege.

Best wishes,

Richard