Love, Love, Love

Today, Elliot comes and joins not the varsity team of Christianity, but the adult league. Tomorrow, hopefully no rain, Steve Aldrich, Elliot's mentor and I are going to watch him play some baseball. I thought about it and there are some similarities between baseball and our church. First of all, when you are the batter, you start at home plate and your goal is to score and that brings you back to home plate. When we are born as children of God, we have the whole world to explore, but our goal is to find ourselves back at home plate, which is God. 

Second, being a part of the church is like being on a team. Though anyone may be up to bat, it is the team that we rely on, especially when we are out in the field. Although we don't always need nine players to go out and play, we have started our confirmation classes by proclaiming where ever two or more are gathered in my name, "    ?" (I am there). Also, in baseball, there are lots of different skills that are needed, and some are better than others at certain things. And, everyone in the field has a glove and needs the skills to catch and throw the baseball. To make the double play on a regular basis, we need teamwork.  If Elliot is playing third, it is much easier for him to snag a grounder and through it to second and the second baseman through it first than try to catch and tag both of them himself.  

Lastly, there are rules to be followed that will make the game fair, help everyone play their best, and at the end of the game, walk away with respect for ourselves and each other. Some of the rules are in the official rule book and some are just the customs that have developed over time, like the 7th inning stretch or the rally hats. 

In Paul's letter, which we know as 1 Corinthians, Paul is writing to a new team, there are no traditions and very few rules for them to follow, they are learning as they gather and as they grow. Paul, in this chapter, gives them the bottom line for how to participate. Love, if their actions, their thoughts, and their team isn't built upon love, then it is not worth not worth the spit out bubble gum after the game is ended. Bruce suggested to me last week that I should preach about the different types of love and I replied, "Great suggestion, I am preaching on 1 Corinthians next Sunday." 

Now, in our language, the American English, we basically use the word love to cover a wide range of emotions, relationships, and actions. In Greek, the common language of those in the early church, there were three different words to describe different types: eros, philo, and agape. Eros is often known to us as desire. In the game of baseball, the desire to win, to play, to hit the home run is eros. There are baseball teams and baseball players who have a high desire to win, or not to lose, that supersedes anything else. And most fans and teammates admire that. Philo is often known as brotherly love, Philadelphia literally translates as the city of brotherly love. What most coaches realize is that teammates coming together to play as a team makes them more successful. They aren't just interested in the skills that they bring to the plate and on the field, but connecting at a deeper level and caring about each other and for each other outside of the game, they trust each other more and play better. And agape, agape is the love of charity, mercy, and justice. Agape is concerned that just not the other players on the opposing team are doing alright, but also the fans who sit in the stands, and the community in which they play and are from. Now, which love is Paul talking about in 1 Corinthians 13, the love of winning, the love of teammates, or the love of community? (it's agape)

Finally, (maybe), the other ways that baseball and church can be similar is that they can go on and on. A baseball game can go on indefinitely into extra innings as long as the score is tied. On the other side (right Tom) the sermon can seem to continue forever and ever. Amen? 

Lastly, a good baseball player will continue to practice and improve their skills to help the team. Too often in church, once a youth becomes confirmed, they want to sit in the stands and watch others or stop coming altogether. Just as baseball players throughout high school and beyond continue to practice their skills, build up their bodies so they can be stronger and faster, and sharpen their minds to know when to hit and where to throw to make the best play possible, so we do in church. We, as Christians, are supposed to practice our skills of prayer, forgiveness, charity, teamwork, justice, worship, peacemaking, kingdom building, and love. Being a class of one wasn't the best way for you to learn about God and faith, but your parents and family have been there and we, as a church, will hopefully continue to grow in ways you can learn and practice with us. 

"If we grow together, if we work with each other, the body of Christ are we. We each have a part, we each are a member, the body of Christ are we."