What Position Do You Play?
It’s the morning after the night before. If you were for some reason doing something else and you don’t know what I’m talking about, I of course mean the final of the European Championships which England sadly didn’t win.
We had an incredible tournament, crowned by the historic achievement of reaching a major tournament for the first time since the 1966 World Cup. Although I’m disappointed England didn’t win, I feel optimistic about our future in football and encouraged by the example we saw from our players.
One of the things that marked England’s tournament was the way they played together as a team. My abiding memory of England tournaments in the past is that our previous teams just haven’t managed to play with a sense of unity and togetherness – at least not like this young team has done. I put it down to a couple of things: the leadership of Gareth Southgate and the joint ownership the players all seemed to have of the team.
Throughout the tournament, it was clear to see that each player on the England team knew what he was supposed to be doing. Even when substitutions were made, the new players coming on slotted into the team. We didn’t see anyone trying to be a one man band or make a name for himself; they played as a team within the system that Gareth Southgate set for them. Each player knew his job and he did it.
When a group of people work together around a shared goal with a sense of unity, it’s a special thing to see. This is how the church is supposed to operate. Paul writes,
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
1 Corinthians 12:14-26, NLT
Just like the members of the England football team, everybody in the church has a position to play. If someone doesn’t play their position or they feel that their position is more or less important than another, the whole church suffers. It’s a well-known phenomena in church life that often the majority of ministry work is done by a small minority of people. I love Raheem Sterling but if it was just him on the pitch by himself while the rest of the team sits and watches he’s in for a really tough time!
Serving in church can be seen as a kind of optional extra, but looking at Paul’s words above and also the way that Jesus showed us how to live it seems clear that Biblically serving one another is an essential part of our discipleship. Granted, there’s more to serving one another than being involved in a team on a Sunday morning, but it’s still a key part of what it is for us to gather together as church. If we continue to allow a small number of people to play all the positions while a larger number of people watch on, we will not prosper and grow as we should.
My question to you as you’re reading this is simple: what position do you play?
Are you someone who has been playing too many positions because if you don’t do it it won’t get done? Perhaps you can encourage someone to learn to do something you’re doing so that they will grow and you won’t burn out.
Are you someone who has been watching from the sidelines when you should be on the pitch? It’s time to get off the bench and into the game. There’s probably an area of ministry that needs more people to be involved, which fits with your skills and passions – get stuck in! Even if there isn’t there are ministries which need more people in order for them to function well, so find out where there’s a need and get involved.
We need everybody to play their position. If everyone does, then nobody will be doing too much, nobody will be doing too little, and the church will be healthier for it.
