“Pep Talk”


BIBLE READING: Romans 12


               In 1986, the best movie in the history of cinema was released.  You can have Citizen Kane, or Gone with the Wind, or any other movie.  I’ll take the move, Hoosiers.  This movie is a true story about the Milan High School (Indiana) basketball team and their pursuit (as a very small school) of the state championship in 1951.  Gene Hackman plays Coach Norman Dale, and he is tasked with taking small, undersized basketball players and turning them into a competitive basketball team.  There’s a scene in the movie where the team is practicing and one of the players gets overwhelmed by the drill they are doing, and the other players begin to laugh.  Coach Dale blows the whistle to stop practice and urges them to focus on the task at hand.  He tells them to remember why they are here: “Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team – no one more important than the other.”
               Chapter 12 of Romans is “Coach” Paul’s pep talk to the Jews and Gentiles.  Read the chapter and see the tone that he is using:
               “… be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (verse 2)
               “…not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…” (verse 3)
               “… all the members do not have the same function.” (verse 4)
               “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…” (verse 6)
               “Let love be without hypocrisy.” (verse 9)
               “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (verse 10)
               “Be of the same mind toward one another.  Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.  Do not be wise in your own opinion.” (verse 16)
               “… live peaceably with all men.” (verse 18)
               It’s almost as if Paul is in this same spirit saying, “Look, your background is as Jews and Gentiles, but now you are one team.  There’s many of you, and you each have different roles as members of this church.  Do your role.  Don’t be jealous of others.  Fulfill your role because we are all one team.  No one more important than the other.”
               So, have you figured out your role?  Are you doing your role?  Are you functioning as a member of the team?  Look again at some of the exhortations he gives about our Christian behavior in verses 9-21.  Do those apply to you?  Could we all do better at these things?


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