Saturday, October 7, 2017

The A-Team

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

-- Matthew 16:18

What do The Dirty Dozen, The Bad News Bears and The A-Team have in common? These late-night cable TV staples share the same general plot about a group of unlikely misfits who--one way or another--work together to overcome significant obstacles and achieve victory. They face numerous setbacks along the road. But they eventually rally behind their leader, beat long odds and accomplish the improbable. It's a classic, feel-good storyline that never seems to grow old.

And it really IS an old storyline: at least 2,000 years-old, to be specific.

The "script" here is the New Testament, A-Teamthe second half of the Bible. Much of its real-life plot also revolves around a group of unlikely characters who learn from their all-knowing leader (Jesus) to alter history. We read in the Gospels that these mundane individuals were Christ's hand-picked followers. Some were fishermen, one was a tax collector and another (Simon the Zealot) might be considered a terrorist by today's standards. 

The apostles were a dubious group for such an important assignment: changing the world for Christ's kingdom one person at a time. But since it's a mission that continues to this day through The Church--the collective term for everyone who claims Jesus as their Lord and Savior--maybe it's not so surprising that God still chooses society's outsiders and those who tend to fade into the crowd.

Some modern-day Christ-followers work for insurance companies, supermarkets, retail stores and banks. Others are homemakers, sales representatives, police officers and marketing executives. And many are between jobs, retired or work part-time. But for all of their differences, there's a common denominator. It's a fervent belief in Jesus--God among us in human form. And it's this same faith that helps them share the joys and overcome the many struggles, disappointments and even tragedies encountered along their unique faith-journeys. These Believers have also learned another vital lesson: their own strength and wisdom is worth little towards surmounting the world's obstacles. But this is actually to their advantage.

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties," the Apostle Paul wrote. "For when I am weak, then I am strong."

And indeed God does much with the weaknesses of Everyday Joes and Janes. Families are fed, clothed and housed through their contributions and work in local food pantries, the Salvation Army and similar organizations. The sick are cured through the efforts of healthcare professionals who also happen to trust Jesus. And still other Christ-followers teach the illiterate to read and the undereducated to gain critical life- and job-skills.

That's a very brief list of the ways Jesus changes the world when the Church serves as his eyes, hands and feet. As the A-Team's leader--Colonel Hannibal Smith--so aptly puts it in every episode: "I love it when a plan comes together!"

And no doubt so does God.

No comments: