Let the debate begin… again. 

It’s defense that wins titles!  Remember the Steel Curtain of the 70’s?  DEFENSE!  No, it’s offense that wins titles!  Remember The Greatest Show On Turf?  OFFENSE!

Funny, no one ever argues that it is Special Teams that win a title, but on a few occasions it is Special Teams that cost a team a title (Scott Norwood?).

The reality is, all three phases of the game are crucial to a team’s success.  If one part hurts, the whole team hurts.  In that particular game referenced above, Super Bowl 25 played in Tampa, the Buffalo Bills offense and defense did a pretty decent job.  Thurman Thomas contributed nearly 200 yards of offense.  But the words ‘wide right’ as time ran out brought the team in white to their knees.

There is tremendous difference between the parts of a football team.  It’s a different animal that lines up in the trenches on defense, than say, a flashy wide receiver with his diamond studded earings and touchdown choreography.  Everyone knows that kick returners have screws loose.  And kickers – they are like pets to the rest of the team.  You pat them on the head when they do what they’re told (go in and get us 3!) and you threaten to whack them with a rolled up news paper when they soil the scoreboard.  All very different, but each one absolutely necessary to the whole.

In his letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul spoke of how believers in Christ need one another.  Each part is unique but necessary to the whole.  “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit; different kinds of service, but the same Lord; different kinds of workings, but the same God works all of them.” And Paul goes on to conclude, “Each is given for the common good.”

Where God’s work is concerned, as followers of Christ we’re all part of something larger – the Body of Christ.  Each one of us has an important role to play, and without us the Body suffers.  We may be tempted to think that there are others more gifted, others more capable, and others more available – and that’s absolutely the case.  But, the fact of the matter, believer, is that God gave YOU to the Body of Christ.  So, get in there.

Today’s text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-27