Team Work Rom 12:1-18

Thank goodness it’s over! I don’t think the AB’s could have lasted another game and our supply of first fives was looking just a bit thin. I’m not sure I could have lasted another game! It’s certainly good to have something to cheer about and putting on my completely unbiased hat I have to say the best team won. So, congratulations to Richie and the boys, and congratulations to the coaches. It was a pretty neat little move that saw Tony Woodcock of all people cross the line for our only try.
Actually I’m actually pretty tired of the Rugby World Cup and it’s been good to have a weekend without rugby. However, I am interested in what gave us the edge and one of the things I noticed was the spirit of the team. Time after time players, when interviewed, talked of the team. It was a team effort. We had some stand out players but I’m glad the prize the All Blacks won at the IRB awards was for the best team. I’ll be interested sometime to read of what it was that engendered this spirit, but I noted a few things. Clearly there was a sense of fun about the team, and they smiled a lot. They enjoyed being together. They seemed to draw the best out of each other and I noticed a lot of encouragement for each other. Several people have mentioned to me that they noticed one of the old boys of the team Brad Thorn often trotting across and encouraging the new boys like Aaron Cruden with a few quiet words and a pat on the back. They seemed to play to each others strengths and balance one another, and they were obviously encouraged to trust each other, and trust their own gifts. Clearly thought is being given to succession planning. While Graham Henry is still undecided about the future, it’s clear that Steve Hansen is probably going to take over, and the same scenario exists for the players. New blood is being nurtured by the old hands. Some players didn’t get much game time but they were being introduced to the team to get experience so that come 2015 in London we’ll be the first team to defend the World Cup successfully. Winning now is important, but planning to win in the future matters too.
It reminded me of another great team lead by Sir Peter Blake who died ten years ago. Remember Team N.Z. who won the America’s Cup in 1995 and defended it again in 2000? Remember wearing red socks? Remember the 5-0 victory over Prada? Even people who knew nothing about sailing were glued to their televisions as Peter Blake and the team made us all proud to be Kiwis. We know a little more about that team because several studies were done on why they were so good and the common answer was a strong sense of team. The first word in their title was carefully chosen and nurtured. Watching them at work in the boat it was clear that everyone had their specific roles and they worked together, trusting one another, affirming one another. I was interested to learn that there was a total weight limit for the team so as the grinders put on the beef to handle the physical demands of their role, others in the team had to lose weight – up to 10kg each. Glen Sowry put it this way, “it looked good because there didn’t seem to be a great deal of drama. Everyone had their heads together and were moving with a common purpose”. People chosen for the team had to be the best, but they also had to fit the mix and be a team player. Blake laid out a team creed which I think had much to do with winning the cup. I want to talk about six points of the creed.
1. Be open with each other and have no hidden agendas. Everything had to be out on the table, and there was to be no back room gossip. Each team member had to be trusted and valued. If you had a problem with someone else, you were expected to deal with it and not to harbour grudges or resentments. If something bothered you, you needed to be up front. It was something Jesus had stressed to his team 2000 years earlier when he said if you are about to place your gift on the alter and remember something is not right between you and someone else, leave your gift and go and make peace with that person, then come back to the alter and offer your gilt to God. Sorting out our relationships, and maintaining good relationships is important in any team.
2. Everyone has the right to express an opinion. Peter Blake’s creed stressed the point that everyone had the right to be listened to. They might disagree with each other but the team was expected to hear one another out, without switching off and dismissing someone as silly, ignorant or stupid. Jesus also had much to say about this and in his life found a way to value and listen to people that most others wrote off. He said simply, but very powerfully, if you say someone is worthless and don’t listen to them, you will be in danger of the fires of hell. These were extremely strong words. I have to say I sometimes find it hard to accept some opinions, but so often when I take time to listen and understand I find a new respect even if I still disagree. I value a diverse community because I believe that none of us have all the answers. That doesn’t mean every opinion is right, but it does mean we will all put some genuine effort into listening knowing that when we do God seems to move in our midst. I want to be part of a team where people can express themselves openly without fear of put downs or rejection.
3. Share your gifts and encourage others. Some may remember back to Michael Faye’s challenge for the America’s Cup, back in the 1990’s. He had quite a different philosophy to Sir Peter Blake. Faye believed in raw competition so he pitted people against one another. There were 2 people competing for every place in his team. Michael Faye never won the America’s Cup. Blake adopted a different style. There was a lot of talking and decision making together. Some competition was good, but ultimately it wasn’t about personal winning – it was about the team. Instead of raw competition there was affirmation and encouragement of one another. Paul writing to the Romans reminds us of this when he talks of the team of Jesus as being like a body. Each person has their own gifts and abilities and everyone has a part to play. He was saying to the Jesus team that we should be encouraging one another to know our gifts and to put them to use for the team. That means affirming each other, and it means looking out for the newcomers, understanding their gifts, and drawing them in to their place in the team.
4. Be a good example and build pride in the team. One of the interesting comments I’ve heard about the Rugby World Cup is that it has helped Kiwi’s have a sense of pride in themselves. I think that’s a good thing, although it bothers me a little that it should take a World Cup victory to do that. I notice that often our Jesus team doesn’t have a strong sense of pride. In our secular world we have a strong sense of being sidelined. Our faith and our church community is not held up high. We don’t always seem to believe that our church matters. I was discussing with one of our stall holders about prices on their stall at the fair. We have to be cheaper than anyone else was the thought. I challenge this! Why should the church always be the cheapest. Buying at our fair is supporting the church and the work of Petersgate – surely that should mean people should pay more. You can buy cheap at The Warehouse and support China, or you can buy at our fair and support our local community. The Jesus team deserves better and we need to believe in ourselves. We have a God given task of shaping a new earth, of keeping the story of Jesus alive, and proclaiming a way of living that values people and our responsibility beyond self to God. I would like to see us all take more pride in belonging to the Jesus team.
5. We can always improve our performance. Peter Blake never sat back and said we’ve got it all in the bag. Consistently the message was ‘we’re doing well but we can do better”. There was always something more that could be done to make the boat go faster. There was no room for complacency. We can never sit back as the Jesus team and say the kingdom is here. So many are starving for both food and spiritual food. There is so much injustice and violence. The sacredness of life is being trampled on, and God’s good creation is groaning and gasping for life. We have to get our boat sailing faster.
6. Have fun. Have fun!

We are part of the Jesus team, and I want this team to play so well that we win the battle and build of the kingdom of heaven on this earth. I think we have things to learn from the great teams around us. As we work together in having our Fair I see some of these principles in action. I invite you to reflect on your place in the team and on how we might be a better team for Jesus.

Dugald Wilson 30th October 2011