“We” Won!
This week we were able to celebrate with the USA Women’s Hockey Team as they overcame the heavily favored Canadian Team in a shootout to bring home the gold. Following the USA victory, NBC interviewed several people coming out of the stadium and one kid cheered, “We won!” We? His comment got me thinking. Maybe this kid has figured out something that makes Jesus excited.
This child did not get up early and go to bed late to practice hockey for more than 20 years. He did not face the pain of loss nor the temptations of victory. He did not place every ounce of strength he had on the ice the day USA beat Canada. However, he made the brazen claim that “We won!” He included himself in the victory.
One of the things I really love about the Olympics is the sense of the shared ownership of the victories and defeats. Regardless of what you think about that which is taking place in America, we all find a way to unite with our team and cheer for their success. When they win, we feel like we have won. When they lose, we identify with their tears. This sounds a lot like the kind of ongoing life Jesus called us to live as Christ-followers.
Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be one like he and the Father are one. In the New Testament we see repeatedly that we are members of one body. What happens to one part of the body impacts all the parts of the body. For the Christ-follower this has exciting and impactful ramifications.
When your brother or sister in Christ has cause to celebrate, “we” get to celebrate. When your brother or sister in Christ sheds a tear, “we” join them in their grief. The point is that we are not as isolated as we try to make ourselves. In fact, when we try to isolate ourselves we risk harming ourselves and this One Body more than we could imagine.
Jesus gets excited when we rejoice with those who rejoice. Jesus takes comfort knowing that his kids are weeping with each other. It is in the shared experiences of life and in the sharing of life that we discover a fuller meaning of life. I know that our American culture seeks to push us further into our own individualism. This reality makes us think that our problems are our own and that celebrating only serves to make those who are struggling feel bad.
What if we learned a lesson from this child hockey fan? What if we revisited the words of Jesus who calls us to live as one body? Could it be that we would find our hard times more bearable and our good times more meaningful? I believe we would. Take some time and weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice. Watch what happens to them when you do, then take a risk and let others in on what you face. We all might find that We won!