The Huddle

I’ve never played on a sports team, but I’ve watched enough basketball games on television to ponder what players do in a time-out huddle during those three minutes or so of “down” time. I see them reconnect on the sidelines with all the other members of the team whether or not they participate in the game.

Sometimes I see the coach scribbling directions for the next play on a hand-held chalk board. Sometimes he or she gets in the face of a player who seems to disappoint the coach by the way this particular player is handling the game. Sometimes I watch as assistant coaches put in their “two cents” by chewing out a player or patting them on the back.

Most often, at the end of the time-out, I see the players, all wearing the same uniform, relate to one another by putting arms around each other and cheering each other on for the next round of difficult play. They connect on a deep level and remind each other that they are all in this together.

In my opinion, the local church should operate as a sports team. Members “huddle” every week as they meet for worship. Some come to church needing exhortation or warning. Others need encouragement through the felt love of the Body of Christ. They recognize that they all wear the garments of salvation and belong to the same family. Though each has different gifts, it is the same Spirit by which they live.

The “coach” and other leaders must try to study the needs of the individuals within this local Body and provide for ways to exhort, encourage, and inspire a sense of belonging. In this way, all the “players” go away prepared to play the game with new vigor and understanding of their roles.

The harder the game, the more intense and important the huddle seems to be. As the days of our life become difficult and as the time comes closer to Christ’s return, we should heed the words of the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 10:23-25:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.