On Christmas Day, our son Sam, his family, Patty, and I watched the movie ” The Boys in the Boat.” It was the story of eight young men struggling financially to attend college at the University of Washington during the “Great Depression” in the 1930s. They were living in abandoned cars, putting cardboard in the bottom of their shoes because of the holes in them, and eating in the public soup kitchens prevalent during the Depression. They entered the group tryouts in an attempt to make the eight-man crew team for the University because of the offer of a full scholarship, and successfully made the team. The story revolves around their hard work and practice to qualify for the 1936 Olympics in Munich, Germany, and win the gold medal. The main thing in their long hours of practice and training wasn’t as much in their physical strength but in the team’s unity while rowing. The oars had to enter the water at the same time; each man needed to pull hard but the same as the rest of the team and then exit the water together. One of the guys was struggling with family issues, and it messed with his head to the point that he wasn’t focusing on his part in the team’s unity, and they were doing poorly because of it. He overcame the problem because of the encouragement he received from a team member. Another guy got so sick on the day of the big race that he could hardly row, but again, he overcame it because of the team’s encouragement.
The movie was an excellent example of what God intends a church to be like. The power of a church is in its unity. The unity that the Bible emphasizes between disciples of Jesus isn’t simply the absence of conflict, but the presence of proactive working together to win the prize. The prize is reaching people with the gospel and seeing them become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus talked about the unity of encouraging the weary, praying for those struggling in life, and fitting in humbly with others as we strive for common goals.