04-05-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
​April 5, 2023
Guest Writer: Robert Neunkirch, CCCC Elder
Teaching a child to hit a baseball is not an easy thing to do. A lot of coaching goes into it. They learn how to stand, what to look for, how to swing, and when to swing in painstaking detail during practice. They have to learn what to do with their feet, their knees, their hips, their hands, as well as their head. When it is game time and they have a chance to hit, these kids have a lot to think about. The experienced coaches don’t try to throw all of this at kids when they are in the batters box. Instead, in the very limited time they have to communicate with the hitter, they often give the kid one “swing thought.” It is one simple idea to focus on. For example, as a kid makes his way to the plate, his swing thought offered by the coach might be to keep his back elbow up. That is where the child’s mind needs to focus. It doesn’t mean that the other details are unimportant. No, the feet, hands, and everything else still matter. But the mind cannot focus on everything. So the coach relies on the repetition of practice for all of that and focuses the child’s mind on one simple “swing thought,” of keeping his elbow up. It is an extremely effective approach to address a physical issue and focus the mind on a singular purpose.

In John 13 Jesus tells his disciples “My children, I will be with you only a little longer… A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love another.” This passage comes immediately after the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Jesus doesn’t have much time, and he says so. He doesn’t give the disciples a long lesson on the ins and outs of his theology. Instead, he gives them one command: love one another. Doesn’t this sound like a “swing thought?” Jesus isn’t suggesting that we should discount everything else. His other teachings matter. The commandments matter. But through practice and repetition, his disciples know those things. So he gives them one important thought to focus on as they move forward without him: love one another.

Today, knowledge of the scripture and theology are still important as we practice our faith. Rather than making it overly complicated and technical though, perhaps we should zero in on the “swing thought” that Jesus provided to love one another. This has the twofold effect of making the world a better place while focusing our mind on what really matters.