10-24-25

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 24, 2025
The things that sportscasters say never cease to amaze me. There are words that resonate for decades, like the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games when ABC sportscaster Al Michaels said, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” And then there is the sportscaster who said the other day, “They only gave 110%, when they needed to give 120%.” What!?! I’m sure the implication was that they dug deep, but not deep enough to win. Yet, I do not believe we are capable of giving 110%, at least as individuals. Here is what I mean—there are moments when the collective is more than the sum of its parts. Individuals can give 100%, but something unique happens when the individuals come together and give generously. Suddenly, what was thought to be impossible becomes possible. Or what the math suggested could be attained is surpassed. It was not just individual pieces of generosity sitting side-by-side, but the collective creating something that had not previously existed. Individually, I do not believe we can actually give 110%, but when our generosity works together, we exceed what could have been achieved by each individual working in a silo. People wonder how the church creates miracles. It is about the collective being more than the sum of its parts, with an additional sprinkle of the Holy Spirit.

For what is beyond our capacity to see or believe, Holy One, we are thankful for the way you bind us together with purpose and with the empowering gift of the Spirit. Amen.