Coming together

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  –John 13:34 (NIV)
 
I was shocked to turn on the television last Monday night to check the score on the Bills-Bengals game and find no game being played. Nine minutes into the game, Damar Hamlin, a safety for Buffalo, collapsed on the field after making a seemingly routine tackle on a routine play. It would soon be learned that his heart had stopped. He was not breathing and had no pulse.
 
I was encouraged to see the response of athletes, coaches, sportscasters, and fans. The gravity of the situation overshadowed the game as #3 fought for his life. Rooting interests did not matter as players and fans in the stadium huddled up to pray. The NFL appropriately suspended play and sportscasters called on anyone within the sound of their voices to pray for Damar. One analyst, Dan Orlovsky, prayed on-air, as his studio-mates encouraged him, joining in with bowed heads and saying the “Amen”.
 
I was thrilled over the next few days to hear updates of Hamlin's improving medical condition. There were many factors, of course. The quick response of skilled medical personnel in the stadium who administered CPR on the field certainly saved the young man’s life. The ambulance crew and hospital staff provided expert care. The fact the young man is 24 years old and in peak physical condition didn’t hurt. But the speed of the recovery thus far and the lack of any apparent residual cardiovascular or neurological damage was described by Hamlin’s doctors as miraculous, an answer to – say it with me – prayer.
 
I am hopeful after the events of the week that we, as people of faith, might be reminded of the power of crying out to God in a unified voice. We didn’t stop this week to ask about team loyalties, or politics, or even doctrine. I saw an article or two accusing some sportscasters of “grandstanding for Jesus”, but far outpacing that was a coalescence of concern around a dire situation that resulted in large numbers of people looking up.
 
How we treat others, and in particular, how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ says volumes about our understanding of what it means to follow Christ. We are called to love one another, even when we disagree, even when we see the world differently. Jesus Himself identifies this practice as a distinctive that will catch the attention and imagination of the world.
 
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  –John 13:35 (NIV)