A preacher in the bleachers: sacrifice flies

It's well known that I grew up playing baseball, and that many of the ways I see God interact with human history, many of the ways that I see God's people interacting with each other, are things that I learned on the sandlot.

Sometimes, I see the world through baseball lenses.

For the uninitiated, a sacrifice fly is one of the ways to score in baseball. It requires deliberate action by at least two players. One is the baserunner, the other the batter. To complete a sacrifice fly, the batter has to hit the ball long and high (generally one of the easier ways to hit the ball). The runner waits on third base until the fielder catches the ball, then runs home ahead of the throw. The reason it's called a sacrifice is that the batter is out on the play, deliberately foregoing the ability to run the bases and score in deference to helping a teammate score instead.

The early church was characterized by love for one another. The book of Acts tells of great sacrifices made on behalf of the poor, careful consideration for the welfare of widows who were unable to care for themselves, and the inclusion of the outcast in the community.

Great love includes sacrificing for each other.

Great love allows the other's gain to be considered more important than your own.

And in the sacrifice fly, the whole team scores.