"...And God Is A Methodist!"

Mary Lynn and I recently went to see the film "42". The movie tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the first Black American to break into professional baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He was an outstanding athlete, but he did not get into pro ball on his own. He was supported by a unique club owner, Branch Rickey. In the aftermath of World War II, Rickey was visionary enough to see all of professional sports opening up to ethnic minorities. He cultivated Jackie Robinson, and intentionally committed himself to the social cost of a decision to bring Robinson in at that time in history.

Whether it's apocryphal or not, I don't know, but there is a decisive moment in the film when Rickey resolves to move inexorably ahead with his hire of Robinson, no matter the consequences, saying, "I am a Methodist. He is a Methodist. And God is a Methodist!" 

God may be a Methodist. I don't know about that, one way or another (though I have often suspected it), but what is inspiring in Branch Rickey's statement is the conviction he has that with God--and a united church--"nothing is impossible," not even the integration of American professional baseball.

If this is so, then what if we imagined for a moment that God is capable of far more than we ask or imagine? Where would the church be digging in? Offering Christ to every human being in generous and kind ways? Solutions to malaria? Relief from poverty? Solving global warming? Ending the burning issues of brutality and violence in our nation and world? Feeding the hungry? Clothing the naked? Healing the sick and visiting the imprisoned? Sharing comfort and wise counsel? Doing the practical things every community needs--offering rides, preparing meals, raising children and teens in healthy circles of parents and adult friends? Glorifying God with heartfelt songs and prayers?

What could you imagine giving your life's energy to, if you knew that with God's help, you could not fail to be a sign of hope, love and faith? This may well be what it means to be a Christian disciple--and a Methodist! Nothing is impossible, or too daunting, for us. We can be signs of the Spirit's love active in the world, as Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey became signs of an in-breaking new world of racial inclusion.