You know I enjoy cycling.
Each year, I immerse myself in the spectacle of the Tour de France. Three weeks, 21 distinct races, each more than 100 miles long. Exciting sprints, impossible mountain climbs, dangerous descents.
The winner, who wears the coveted yellow jersey, completes the entire course in the shortest time. Seems simple. It’s not.
No rider could win by himself because cycling, like life – like following Jesus – is a team sport.
The guy in yellow stands on the podium, but his teammates ride in front of him much of the time so he can “draft” and save as much as 30% of his energy. Mechanics work all night to make sure bikes are in perfect condition. Support staff, called “soigneurs,” supply specialized hydration and nutrition, and are prepared at the finish line to provide whatever’s required for recovery.
I could go on. Volunteers. Security staff. Family sacrifice.
One man wears the yellow jersey, but no one does it alone. Every role matters.
Our culture, sadly even church culture, too frequently celebrates the Lone Ranger, the person on the stage. We forget – Jesus washed dirty feet.
We ought to acknowledge great accomplishments, while celebrating the community behind them. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy the Tour so much – each day, there’s celebration of winning and excellence, but also acknowledgment of the sacrifice and community that makes it possible.
This year, I talked with a FREEDOM TOUR volunteer who said, “All I did was stand at a corner and point.”
I reassured him – it was a spot where people routinely make wrong turns. Without his guidance, how many people would have gotten lost?
How many folks wonder silently if Jesus values them a bit less because they’re not on the stage – they only stand at a corner and point?
He doesn’t.
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Thoughts adapted from The Road Ahead by Jan Luke