1980 was a milestone in the Cold War era. With the Summer and Winter Olympics played in the same year, the Winter Games were hosted by the United States and the Summer Games were held in Moscow, capital city of the USSR. If the standoff between the two greatest world powers wasn’t enough, in December of 1979 the USSR had invaded Afghanistan. The aggressive military move sent shockwaves throughout the world. When Russian refused to back down and pull out of Afghanistan, politics merged with athletics; the US boycotted the Moscow Olympic Games.
Such a move seemed to up the stakes for the Winter Games. Without a presence in Moscow, the US had to make their presence known at Lake Placid, NY. Enter the US Hockey Team.
The remarkable story of this team, and what became known as The Miracle on Ice, is well-told in the 2004 movie, Miracle. Where many nations, particularly the USSR, had national teams who played together under one coach for years, the US assembled a team of college’s best players months prior to the Olympics. But 1979 saw a shift in how to assemble and prepare the US Hockey team Olympic competition.
Herb Brooks was hired to coach the team. When choosing players for his team, he looked for qualities other than talent; he administered psychological exams. Some of the best player in college hockey were on the sidelines. Nine of the players played for him at Minnesota, while six came from rival Boston College. He employed an authoritarian approach to unify the team, believing that the team could unite if they all agreed to hate the coach.
In the movie, Miracle, Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russel, addressed the teams division and effort after tying a game they should have won. He assembled the players and made them skate the lines (we might call them “wind sprints” or “suicides”). At each break he passionately preached effort, the passion lacking in their play until he yells, “Again,” and they skate again. On and on he goes through the drill until the players, exhausted, barely able to stand much less skate, but who’s stubborn will is broken. The assistant coach and team doctor questioned Brooks’ wisdom. Finally, one players, dejectedly looks up and says, “Mike Eruzione from Massachusetts.” Throughout the movie, Brooks had asked a simple question, but it was a question as he asked time and time again, the team failed to answer correctly, “Who do you play for?” Eruzione continued, “I play for the United States of America!” With his point made, Brooks walks off the ice and simply tells his players, “That is all, gentlemen.”
The miracle was Team USA defeating the USSR, then going on to winning gold. However, the miracle wasn’t just the David conquering Goliath moment, but conquering the battle within. The real miracle might have been the coming together as a team who was willing to suspend personal loyalties for the greater cause.
The greater loyalty, only the Bible might call it “the only loyalty,” comes in our relationship with God. Everything else must take a back seat: money, job, family, recreational activities, religious heritage, politics, etc. The reason is two-fold. First, God is a jealous god who does not like to share loyalties with anything or anyone. He does not want to be cheated on, which is why we must choose between him and everything else (Josh. 24:15; 1 King. 18:21; Mt. 6:24, 33). Secondly, anything other than unity in Jesus is just another reason to divide. In order to ensure the unity God established (Eph. 4:12-13) peripheral issues in the Kingdom of God, like “pet” doctrinal preferences or political positions, must stay on the peripheral. Personal agendas must give way to maintain church unity (Phil. 2:4).
Sometimes, when God is actually placed first in our lives and unity becomes more important than personal agenda, it just takes a miracle.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)