jersey

March Madness is winding to its conclusion and the baseball season has begun. Screens of all shapes and sizes are filled with images of athletes wearing team jerseys of all colors and styles. Stadiums, auditoriums, streets and bars are filled with folks wearing team jerseys, too—all cheering for and hoping to celebrate their favorite team, the team they’ve chosen to identify themselves with.

I recently attended a retreat and decided to spend a few extra moments of quiet reflection in the monastery sanctuary before heading home. As I gazed upon the image of Jesus above the altar area, the memory of all the different jerseys entered my mind. I was suddenly struck with the thought that I was on Jesus’ team. Having been a person who never played team sports in my youth (females born in the 1950’s had little to no opportunity for that kind of experience) and who was frequently picked last for any games in PE class that required a team, this was a rather exciting epiphany. “I may be getting old, but at least now I’m on a team,” the thought of which almost made me laugh out loud.

As I drove home, my mind was filled with the array of team jerseys that we can wear in life that have nothing to do with athletics or sports. We have metaphorical jerseys for family, friends, school, work, hometown, interests, preferences, opinions, ideologies, ethnicity, socio-economic status, education, etc. We Christians can also have our own “jerseys” for denominational affiliation, and even the individual church that we attend. These various jerseys can give us a sense of belonging, but they can also promote a feeling of exclusivity and division. I’ve attended various kinds of churches throughout the years. Maybe that’s why I’ve never felt the need to own or wear the kind of “jerseys” that Christians can wear. This led me to ponder what Jesus’ team jersey would look like. Unlike the jerseys for all the things mentioned above (including denomination and church), which are often available in only one color and a size that supposedly “fits all”, each Jesus jersey would be made with its unique wearer in mind. The garment would be sized to fit perfectly. It would be made of a richly textured cloth that keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and it would breathe and move with you without encumbering in any way. And the colors! Jesus’ team would have jerseys of every color, in every shade and hue that exists, made in the exact color that will enhance the original beauty of its wearer and render them radiantly gorgeous—just the kind of jersey that even I am enticed to wear.

What jersey are you wearing today?