42

Last night Nicky and I watched 42. It’s the story of Jackie Robinson, the first black to play major league baseball. Right after World War 2, many blacks who had fought to help defeat Germany, Italy and Japan, returned to a segregated United States. The movie producers did a good job of painting what the world was like in the late 1940s. 

It was an eye opener for Nicky who grew up in a world where the “N” word isn’t often heard in polite society. It’s a good reminder to watch this kind of movie, especially in a day when many have trouble distinguishing between political differences and racism. We have much we can learn from the experiences of those who went through the civil rights battles. Some things work and some things don’t.

As Christians we are learning what it’s like to be an unfavored class in America. We are learning what it means to be judged on what we believe or the color of our skin rather than what we do. Jackie Robinson proved that the proper response to racism is demonstrated competence, even greatness. It wasn’t enough to prove that he could play baseball with whites but that he could do so brilliantly. 

As Christians we need to stop wringing our hands and moaning about being marginalized in our society. We need to get off our assets and get to work following His command and making a difference in the world in which we live. We need to prove that we do have the right answers, not by arguing about it, but by showing it in our actions. 

It’s interesting that of all the numbers that have been retired in major league baseball only “42” is retired by every team. Once a year all player were “42” to remember and honor one player. No one can quote anything spectacular Jackie said, but most can tell you what he did. Doesn’t that say it all?

Be blessed.

Nick