Ted

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Ted’… as in Lasso.

In case you don’t know – and I have to say, I can hardly imagine that… Ted Lasso is an American sports comedy-drama series currently streaming on AppleTV+. Each new episode drops each Friday. I’ve never been so happy to get to the end of the week!

Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is an American college football coach at a small college in Kansas. He’s hired to coach an English football (soccer) team in an attempt by its owner to spite her ex-husband. Yup. Emphasis on the word “spite.” Ted tries to win over the skeptical English football market with his down-home, optimistic demeanor while dealing with his own inexperience in the sport. The series has received critical acclaim, praising its performances, writing, and uplifting tone and themes, and has been nominated for 20 Primetime Emmy Awards.

This has me thinking. If Jesus were a footballer, he and Ted would have been best friends. The Apostle Peter would have been super-jealous. Paul would have met his match. Judas wouldn’t have done what he did. The Scribes and Pharisees would have finally been silenced. And in Matthew 25, when Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” to the worker who received five talents, he probably would have said, “Just like Ted Lasso.“

Ted’s strength is encouraging every person in his orbit. Ted’s primary goal is to make the football club better as a whole. But instead of trying to take on the whole team at once, he intentionally develops a relationship with the individual teammates. He listens to their fears and desires as individuals and responds to them uniquely. He doesn’t babysit the team but holds them accountable to look after each other. And over time, the team becomes closer than it ever has been before. Ted famously says, “For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It‘s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.“

This is remarkably close to what we find in Galatians 6:9-10. “Don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds…whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all…”

That’s a good word, yeah?

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or on his blog, Thriving Rhythms.