Ange Capuozzo had just beaten two French Defenders, flown through the air and touched the ball down for a spectacular try. The superlatives began to flow in commentary – he is one of the rising stars of the game. Yet, the comment that struck me was this one, ‘Rugby still is a game for all sizes.’

I started to take an interest in Rugby Union about 14 years ago when we moved to South Wales. There, rugby really is the game of the masses, so I guess there was a certain inevitability about it. I remember asking one of my friends why they liked rugby so much. Their answer was the same as the commentator’s statement, ‘It’s a game for all sizes’.

In rugby, it doesn’t matter what type of build you have. There are positions for short and tall, slight or bigger boned, the quick but also the not-so-quick. At 5’10” and around 12 stones, Capuozzo is dwarfed on the rugby pitch by most of the people around him. But that doesn’t matter, there’s still a place for him on the field.

In this sense, the church is very much like a rugby team. The Bible uses a picture of a body to describe the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). It says that the body is made up of many parts. Each part is different; they are shaped differently; they are good at different things. Yet, that difference doesn’t mean they don’t belong. No, each one is important and has a part to play.

Every Sunday I see this in practice. As I look at our church community, I am often struck by the diversity that I see. Different people, different backgrounds, different gifts and abilities, yet each finding a place where they belong.

What is it that draws us together? It isn’t a common culture or heritage. It isn’t similar interests or personalities. It’s a shared love for Jesus, the one who died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us new life. Or, to put it another way, a shared realisation that Jesus loves us the same, whoever we are.

If you want to get in touch to talk about church or what we believe, you can through the contact page. If you don’t already have a church to go to, you’d be very welcome to come and join us on a Sunday.