I had to ask myself why in the world they called this movie Miracle. At first, I felt the movie simply commented on the lucky timing of the victory. But, the title doesn’t imply that at all, so I went back and reviewed my notes. I have always been told that a miracle is God’s supernatural intervention on an event which would have otherwise by nature been impossible or inexplicable. That fits the story just fine. The underdogs win an impossible battle against an impossible adversary. Sounds like the Biblical account of David and Goliath. David, a small sheep-herding boy, kills an actual giant with a sling shot. What about Joshua at the battle of Jericho? They march around the city seven times, blow their trumpets, and the city walls come crashing down. The Bible is full of underdogs who succeed at unlikely events. But they do so at pivotal moments and for very specific reasons in history. Look at Joseph, sold into slavery only to become the second in command to Pharoah, and thereby save his family and the heritage of Israel. The thing that strikes me is that this hockey game actually occurred, and it happened within the last 25 years. God isn’t finished working out His will in history, and the Bible isn’t the end of His work. It is a record of the beginning of it. Coach Herb Brooks comments to the players just before they play their big game with the Soviets, “You were born to be hockey players, and you were meant to be here.” Indeed.

This movie also points out the uncommon power of a team, as opposed to the common power of individual players. Coach Brooks says, “You think you can win on talent alone? You don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.” When the players first begin practicing together for the Olympics, Coach Brooks asks where the boys are from and which team they play for. Each man gives his name, city and team name. After a pathetic loss against a European team, Coach Brooks makes his point by torturing the guys with skating drills until one person finally gets it. The player gives his name and city, and when the coach asks who he plays for, he replies “United States of America.” The point is taken and the guys become a “family.” This serves as an excellent lesson for most things in life. Unity is better than division. God makes this point about our inner man. When we are unified with Him, we become an uncommon adversary against evil (John 15:5-7). He also makes this point about the church, an ideal support structure for the mutual benefit and edification of believers (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). He also makes this point about marriage (Ephesians 5:31-33), and children (Ephesians 6:1-4). The family is yet another team. I think it’s safe to say that God feels the same way about teamwork that Coach Brooks did. “The only way to compete with the Eastern Block [the enemy] is to change.” He proposed that their new style would be based on team chemistry, and a skeptic said, “That’s a lofty goal.” He replied, “That’s why I want to pursue it.”