Letter from Chris Strain
Verse for 2012 – The Year of the London Olympics
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” Hebrews 12:1-2
Dear Friends,
2012 has at last arrived – the year of the London Olympics. What a year it will be with the world’s focus on our nation. Let us hope for an amazing games with British success, for safety and security and for a great celebration of sport. The Olympic Torch will be coming through Parkstone on 13th July and the Games begin on the 27th. I am hoping we might be able to televise the opening ceremony and other events and draw in the community – what a wonderful opportunity to connect to those living around us.
The Olympic Games bring together nations from all around the world. Sport can be a tremendous means of uniting those who would otherwise be separated from or even hostile to each other as men and women discover that what unites is greater than that which divides. It is a great leveller too!
At St Luke’s we shall be developing the Olympic theme in many ways (eg in our Holiday Club and hopefully in a sports day with other churches).
The New Testament often talks of the Christian life as a race run by athletes. Our verse for the year comes from Hebrews 12 and exhorts us to throw off (that is strong language) everything that hinders us (distractions, our agendas and priorities, worries etc) and the sin that so easily entangles (self-centredness, greed, laziness etc) and to run with perseverance (not giving up in times of testing or when we “hit the wall”) the race marked out for us. In all this our eyes are to be fixed on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. To take our eyes off Him will lead to disaster. What a good verse!
The Christian life is not about going to church or just being a member. It is about being a disciple or athlete who has to lay aside and surrender other calls and choices to participate in a race which involves discipline as well as effort. Those who succeed are not those who try hard in a quick sprint but those who have been in training. I guess some of the athletes this coming summer will have been training hard for years with early mornings and harsh regimes in order to simply compete and maybe win a medal.
St Paul would have been familiar with the ancient Olympics. In 2 Timothy 2 he is talking about the rules of engagement for soldiers and then goes on to say in verse 5, “Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.” (ie lives life according to the principles of the Gospel of grace v1). There is the promise of a victor’s crown for all competitors, but there is the need to get on to the track and compete. There’s no place for spectators in the kingdom of God or in the church. We are all to run the race!
In his earlier letter to the Philippians Paul encourages his readers and us to follow his wholehearted example to be in the arena and to press on. He writes, “I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of you who are mature should take such a view.” (3:14) In each of these three passages there is a real sense of participation, perseverance and pressing on – again there is no concept of sitting in the stands or posing in a track-suit. It is committed engagement that is to mark our discipleship – and we can be an athlete for God whether we can run fast or slow – it is the forward and upward movement that is key.
So in this special year it would be good for us to continue to think of ourselves as, servants of Christ, members of his church, disciples in his kingdom and apprentices of the Lord Jesus Christ. But to these we must add that we to be are to be athletes running the race marked out for us as we fix our eyes on Jesus, pressing on to win the prize and victor’s crown.
May you know God’s presence and strength throughout this special year.
Chris Strain
tiscali
co
