This morning we used the More Than Gold and Run With The Fire DVDs in the All-Age Service at St John's Seven Kings to begin preparing our congregation for the 2012 Olympics and to explore what we can learn from the concept of the Christian life as a race to be run. We said:
"Run with the Fire is an arts project for the London 2012 Olympics which celebrates creativity, cultural exchange and hope for the future. The picture on our Text for 2012 comes from the project and in a moment as an act of prayer and reflection we will look at some words and images from the project.
The ideas that seeded Run with the Fire come from the celebration of Pentecost, with its tongues of fire, new languages, and promise of dreams and visions, plus the Olympic Games, with its running messenger carrying forward the burning torch and its dreams of cross cultural harmony.
Living as a Christian is like running a race: we need to train hard through bible study, fellowship, prayer and lifestyle change, we need to run hard with real commitment throughout our lives (no distractions, no veering off track), and we run to win the prize which is the coming in full of God’s kingdom of love, mercy, justice and peace.
To run the race well, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who is our example and our goal; the pattern and example of what the
“Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honour, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he ploughed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”
Our Text for 2012 gives us another athletics image to savour and that is of a full stadium cheering us on as we run our race:
"We are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses – all those who have borne witness to the truth of Christ before us. All the saints, all the heroes of the Bible, all those who encouraged us in our faith but who are no longer with us; each one is there in the stadium stands yelling and cheering to encourage us to preserve, continue and complete the race that we are running.
Do you see what this means — all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit!”
In 2012 17,000 athletes representing 205 countries will compete in 26 different sports. The example provided by these athletes in their preparation for the 2012 Olympics can teach us about living the Christian life; running the race of life for Jesus. This is what our Text for 2012 encourages us to believe and do. To run our race well we need to get rid of all that would distract us or weigh us down, train hard, focus on the example of Jesus and on the goal of the coming kingdom of God, and be encouraged by those who have run before us to run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us."
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Philip Bailey - I Am Gold.
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