Thought for the Week - 25/7/2021

Dear Friends,

So the opening ceremony of the 32nd Olympiad in Tokyo has taken place, and we look forward to a summer of sport at the highest level as Olympians, and later in August Paralympians, each compete for the medals in their chosen fields. Of course this year the Olympics and Paralympics, which were postponed from last year because of the pandemic, will be very different as there will be no spectators cheering the athletes on in any of the venues because of the rising levels of cases of Coronavirus in Japan. I wonder what it must feel like to be in a competition but not have the support and the encouragement of the crowds to lift you as compete. I’m reminded of the picture from Hebrews 12 that says, ‘Since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us’ (Hebrews 12:1). The scene there is likened to a stadium with the cloud of witnesses cheering on the faithful as they complete their journey of faith in Jesus Christ. The picture reminds me of the Olympic marathon where the athletes compete in the 26-mile race ending in the Olympic stadium, the crowds rising to their feet to cheer on the competitors as they make the final push to the finish line, tired and exhausted, but grateful to have completed the race. In 1 Corinthians the apostle Paul tells them to ‘run in such a way as to get the prize’, in other words to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus as they train and as they compete in the race of faith. And it is not so very different for us today. We too are in the race of faith, we are athletes for Jesus, and in being so we need to train, we need to make sure that we are getting the right nourishment and sustenance, so that we can be as ‘fit’ as we can be for the journey ahead, encouraged by the great cloud of witnesses welcoming us as run. Listen to a Runner’s Prayer to help you in your own journey of faith: ‘God grant me the strength to travel this distance, the courage to push through the pain and the wisdom to know when to pick up the pace. Without your guidance and understanding I could not be the runner I am, Amen’. So however you’re spending the summer, enjoy it!

Grace and peace,

Neil

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