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Run the Race
I have never been a runner, and have therefore never experienced the exhilaration of being first across the line in a race. Perhaps it is my lack of athleticism that has always made me slightly uncomfortable with the image of ‘running the race’ used by St Paul in his epistles. Serious runners run the race in order to win, not simply to complete the course, and as we know, there can only be one gold medallist in each event. This seems to be the very antithesis of what we might want to say about the journey of faith. As someone who enjoys walking in the Dales or on a coastal path, I prefer to think of the journey of faith as the unpredictable mix of green pastures and the steep and rugged pathway that we ‘tread rejoicingly’ [H&P 436].
However, we are being reminded in 2012 of the many ways in which the theme of ‘running the race’ might link our experience of life and faith with the Olympics. Even for those of us who have been sceptical about much of the hype, it is undeniable that the hosting of the Olympics in our nation this year brings a host of challenges and possibilities to us as churches and people of Christian faith. It may be that you have obtained tickets for an event. Alternatively, you may be planning to leave the country for the duration of the games. For most of us, however, there will be the more mixed and middling question of how we might engage with events from our own armchairs, or at least in our own communities. Will there be a big screen near you? Have you planned ahead to obtain a license for such an event on church premises? Could you volunteer to be a ‘games pastor’ in Leeds or London? We are also invited as a Church to engage in some symbolic torch or baton-passing in the context of a prayer relay, and being alerted to some of the more ugly issues around the games, such as the trafficking and prostitution of vulnerable young women.
There is an opportunity to discover how you and your church community might get involved with one or all of these aspects of Olympic Challenge at the District Forum Night on Monday 27th February, (coffee from 7pm) at Oxford Place Methodist Church. The evening is open to all who are able to attend, so that we can share plans and ideas across the district. See you there!
Liz Smith
Chair
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