The Olympics

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV).

 

This year the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games is scheduled for July 23^rd after a lengthy delay due to the pandemic. The ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BC, when Koroibos, a cook from the nearby city of Elis, won the stadion race, a foot race 600 feet long. According to some literary traditions, this was the only athletic event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals or until 724 BC. From 776 BC, the Games were held in Olympia every four years for almost 12 centuries. The marathon was not an event of the ancient Olympic games. The marathon is a modern event that was first introduced in the Modern Olympic Games of 1896 in Athens, a race from Marathon northeast of Athens to the Olympic Stadium, a distance of 40 kilometers. The race commemorates the run of Pheidippides, an ancient "day-runner" who carried the news of the Persian landing at Marathon of 490 B.C. to Sparta (a distance of 149 miles) in order to enlist help for the battle.

 

I’m sure I’ll watch many of the events, especially track and field. I admire athletes who can keep their cool amid thousands of spectators. I cannot imagine the pressure of taking the blocks for the 100 meter dash, knowing that they have a mere ten seconds to run that distance if they will have a real chance of winning the gold medal. They take up their positions waiting for the sound to start. While the crowds will not be as numerous this year, there certainly will be millions watching on their televisions. The pressure must be enormous. Not all athletic events draw gigantic crowds, but there is one in which an audience is unavoidable. It's the race of the Christian life. As I run my race, the Scripture describes the race of faith before a vast crowd of believers who ran the race before me. The Bible doesn't draw this picture to intimidate us. It presents this vision to encourage us. Those who have already finished the course received the spiritual stamina to cross the finish line. And, so will we. The key is in where we “fix our eyes.” A runner fixes his or her eye on the finish line. So we fix our eye on the One who is the very source and goal of our faith. Be assured that your Savior will give you the daily strength to hold on as you look to him.