The Olympic Games are back at the end of this month, and I cannot wait! I love the Olympics. I love the competition. I love getting to witness such a wide variety of sports in such a condensed span of time and space. I love watching the nations of the world coming together in peace and demonstrating there is at least one thing we can dialogue over without resorting to violence. I think most of all though, I love the feeling of unity it brings back to our country.
Even though the Summer Olympics typically takes place during a presidential election year, for the duration of the games we cease being Republicans, Democrats, a third party, or Independents and simply become Americans cheering for our athletes chanting, “U.S.A!” The Olympic spirit takes over and we remember those things that unite us rather than those things that divide us. It is a fantastic feeling, but much like the generosity that is witnessed around the holidays, it is soon forgotten once the Olympic torch is extinguished and the world and the United States return back to our “real lives.” Why can’t we hang on to the spirit of unity and camaraderie to work through the struggles we face as a community, as a nation, and in the world? Why do things always become adversarial? As Christians, how is God calling us to live during these deeply divided times? How did Jesus’ life and ministry demonstrate to us and the world God’s will? Believe it or not, the Olympics (despite being rooted in ancient Greek religion) gives us a fantastic opportunity to wrestle with these questions while recentering ourselves on Christ.
While these are questions that an entire library of books have been written about, we can touch on a couple key points in this short note. The structure of human society is a large reason why we struggle with unity and can quickly turn from viewing those we meet as fellow beings made in God’s image to adversaries that must be bested and subdued. Throughout human history we have pitted ourselves against one another by drawing lines between us and then arguing which side of the line is better. We have done this over social class, skin color, nation of origin, region of origin, politics, sexuality, gender, and religion. In each of these cases one group is made to feel inferior to the other and is denied the same rights and privileges of the “superior” group. This is going to naturally lead to ever worsening conflict as the imbalance grows. You don’t believe me? Pick up any world history text book and start reading. Look at how much of our recorded history shows power imbalances and how we tend to mark the passage of time by significant wars. What does God have to say about our living our lives this way? How are we called to live with those who think different than us, look different than us, love different than us, worship different than us, and believe different things about God and the universe than us?
As Christians, we believe that God has some pretty signifiant things to say about living with one another as global citizens and how we are to treat one another. The clearest message we are given is the life of Jesus which is recorded for us in the Gospels. Jesus’ life and teachings not only demonstrate to us how God wishes us to live our lives in community with God and one another, but his life also shows us that we are capable of doing it if we are willing to set aside the world’s teaching of division and pick up Jesus’ teaching of love and grace for all people. Jesus not only teaches love of neighbor, but he also teaches love of enemy (Matthew 22:39; 5:43-45). What does the world look like if we live by these words rather than treat them as a suggestion made by a rabbi 2000 years ago that is impossible to live by today?
I dare say that the world would look much, much different than it does today. I would venture to also say that the climate in the United States would be vastly different. Jesus believed the kingdom of God was something to be experienced now and not just something to look forward to at the completion of time. That is part of the tension we live in as Christians. Even if the rest of the world refuses to live by the same understanding of God’s love and grace as us, we are still called to reveal the kingdom of God here and now. We trust that God will ultimately finish the work, but we are not to stand by and just wait.
I hear some of us saying, “Ok pastor, we hear you, but you are being as unrealistic as Jesus. What can I do that makes a difference?” Every action we take and every word we speak has the potential for a positive or a negative outcome. While us living by Jesus’ teachings, individually and as a community called Cokesbury, will not instantly turn around the mood in the world and in our country, it will have an impact on the lives we directly touch. Then those lives will impact the lives they touch, and those lives will impact the lives they touch. Can you see how the kingdom of God suddenly looks like a mustard seed (Matthew 31:31-32)?
Get out your red, white, and blue and get ready to cheer on Team USA! I hope each of us is able to get into the Olympic spirit and enjoy the worldwide spectacle that is going to start at the end of this month. At the same time, I hope it can inspire us to take notice of how the Holy Spirit is at work in us, around us, and through us to reveal the kingdom of God as a present reality counter to the divisiveness of this world and country. We have been given a job to do, and Jesus believes we can do it (Matthew 28:16-20). Let’s show the world that while the Olympic spirit might be temporary and easily forgotten, the Holy Spirit is eternal and everlasting!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Bryan