This weekend is Half Marathon Sunday and South West Sheffield shows itself as running mad! Some of you may know that I am actually slightly running mad as well (though I’m not running in the half marathon).
In the New Testament there are at least three moments when Paul is clearly thinking about athletes (1 Corinthians 9, Hebrews 12, 2 timothy 2) when he is ruminating on the Christian life. Here are a few thoughts for us as around 5,000 runners pass our church this weekend.
Paul was keen for Christians to know that when an athlete decides they want to compete, they enter a strict training period and they can’t just be blasé about it (1 Cor 9:24-26) I live on the big hill they all have to climb and watched them grit their teeth and get better at climbing the hill in the weeks before the race. They think about the end goal, the garland round their head (or a half marathon medal round their neck) and this motivates them. But this garland of leaves wither, even the medal ribbon won’t last forever. As Christians we fix our eyes on a finish line with a permanent reward – a life forever fully with God.
But maybe as the runners from our church head up the hill Isaiah 40 will be in their head – but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.