“Do you
not know that in a race the runner all compete, but only one receives the
prize?
Run in
such a way that you may win it.” (I Cor.
9:24 NRSV)
I have heard it said
that no athletic competition is won on the day of the event. Rather, athletic
competitions are won – or lost – in the place of practice, or lack thereof.
The same might be
said of firefighters. No fire is easily extinguished for which the firefighters
haven’t properly trained and readied themselves . . .
So it is, too, that
no abundant harvest is harvested without plenty of time spent planning and
preparing before ever a seed is planted . . .
Or for builders,
before a practiced hand puts hammer to nail . . .
Or for teachers,
before time is spent learning the art and discipline of teaching . . .
And so it goes for
all of us. For the Apostle Paul, to run in such a way that you may accomplish
Kingdom living means that our lives must be a constant preparation and practice
for that which is before us. Achieving the Kingdom is not a competition, thanks
be to God and God’s grace! Yet, for the Kingdom to shine in us, for the faith of
God through Christ to live in us, we are encouraged to live each day in the
presence of the Spirit, saying and doing that which brings life to God’s people
and God’s creation. Faith takes practice.
It is that simple.
The runner dedicates
themselves to a disciplined regimen, the firefighters to practicing for the
fire, the farmer to honing their skills and preparing equipment to plant, the
builder to learning the trade of building, the teacher to advancing in their
vocation of teaching. . . but what of the Christian and their faith? What of
you?
Few are the ones who
can be less than single-minded about their focus and priority, thus there are
very, very few multi-competition athletes who excel, much less ‘win’ their
sport. Most are singularly-minded about their workout regimen, diet, sleep
patterns, and participation in the wider community beyond that for which they
are striving. Can the same be said of you and me in our living for the Living
Christ? Or is Jesus the one left out, last chosen, or even given a nod while we
prioritize everything else in our lives? What did Jesus mean when He said, “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your
mind, and your neighbor as yourself”? Was
that just a suggestion or an imperative for training in the way of Christ?
The practice of the
St. Paul UCC faith family during Lent is to include an ‘extra training session’,
a special mid-week service each Wednesday evening to assist the ‘team’ to be
ready in receiving the Good News of the Kingdom on Easter morning. These extra
training sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday evening throughout Lent and
you are encouraged to attend as we will be exploring the Training Theme of “Covenant:
God’s Bridge Across Every Chasm” . . . including the chasm of our proclivity for
ignoring or putting off God for ‘more important things’, as though implying, ‘See
you at the empty tomb, Jesus, and not before!’
“The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the
good news.” (Mark 1.15 NRSV) is how Jesus begins His ministry . . . and the
rest of His life on this earth is spent revealing what that Good News is and
how it is to be embodied. For the ones who listen, this is a call to focused
intentional living in the ways of Christ. How about you?
Not everyone who
stands on the track is running the race, not everyone who goes to a fire is
trying to put it out, not everyone who is in the field is planting, not
everyone on the construction site is building, not everyone who walks into a
classroom is teaching, and not everyone sitting in worship is practicing their
faith . . . but just as true is this: if you rarely, if ever, stand on the
track, go to the fire, are found to be in the field, are swinging a hammer, are
in the classroom or are to be found in worship (to paraphrase Paul) you’ll
never be ready to win, to achieve, to do. Come, join us in preparing with
everything that we have and are.
See you at Lenten Practice!
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