For two weeks we found ourselves enthralled by familiar sports (such as tennis), less familiar sports (such as badminton) and frankly bizarre sports (such as greco-roman wrestling!). But now it's all over.
As a Christian seeking to understand my culture so that I can be more effective in communicating Jesus to my friends and neighbours, are there any lessons that can be learned from the Olympics?
John Steven, National Director of the FIEC, has written a really helpful reflection on the Olympics, particularly looking at what the opening and closing ceremonies tell us about British culture and national identity.
His analysis is fascinating, and sobering. Most of all, it should give all of us who love Jesus and see him as the answer to our nation's deepest problems, a renewed desire to make Jesus known to our generation.
Sport has the ability to draw people together for a time, but it cannot produce anything other than superficial transformation. The Olympics is fantastic as a sporting competition, but we seem to have wanted it to be able to achieve much more than this. We have demanded a “legacy” beyond an enjoyable sporting completion. In this way we transform it into an idol, and put our faith in its ability to answer our prayers for a better world. As with all idols we have invested it with a power that it does not have, and we are bound to be disappointed. In the end the effect of the Olympics will, with the exception of a small number who take up sport and excel as a result, be ephemeral. Lasting transformation and reconciliation can only be accomplished by Christ.
Read the whole article HERE.
Direct Link: http://www.john-stevens.com/2012/08/closing-reflections-olympic-gospel.html#!/2012/08/closing-reflections-olympic-gospel.html
