The Obstacle Race

What a great summer it's been for sport.  All the usual selection - cricket, horse-racing, yachting, and golf - have been overshadowed by what some have declared to  be the greatest Olympic Games of all time.  It's turned my mind back to sports day at my junior school, and one event that will never make it to the Olympics.  Once the serious business of the day had been decided, the highlight for entertainment was the obstacle race.  We started off running in sacks - making sure that one foot was in each corner to maximise movement potential - and then, after negotiating hoops, hurdles and other hazards on the way, we were allowed to emerge from these encumbrances ready to enter the Tarpaulin.

This great green sheet, pegged down at the sides, was the Final Decider, and reversed the fortunes of many a hopeful competitor. It was heavy enough to defeat the speed of the strongest, and dark enough to confuse the sense of direction of many.  (Sadly, it also afforded the opportunity to cheat: to sabotage the opposition by an attack in the darkness)!  To the spectators, it was no small puzzle to determine the identity of the individual humps struggling to make progress towards the winning tape.  Only one thing was certain: never did the children come out in the same order as they went in!

It’s not just nostalgia.  There is a parallel, I think, between that tarpaulin on the sports field and the effect on us as we come to Faith.  Almost certainly, the first ones to reach the tarpaulin would be those who were the better runners, athletically the strongest in the school.  Often those to emerge first would be the least expected to win.  Perhaps they had certain skills which wouldn’t otherwise be called into play in the regular races - or maybe they were simply lucky.

Look around your church: where do you find the strongest faith?  Is it among those who earn most, who have the fastest cars or the biggest houses?  Is it among those who showed the highest IQ, who gained the best university degrees?  Is it among those who have ‘achieved’ in life?  Such people have their undoubted qualities, and it should never be suggested that they cannot have great faith, too.  But these attributes don’t determine our level of faith - this is totally independent of any other facet of our lives, and is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus faced an unenviable challenge in teaching his disciples.  We can read in St Mark ch.10 how he responded to the question of wealth and the Kingdom (“many who are first will be last, and the last first”), only to be confronted by the ambition of James and John (“you don’t know what you are asking!”).  The chapter concludes with the faith of the blind man (“your faith has healed you”).  It is often said that Jesus’ teaching turned the ways of the world upside down, and we can learn much from this chapter.  In particular, let’s resolve not to be sceptical about the faith of others around us.  Perhaps we should also be prepared to accept that God may be calling us more actively into His service, too.

Which hump in the tarpaulin are you?  You may be nearer the tape than you think!