St. Paul’s United Church Sunday, October 5, 2008

The Fourth Fastest Loser – Rev. David Mundy

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Philippians 3:4b-14

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What was your favorite Canadian Olympic moment this past summer? It might be difficult to identify just one because after some national hand-wringing about the dearth of medals during the first week we all got on the bandwagon when our athletes got in on the bling.

The story of the gold medal wrestling performance by Carol Huynh was heart-warming. She is the daughter of Vietnamese “boat people” who were sponsored by a United Church congregation in rural British Columbia. We can imagine how proud that church is of her and of their part in bringing the family to Canada. When she stood on the podium singing the national anthem and wiping away tears, we were all proud.

Then there was the story of redemption for equestrian Eric Lamaze. Lamaze was banned from competition twice for drug use, the second time for life. Eventually he was reinstated and we were all reminded of the importance of second and third chances.

In the Paralympics Chantal Peticlerc retired in a blaze of glory, winning five gold medals as a wheelchair athlete. Peticlerc has captured more Olympic medals than any other Canadian. We could argue that the paralympians are the bravest of them all.

Medals are great but I liked feisty little Jared Connaughton from Prince Edward Island who didn’t win anything but our respect. We were told that Connaughton trained diligently to represent Canada even though his home province did not a proper track. He practiced in school hallways and on walking paths. His hopes for a medal were slim to none but he was in Beijing to do his very best.

One of his competitors was the marvellous Usain Bolt from Jamaica, the Lighting Bolt. Bolt had already won the one hundred-metre race in effortless style, easing up near the finish line and still setting a world record, waving to the crowd, checking his Blackberry and still setting a world record. Mind-boggling talent. God-given talent?

Connaughton looked like he was laying it on the line in every step, arms pumping, face grim. After a qualifying heat Connaughton had to wait for other races to be run to find out whether his time would be good enough to be the “fourth fastest loser” in order to move on the semifinal. In the end his time was good enough for the semi-final but he didn’t make it to the final. Connaughton was disappointed but he wasn’t crushed. He promised he would be back.

Don’t you figure that the apostle Paul was a Jared Connaughton kinda guy, rather than a Usain Bolt?

When Paul wrote to the congregation he had established in the city of Philippi he was getting older and no doubt his body was creaky from years of riding horses, sleeping in cramped ships quarters, not to mention stints in jails and beatings. While he had accomplished a great deal in Christ’s name, he had to know that the end was at hand. Yet as he looks back on life he is willing to say that the hardships he has endured he counts as rubbish compared to being “in the game” for Christ’s sake. There is a note in one study bible that says “rubbish” could be translated as “garbage” or “human excrement.” So, at the risk of seeming crude, Paul is telling readers that a lot of would appear to be a big deal in his life is just a pile of crap compared to running the real race which is the life in Christ.

Paul uses this athletic imagery in Philippians, but the way I read it he doesn’t say that we will the race of faith, our goal is to run it with everything that is in us. This is such an interesting image because the apostle Paul preached grace, grace and more grace through Christ. Yet he wants us to remember that while we are given the gift of abundant and eternal life, we still “work up a sweat” and strive toward what is good and noble.

Are we ready to run the race of faith and not be the winner? We’re probably unsure about this. Everyone wants to win the prize in life and to hear the national anthem playing and the crowds cheering. We would settle for being on the podium, realizing that the difference between first and third isn’t all that much. But who wants to be the “fourth fastest loser?”

Those of us who are parents have encouraged our children to believe that they can be achievers. Play in the NHL or on the women’s Olympic hockey team? Why not? Become an astronaut? Well, both Canadian men and women have done that. Prime Minister? If you must! We hear successful people say “follow your dreams, follow your dreams, follow your dreams.” Of course that is what we’re supposed to do as parents and mentors – encourage our young people to strive for their highest goals.

In the end though, life does not serve up an endless string of successes, as we all learn. Part of our education is discovering the importance of living with integrity and purpose despite the fact that we may not be recognized for what we do and even in the face of what may be crushing disappointment.

If you followed the Olympics this year you will know that many of the athletes who were a “sure thing” weren’t successful. Some tripped and fell as the finish line was in sight. Others suffered injuries that didn’t allow them to participate. Others inexplicably had a bad day even though they were world record holders or favourites. The simple truth is that for every Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps at the Olympics there are hundreds of athletes who walk away with very little recognition. Every four years there are entire Olympic teams which leave the host country having won nothing. The athletes participate and offer their personal best after years of focussed preparation but there is no guarantee of success, at least not in terms of medals.

Somehow we need to develop this big picture of what it means to strive for the best. We can actually be “hamstrung” by false notions of what it means to win and unfortunately we can end up fretting ourselves out of the race before it has even started.

It’s always good to experience success along the way but part of life is growing through what we might consider to be defeat in our relationships, or our work, or our carefully planned goals. It is actually possible that we become the people God intends us to be through those times of disappointment.

There is a story of a successful priest who was one of a number of candidates for a position of leadership in his denomination. He was interviewed by a panel and one of the questions put to him and all the candidates was “where have you experienced failure during your career?” He pondered this briefly and answered confidently that he really hadn’t failed in anything he had set out to do. Somewhat to his surprise he was told that he probably wouldn’t be the best person for the position. He might not have the empathy necessary as he worked with other clergy.

As we read and reread that passage from Philippians we sense Paul’s inner strength and his pastoral care for his flock, who needed to hear a message of hope in tough times. To paraphrase Paul:

That's life (that's life), that's what all the people say You're ridin' high in April, shot down in May But I know I'm gonna change that tune When I'm back on top, back on top in June. I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a kingI've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing Each time I find myself flat on my face I pick myself up and get back in the race

Okay, this isn’t St. Paul of Tarsus, it’s Frank of Sinatra (who was no saint), but the sentiments are remarkably similar!

When we are face down, wondering whether we have what it takes to get back up and into the race, there are those who help us go forward. Do you remember the runner Derek Richmond in the 1992 Olympic games who came up lame partway through his 400-metre race and actually fell to the track? Instead of staying down until medical help came, he struggled back on his feet and began limping toward the finish line in great pain, even though the other runners had already finished. Redmond’s father was in the stands and he pushed past security and onto the track where he embraced his child and said “I’m here, we’ll finish together.” And they did, to the roar of the crowd.

When we come together as the Christian community there are the people who come out of the crowd to support us in our darkest moments as well as in our triumphs. And within our community we discover that Christ himself puts a strong arm around us and says just loudly enough for us to hear above the tumult, “I’m here, we’ll finish together.”

Today our communion will remind us of both the bad news and the Good News of what it means to follow Christ. The bad news is that we follow a loser, a man who did everything possible during his lifetime to speak and live the message of love. It didn’t matter. He was executed as a criminal and those who opposed him won, or at least that was the way it appeared.

The Good News is that our sacred meal acknowledges defeat but says there is more. Around the world today Christians will receive the bread and the wine knowing that even though the crucifixion and death were real for Jesus, this was not the end. The empty tomb and the power of the resurrection are affirmations that even losers are winners because God took the glorious risk of living in our midst in Christ.

Today you may come to the table feeling less than you really want to be or think you can be. You may be “weary and heavy-laden” as the old hymn suggests. Christ will stand beside you and all of us will finish the race.