Spiritual Olympics Week 4: Closing Ceremonies, By Rev. Kevin Anderson

Our Scripture Lesson this morning is from Colossians 3:23-25,

Let us meditate on these words of Scripture.

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
This is the Word of God for the People of God, thanks be to God.

In the Letter of Colossians Paul is addressing a Crowd, a Congregation which has had controversy.  There are those in the Congregation who asserted that when we accept Christ we still do not have direct access to God until our Resurrection.  Paul counters this controversy brining to light a couple of very important theological understandings,

One being that if we are believers in Christ, then we share in the Resurrection of Christ, the assurance and rewards of life eternal begin when we accept Jesus into our lives.  We can live as Resurrection people while we are still living!

 

We hear that Christ is the Head of the Church, making us the Body of Christ here on earth.  And being part of the Body of Christ on earth is not a responsibility to take lightly, while there is great Joy in this knowledge there is even greater responsibility given to us.  And in Chapter 3 verses 23-25 which we just heard here this morning, we are called to Work for God, to Work with our FULL hearts, everything that we have, because we have that assurance, we are part of God’s mighty  inheritance and mighty promises, being God’s people it is our Lord Jesus Christ who we are called to serve. Finally the letter to the Colossians highlights the experience of NEW LIFE in Christ, being born again, being SAVED, and as new creations in Christ we are called as the letter explains to a life of endurance, steadfastness, and Discipline. 

 

                    Throughout the years we as the Church have committed ourselves to these practices of faith, both individually and as Congregations throughout the world, all Christians at all times in all places, come together in a Spiritual Ceremony as we Honor God and remember God’s mighty acts.
DURING this sermon series on the Spiritual Olympics From the first week we talked about what it means to carry the Torch of Christ, to BE torch bearers for the Kingdom of God.  During the second week we looked at what it means to run the Race of our lives with Perseverance fixing our eyes upon Jesus, and remembering that we do not run the race alone we as we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses those who have departed still encouraging us in heaven and those on earth who are also running the same race of life.  During the third week we looked at what it means to be part of a “spiritual gymnastics” finding the balance for Spiritual disciplines, time for God for Family for work.

 

 

                             Now we have come to our Closing Ceremony,

                            as we come to Honor God, and continue our Spiritual training

                            in all places at all times. 

 
My favorite quote by our Methodist Founder John Wesley, reminds me on a daily basis to be about the business of Spiritual training and what that means, Wesley once said, that we are to

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can”

As Christians we are a people of deep standing traditions, traditions calling us to service, and Spiritual practice, so I was very interested in just what the traditions were of the Olympic Games Closing Ceremonies this year.  I have seen many of them, and many of us had the opportunity to watch the closing event this past Thursday, but breaking down the traditions gave me more insight to just what the real meaning was about breaking through the smokescreen of lights, Cameras, fireworks and spectacle.  At the Olympic Games closing Ceremony has always held multiple traditions,  Starting with a “Parade of Flags”, this is where athlete’s from each country Chosen, come into the Olympic stadium carrying the Flags of their Countries.  The First flag to process in is the Greek Flag and the Last Flag to process into the Stadium is the Flag of the Host Country.

               The second tradition in the Closing ceremony is a “Parade of Athletes”, it is here that all athletes who participated in the Olympics games come through the stadium together as teams, as athletes and friends, some wearing their medals already presented to them yet all medaled athletes and those that did not win are one in unity highlighting equality as well as athletic achievement.

               Another tradition which has a long history in the Olympics closing ceremonies has been the “Final Medal Ceremony”.   The older tradition was to award all athletes at the closing ceremony, but in modern times this has changed due to time restraints so it has become typical for medals to be awarded during the games and it has become the modern tradition to have the International Olympic Committee to choose a sport and event from the entire Olympic games to give medals to during the closing ceremony.
                Nearing the closing of the ceremony come the tradition of “passing the Flag”, where the Olympic flag is passed from the Current host Country to next Country hosting the games.  This year we had the opportunity to see the Olympic Flag handed off from London to Rio de Janeiro which will be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games;   The final part of the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony has always been a “declaration of the end of the games as well as the extinguishing of the Olympic torch.

This year’s London Olympic Games Closing Ceremony stayed true to these traditions with added spectacle which included 4,100 performers and 380 schoolchildren from the six east London Host Boroughs.  Much like the Super bowl’s halftime show many musical acts were present this year scattered throughout the closing Ceremony.  One of the moments that stood out for me more than others was when John Lennon’s song Imagine was played out to the massive Stadium with thousands of people wearing shirts with the one word “imagine” written on them.  It was a powerful reminder of importance of these Olympic Games as they give us a sense of unity and peace throughout many parts of the world as we have come together again for this EVENT.

I cannot help but be reminded in all of the parades and medals and spectators gathered of another individual; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who traveled from Bethany, from the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.  Because riding on a Donkey symbolized his coming in PEACE rather than entering a city on the back of a horse representing the triumph of war.   

While the spectators in Jesus’ time did not have fancy fireworks exploding above or supermodels and superstars strutting up and down the city streets, the crowds laid out everything they did have, the crowds of people took off their cloaks, form Jesus’ to travel over, and spectators waved palm branches which stood as a symbol of triumph and victory!  The Romans waved palm branches to honor champions of the games and celebrated military successes.

 

And as Jesus entered the city the crowds waving palm branches cheered and shouted with Joy, they were praising God,  shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”  “The King of Israel” “Peace in heaven” and, “Hosanna in the Highest heaven” to which Jesus Replies, honoring God before all else, “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.  Look your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt”

The entrance into Jerusalem for us Christians yearly marks our deep rooted traditions of the closing Ceremony of Jesus’ human life on earth known as Holy week.  Palm Sunday being the opening act in the larger ceremony.  While the grand finale falls on Easter Sunday with a Resurrection of our Lord.

Hosanna in the highest; God is with us. 

Palm Sunday is a clear example of the early community Honoring God. 

Yet it also stands as a stark reminder that we are not to just honor God once a week but every day, staying true to the Word of God, staying fit in our Spiritual disciplines

As Paul has reminded us in his letters to the Colossians this morning, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Paul reminds us that Honoring God should be our number one priority, honoring God at all times, in all ways, in all we do,

And Honoring God is stressed to the greatest importance throughout the Bible it is Law.  As it stands as the number one Commandment in the Ten which Moses brought down from Mountain.  Stating,

“I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

 And when we do not Honor God in our living, when we fall into sin and temptation, we become like the crowds on Palm Sunday who Honored God with words and deeds yet who five days later fell into sin shouting in the crowd at Jesus’ trial, “Crucify,…. Crucify him”.

How easy it is for us to fall into the sin that so easily leads us away from the God whom we are called to love and serve, the God who brings Grace, restores what is broken and forgives all transgressions.

Yet there is Hope in the midst of sin, as Jesus took our sin to the cross he has freed us from the bonds of that sin, there is a way out through Christ.  And through spiritual training, through running the race with Perseverance fixing our eyes upon Christ, through balancing all things that are good, by working with all our hearts to serve our God and in all things to HONOR GOD,

We will experience that Grace,

We will experience that love,
We will experience forgiveness
We will experience NEW LIFE in Christ,
At that point we will join together with all our brothers and sisters in Christ

From around the world,

From all times, a great cloud of witness, from all nations, carrying all flags
We will wear our Faith and Religion as a medal of pride in all seasons,
We will receive God’s eternal reward

And we will be called to continue on,

To continue the training,
To be torchbearers for God’s word
and in our closing ceremony, in our closing worship here this morning

we will be called to Honor God by following the light of Christ out of the Church and into the community into the world, all of us

representing the light of Christ for others,

for ourselves and for the World,

It is time to decide, are you ready for the Spiritual training?

For the Spiritual gymnastics of life, for the Spiritual Olympics of our lives

Are you ready to continue in the Spiritual race of Life?

And when we fall down, when we feel we cannot train any longer,

that we are Spiritually exhausted,

that we are Spiritually Tired,

When we feel all of this, we are called to go to God in prayer,

Honoring our God before all else, and in doing so,

 We will find strength from God, who stands at the finish line, ready to say,

“Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Rest in Me, and “Come and share your master's happiness!'”

AMEN