Our Celebration Service last Sunday was quite Dramatic!
There wasn't a dry eye during Nathaniel Mesfin's Video and Dedication!
And, at the close of service Jean Peters fell in the back of the sanctuary and broke his clavical!
As we closed the service with worship songs, the ambulance came and rushed him away!
Well, atleast we aren't a boring church!!!
Here's the notes from the first sermon of my new sermon series...
I doubt you will hear this crazy joke in any other church...we aren't uptight we know how to have FUN...
An old, blind cowboy wanders into an all-girl biker bar by mistake.He finds his way to a bar stool and orders some coffee.After sitting there for a while, he yells to the waiter, 'Hey, you wanna hear a blonde joke?'The bar immediately falls absolutely silent. In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says, 'Before you tell that joke, Cowboy, I think it is only fair, given that you are blind, that you should know five things:1. The bartender is a blonde girl with a baseball bat.2. The bouncer is a blonde girl.3. I'm a 6-foot tall, 175-pound blonde woman with a black belt in karate. 4. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and a professional weight lifter.5. The lady to your right is blonde and a professional wrestler.'Now, think about it seriously, Mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?'The blind cowboy thinks for a second, shakes his head, and mutters,'Nope... Not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times.
If you’re angry with me right now cause you’re a blonde, be mad at our board member: Bob Robertson, he’s the one that sent me the funny email…
Today we begin a new sermon series entitled GOD’S OLYMPICS…
Obviously, if you don’t have your head stuck in the sand, you know that NBC begins their coverage in just a few days of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games from Beijing, China…
Every 4 years the world comes together for this extraordinary event! This celebration of more than 200 countries provides an opportunity to honour and to learn from one another.
The moments we witness are priceless! Like the time the sweet smile of a 17-year-old Russian girl named Olga taught us that our differences weren’t as great as they seemed. Or when a father and his injured son finished a race together and defined determination. Ya’ll know I’m pretty disgusted with what’s going on in the media, but this is one area the TV culture has made a positive difference…
I educated myself this week on the phenomena that is the Olympic Games. How did people study before the internet? It was Pierre de Coubertin (I’m sure I just massacred his name) of France who dreamt up this ambitious project…obviously drawing inspiration from the ancient Olympic Games, Pierre decided to create the modern Olympic Games, and founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894 in Paris. This new committee set itself the objective of organizing the first Olympic Games of modern times. The date of the first Games, 1896, marked the beginning of an extraordinary adventure that has now lasted for over a century!
Pierre defined Olympism; he had four principles that were far from defining a simple sports competition:
He was convinced that sport was the springboard for moral energy and he defended his idea with rare tenacity.
It was religion to him…
1. to adhere to an ideal of a higher life, to strive for perfection…
2. to represent the elite but at the same time practice chivalry with its moral qualities…
3. to create a truce, a four-yearly festival of the springtime of mankind…
4. and to glorify beauty by the involvement of the philosophic arts in the games…
Wouldn’t it be something, if Christians had the same kind of commitment to the church that Pierre had to sports??
If you do much study into the ancient Olympic Games you begin to wonder why in the world your pastor would do a sermon series linked to greek mythology…
Actually it’s not my fault…the apostle Paul is to blame!
But we’ll talk about this much more in the weeks to come…
Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, is in the western part of the Peloponnese which, according to Greek mythology, is the island of Pelops, the founder of the Olympic Games. Imposing temples, votive buildings, elaborate shrines and ancient sporting facilities were combined in a site of unique natural and mystical beauty…
Olympia functioned as a meeting place for worship and other religious and political practices as early as the 10th century B.C. The central part of Olympia was dominated by the majestic temple of Zeus, with the temple of Hera parallel to it. The ancient stadium in Olympia could accommodate more than 40,000 spectators, while in the surrounding area there were auxiliary buildings which developed gradually up until the 4th century B.C. and were used as training sites for the athletes or to house the judges of the Games.
The ancient Olympic Games included the following events:
(I hope I’m not boring you with this stuff…I found it fascinating)
Running: the stade race was the pre-eminent test of speed, covering the Olympia track from one end to the other…
Jumping: Athletes used stone or lead weights called halteres to increase the distance of a jump. They held onto the weights until the end of their flight, and then jettisoned them backwards…
Discus throw: the discus was originally made of stone and later of iron, lead or bronze…
Wrestling: this was highly values as a form of military exercise without weapons. It ended only when one of the contestants admitted defeat…
Boxing: Boxers wrapped straps around their hands to strengthen their wrists and steady their fingers. Initially, these straps were soft but, as time progressed, boxers started using hard leather straps, often causing disfigurement of their opponent’s face…
Equestrian events: these included horse races and chariot races…
There were other sports that I wouldn’t be able to explain very well, being that they were ancient and I’m not much of an athlete myself…
But, don’t make fun of your pastor yet, I’ve been enjoying tennis, volleyball, and softball this summer…the daras are cooking up a RRAG softball team for the church league…who’s game???
If you got my postcard in the mail, you know that today we are focusing on COMMITMENT
Obviously it takes a generous supply of Commitment to become a successful Olympian…
The question I think the LORD put in my heart for today’s msg is…HAVE YOU FOUND SOMETHING WORTH COMMITTING YOUR LIFE TO?
I mean, we’re all committed to something…wether it be making money for acquiring things, which of course means nothing, has no lasting impact…or maybe your committed to family, which definitely has its benefits and headaches…
BUT HAVE YOU FOUND SOMETHING WORTH LIVING FOR? COMMITTING EVERYTHING TO? SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOUR HEART BEAT, PURPOSE, PASSION??
I know I have…my life is committed to Jesus Christ and the building of His Church…no matter how much it hurts sometimes…anything worth committing to will test your pain limits…
In the Montreal Olympic Games, 1976
After severely breaking his knee during the floor exercise, Japan's Shun Fujimoto ignored his injury as long as possible, knowing such news could shatter the confidence of his teammates.
The injured gymnast continued on to the pommel horse routine, miraculously scoring a 9.5 out of 10. He then faced the rings, which would be his final event of the day. Shun performed extraordinarily, ignoring the inevitable consequences of dismounting from eight feet off the ground. Upon completion of his routine, he hurled himself into a beautifully executed triple-somersault dismount.
When his feet hit the floor, the pain sliced through him like a knife, but he kept his balance. Gritting his teeth, he raised his arms in a perfect finish before collapsing in agony. He was awarded a 9.7, the highest score he had ever recorded on the rings. After winning the closest gymnastics team competition in Olympic history, Shun joined his team at the podium to receive his gold medal, and he did it without assistance.
The apostle Paul was probably referring to the ancient Olympic Games in 1 Cor. 9:24-27
Isn’t it interesting that today at RRAG we are learning truth from a current event that was also a current event in Biblical times??
In Paul’s day the Olympic victor received his first awards immediately after the competition. Following the announcement of the winner’s name by the herald, a greek judge would place a palm branch in his hands, while the spectators cheered and threw flowers to him. Red ribbons were tied on his head and hands as a mark of victory.
The official award ceremony would take place on the last day of the Games. In a loud voice, the herald would announce the name of the Olympic winner, his father’s name and his homeland. Then the greek judge placed the sacred olive tree wreath on the winner’s head…
Paul says, we run this Christian race in need of much discipline, trying to obtain a crown that isn’t simply made of a perishable tree branch but a crown that will last forever in heaven!
Yes, the Christian must practice discipline, but I have found out that if I am truly in a love relationship with Jesus it doesn’t always feel like discipline…it’s loads of fun too…
Harry Park said that as a coach, you don’t really need to do anything to push the athletes to compete. By and large, they love their sports and with a little positive reinforcement they keep doing it. In the scheme of things, he doesn’t really see the Olympic as a huge sacrifice and believes that players are often motivated in part because they indulge in it – whether their support comes from their families or the military as in his case. In the end, they compete at the highest level they can and the ones who really enjoy it get the best reinforcement…
I read this coaches words and suddenly it dawned on me…Why is it that the American church is shrinking and fragmented? Why is it that pastors all feel like they just keep hitting a brick wall and struggle with their own attitudes? HELLO…we need to fall in love with Jesus and his Church again! The American church needs to hear again from Revelations 2…the same warning for the church in Ephesus…YOU HAVE LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE…We always come back to it don’t we…It’s all about LOVE!
Does your life reflect Christ as your FIRST LOVE?
Americans are committed to so many things, BUT are we committed to Christ and His church?
During the almost 5 years of being your pastor I have been amazed at the uncommitted behavior of Christians…
But, I don’t want to start lecturing so I will move on…
I can’t fix it that way…He’s gotta fix it…so I’ll get on my knees…
We are all athletes in God’s Olympics…If we are Running the race of the Christian life, COMMITMENT is an important ingredient to success…
Most speed-skating victories come down to 1/100th of a second. This one took over a decade. Of all the Olympic stories that teach us about perseverance and commitment, very few are as memorable as that of Dan Jansen. The world first met Jansen at the '84 Games in Sarajevo, when the relatively unknown American placed an impressive 4th in the 500-metre race. By Calgary in '88, he was favored to win the 500- and 1,000-metre races. But life had other plans.
Jansen's sister had been suffering from leukæmia and died just minutes before race time. In his final conversation with her, he promised to win in her honour. But instead Jansen fell. Not just once, but in both races. He left Calgary empty-handed. Four years later Jansen was again favoured to win, this time in Albertville. But after a disappointing performance, he again left without a medal.
In 1994, Jansen prepared for his fourth Olympic Games, in Lillehammer. He knew it would be his last chance and hoped he could put his past behind him once and for all. But on his first race, to the horror of everyone watching, Jansen slipped yet again during the 500 and finished 8th. Only one race remained. The last of his career.
Four days after that unfortunate fall, the starting gun sounded for the start of the 1,000. And everything magically fell into place. A decade of disappointment suddenly was erased as Jansen took first place and set a new world record. During the victory lap, he picked up his daughter and carried her around the ice. They had named her Jane, in honour of his late sister. The perfect ending to a story that has become an inspiration to athletes around the world.
