In today’s world there is a lot of emphasis to continually improve one’s self. A perfect example of this is the physical endeavors seen during the past two weeks in the Olympics in Beijing. The world watched as World Records were shattered and individuals’ lives were changed forever. Such names as Michael Phelps, Mysty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have became household names as these fine athletes proved themselves beyond expectations.
The pursuit to even become an Olympic athlete requires total dedication and years of hard work. It means constant vigilance as to what one eats, the hours one sleeps, hours upon hours of exercise and struggling to perfect one’s ability in his or her chosen sport. For Mysty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh it meant delaying starting a family. Now that they have reached their goals, their dream is to become mothers and to pass on their own knowledge to a new generation.
While watching the Olympics this year, the thought occurred to me, “What if we Christians pursued our spiritual relationship with Christ in the same spirit as these dedicated athletes have pursued their dreams? What if we sought to become Olympic spirited Christians?”
The Twelve Disciples did this. The scriptures tell us that they left everything family, homes, and businesses to become followers of Jesus. In the gospel according to Matthew, chapter nineteen, beginning with verse twenty-seven, Peter says to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
This is why in today’s gospel reading that Peter is able to answer correctly Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” It is because Peter has dedicated his life to getting to know Jesus that he is able to know Jesus’ true identity. It is this personal day to day submitting to the Lord that has prepared Peter’s heart to receive divine revelation from the Father God. The other disciples like Peter gave up all to be with Jesus, but only Peter wins the gold metal in being the first to know who Jesus is.
Peter’s gold metal begins with a name change by Jesus. No longer will he be known as ‘Simon son of Jonah’, instead Simon became known as Peter that day. Peter means ‘little rock’. In the overall scope of what would become known down through the ages as the Church; it is Simon’s statement of faith in Jesus that becomes the little rock of faith upon which other believers’ faith would be built. Jesus tells Simon, now Peter, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Unlike the Olympic athlete’s winnings that come from physical hard work and dedication, the Olympic spirited Christian’s winnings come from the Lord when one’s heart has been prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive divine insight. In Peter’s case this divine revelation became the first building block of the Church whose cornerstone is Jesus the Christ. Every person from that moment on who confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior became and continues to become a living stone in the spiritual building of the Church. We might not all be Olympic spirited Christians, but as members of the Body of Christ, we are all important to the presence of the Church in the world. Even after we depart from this world, our spiritual presence in the Church continues. Our lives on earth remain as encouraging testimonies of Christ’s presence in the world for others. For it is not ourselves that we proclaim, but Christ in us.
It is Jesus Christ, who is our only hope. As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, “For from him and through him and to him are all things.” Without Christ in our lives we are like the grass of the field that is here today and gone tomorrow. Our triumphs become as lasting as the Olympians of old in ancient Greece, whose records of achievement have been broken through the ages many times over. In fact, as wonderful as the athletes who graced the Olympic stage today, we can be sure if history does repeat itself, that even the new records made at this Olympic Games will some day be broken. It may as in some cases take twenty or more years to do so, but as long as there are dedicated athletes pursuing perfection in their sport, world records will continue to be only milestones for future athletes to pass by.
As for Olympic spirited Christians, the Church continues to seek those who are willing to give their all to Christ. In this pursuit, many have literally laid down their lives for the sake of the gospel. The building of the Church is covered in their blood. It is the blood of the saints that seals the living stones together in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Only those who know the Christ in a personal way such as Peter did can truly know the joy of Christ’s blessings upon their lives.
Sadly, there are many who proclaim that they are followers of Christ, because they attend Church. However, being a physical member of a Church doesn’t make a person a spiritual member of the Church anymore than for those who came to see Jesus heal and to hear Him teach. Of those who attended Jesus’ rallies, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Although these folks witnessed Jesus’ miracles, they did not know that Jesus was the Christ, the long awaited Messiah. Instead, they believed that Jesus must be a previous prophet brought back to life. It was easier for them to believe this than to accept the true identity of Jesus. They were spiritually blind, because they had only sought the benefits given by being around Jesus and did not understand that it was Jesus who was the true Gift of Gifts, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
There are many today who believe that Jesus was a good prophet, but not the only begotten Son of God. There are some today who go as far as to say that Jesus is the Son of God, but not the only Way of salvation. Yet, this is all contrary to the writings of the Holy Scriptures and to the traditional teachings of the Church. In the Book of Common Prayer on page 871, Article eighteen of Articles of Religion, Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ reads as follows: “They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.”
Today we are each given spiritual choices. We can be like the crowd who followed Jesus for all the wrong reasons or we can be like Peter, the disciple, who knew Jesus to be the Messiah and dedicated his life to serving Christ alone. The first choice will be an easy choice to live out, because it will not require much dedication on our part. We will only need to show up at church worship services and be known as church members. The second choice, Peter’s choice, will require much from us. We will have to give up anything that comes between our living a life totally devoted to Jesus the Christ. The rewards however, for the latter choice is greater for we will become living members of the Church Eternal. As members of the Church Triumphant we will be joining the eternal Olympic spirited team. Yes, spiritual discipline will be required of us, but the gold metal, a personal knowledge of the Christ, is there for all on this team to obtain.
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