Will the Olympics, the great sporting event, be anything more than medals? Will the intangible legacy become real? As I sat in the Methodist Synod in Weymouth, looking out over the very British seaside bay, it was hard to imagine the scene would soon be transformed into an international venue.

The man who is in charge of the Olympic sailing regatta at Weymouth told us this story. Youngsters from London and Dorset, two very different communities, were to take part in a ‘tall ships race’ to mark the Olympics – sailing from London to Weymouth. City and rural children were to work alongside each other. And, said the Olympic organiser, if these youngsters from vastly different cultures don’t co-operate and get on with each other, the ships will not sail forward, they won’t complete the race and furthermore, they won’t eat!

What an image for the Olympics! Could it be an image for the church too? Mutual support and appreciation across divides: whether of culture, country or class. An image which, for those young people involved in the race, will offer a legacy so much more than medals!

Paul, perhaps using imagery from the ancient Olympics, writes to exhort Timothy:

I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the victory prize of being put right with God. (2 Timothy 4: 7-8)

Is faith to be seen as a race – a long distance one? There is training; learning and discovering God’s call for you. One has to have discipline, praying frequently, meeting with others to share experiences of faith so that one can become a better disciple. And there are rules to obey in any race; etiquette to play by – our scripture stories sometimes offer direct rules, but more often, invite us to grow in understanding our faith.

The prize, according to Paul, is to be put right with God – whilst we might have slackened from the training, God has always been there. Whilst the image of God being the prize looks more like the finishing line, perhaps we might think of God’s Holy Spirit running alongside us, encouraging us to keep going throughout the race of faith.

Our legacy is faith in God’s love through Jesus. The Olympics is much more than medals!

Rev Peter Cornick