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The film Chariots of Fire covers the story of the 1924 British Olympic Track Team in all their glory. Eric Liddell, Scottish missionary and runner, is a major part of that larger story.
Eric’s family and those around him encouraged him to run in the Olympics so that the world might see “a muscular Christian”. Eric took that idea that seriously, especially with his training. Yet doing so impacted his work with the church. In the film, we see him coming late for service, and that greatly impacts his relationship with his sister. Though as he tells her, his ultimate goal is to go back into the mission field, he also strives to use his gift as a runner to honor God.
All this is on Eric’s mind when he learns the qualifying heats for his event, the 100 meters race, will be held on a Sunday. Working on the Sabbath would betray everything he has been working for. It would mean that all he has gone through, including that which affected his work and his relationship with his sister, would be for nothing. That’s exactly what he tells the head of the British Olympic Committee.
In response, Eric is called in to a meeting with the entire Committee, including the Prince of Wales, the heir to the British Throne. They all try to get him to reconsider running. Eric tells them he won’t. He says to do so would dishonor God, and that his decision is final.
Fortunately for Eric, Lord Andrew Lindsey comes in. He tells the Committee he is aware of their predicament and proposes a solution. Having just won a medal for hurdles, he suggests Eric take his place on the 400 meters. Eric goes on to run and win.
Holding onto our beliefs in our Faith and following the Lord is not always easy. Like Eric, we can run into situations where all seems against us. We may even run into situations where we have to stand up to those with power over us and say “no”. We have to accept that our stands will lead to serious consequences, like not being able to compete in the Olympics Games after all that time training. We have to accept that things might not go our way, even if everything works out alright in the end.
Our readings today exemplify this lesson. From the start, we hear in the words of Habakkuk that “The wicked surround the righteous, therefore judgment comes forth perverted.” Our psalm admits that “Trouble and distress have come upon me”. Paul in his 2nd Epistle to the Thessalonians speaks to the hardships and even persecutions that the Church in Thessaloniki has faced.
It can be difficult to do the right thing, especially when everything is going wrong around us. That was certainly the circumstances for Habakkuk. As with Joel last week, not much is known about this prophet, though we do have a good sense of when he was speaking. His words would have come around the time of Jeremiah’s, that is right near the end of the Kingdom of Judah. This is a time when the kings are getting worse and worse as the threat of Babylon and, thus, exile loom over the last remnant of Israel. It was a time when prophesying would not have been lent to a sympathetic ear and when doing so seemed pointless anyways. Habakkuk’s words would certainly have rung true for him and others like him that “The wicked surround the righteous, therefore judgment comes forth perverted.” Yet, as Habakkuk responds, “I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.”
Yet even when all seems to be falling apart around them and injustice prevails, there is hope. We have seen that hope throughout our reading of the Prophets this Season after Pentecost, even our reading from Joel last week. We see Habakkuk holding on to this hope in his own words: “Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.”
Our Psalm itself today gives hope as well. What we recited together is a short section that comes from Psalm 119, the longest Psalm by far in the entire Psalter, including a section for every letter in the Hebrew alphabet, 22 in total. That psalm is all about learning the precepts of the Lord and, as we hear in our section from this Psalm today, nothing, not even trouble and distress, will prevent that for the psalmist.
While the church in Thessaloniki was dealing with persecutions in Paul’s day and age, there was great hope for them too. Paul praises them that at this time their love for one another, their love for their neighbor as we say in the Two Great Commandments, has grown. For this reason, Paul boasts of them greatly and prays for all good things to come unto them as well.
There is abundance of hope in the change within Zacchaeus’ heart. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Jericho. In the time of the Roman Empire, tax collectors were given a set amount to collect for Rome. In order to gain their own income, they had to add to the taxes they received from others, which Rome allowed and encouraged. This is why tax collectors were not well liked in Jesus’ day.
Yet meeting Jesus causes Zacchaeus to shift. This is what leads him to giving half his wealth to the poor. It leads him to state his intention to give back anything he’s defrauded, with 4 times the interest no less. Zacchaeus will have something to live on sure, though his lifestyle will change significantly. It is merely the price for him doing the right thing.
We are often faced with choices in life of whether to stick with our morals and principles or whether to take the path of least resistance with others. It is never easy to choose to stay with what we believe to be right. Doing so can make others angry at us. It can make us lose our jobs. But choosing the path of least resistance, the one to placate others, never sits easy either.
When Eric Liddell’s original race occurs, he is in the crowd watching. His friend and coach turns to him and asks if he has any regrets. Eric says, “Yeah. No doubts though.” Eric has no doubts because he knows what he did he did for God.
The same is true for all those in our readings today, from Habakkuk to Zacchaeus. The hope is that the same will be true for us as well.
Doing the right thing can be difficult. We are called to do it nonetheless. We may face great difficulties in holding to that which we deem is God’s will for us. No matter what we face though, God will be with us along the way. Though we face pain, suffering, change in lifestyle, or persecutions, we have the assurance that God will be there in the midst of those moments with us and that our Lord will guide us through to the other side.