God made Usain Bolt
Dear Friends,
Hasn’t the Olympics been fantastic? We have been spoilt day after day, feasting our eyes on the huge variety of skills we have seen spread before us: the speed of the sprinters, the endurance of the long-distance swimmers, the strength of the weightlifters, the courage of the divers, the accuracy of the shooters, the grace of the gymnasts. I’ve had fun imagining the top performers in one discipline having a go at another; can you imagine Mo Farah throwing the hammer, or Chris Hoy in the pool?
And to think that God made every single one of these heroes, with such a variety of talents, skills and abilities. Psalm 139 puts it simply and yet profoundly: “you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (verses 13-14). As we marvel at these great athletes, we might observe that God is a first class knitter! It is He who made Usain Bolt as fast as he is, and Jessica Ennis as brilliant as she is.
If there’s one sadness about these Olympics, it’s that God has not received the praise due to him. Certainly, let us shower praise on the performers who have delighted us. And let us pour out praise to the God who has made it all possible. The psalmist knew full well that he was fearfully and wonderfully made. For all our progress, not least in sports, are we in danger of losing that knowledge?
Chris Hobbs,
Senior Minister (Vicar)