Spiritual Theme of the Week

Theme (w/c 24th June 2024): Success

Opening Prayer:

With the Paris Olympics starting soon, we’re going to be thinking a lot about success and winning as we cheer on athletes from our own nations and hope to see spectacular sporting events.

We usually think of success as coming first, being the best, out-performing others. Sometimes this leads to being highly critical and derogatory of everyone else.  That is the ugly side of so-called ‘success’.

Success can look very different however.  Rather than being focused on being ‘number one’, success can be about being the very best I can be, and enabling others to fulfil their potential too.

Our video challenges us to think about what success means in the sporting arena: 

Johnny was winning, but would have fallen out of the race if Alistair had not helped him over the line.  Was this heroic, or cheating?

Alistair pushed Johnny over the line in front of him, meaning that even though he was stronger and faster in the end, he was behind Johnny.  Is that courageous and noble, or just a bit stupid?

Is the success of a family or team more or less important than an individual victory?

BIBLE READING: from 1 Samuel 17: 1-23, 32-49

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; … and the Israelites gathered … and formed ranks against the Philistines. … And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, ... He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armoured with a coat of mail; ... He had bronze on his legs and a javelin slung between his shoulders. … He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of King Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants.’ … When King Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid….

Now David was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem in Judah, the youngest of 8 sons; … the three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. …

And David heard him. David said to Saul, ‘Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. … The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.’ So Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the Lord be with you!’

Saul clothed David with his armour; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armour, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.’ So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones … his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

The Philistine drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth. The Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? … Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.’ But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts …. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.’ …

When the Philistine drew nearer, David ran quickly towards the battle line. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

Our Bible reading speaks of success in a surprising encounter. Part of the message behind the story is that God’s favour does not necessarily support those who are the most powerful or aggressive – even though they may seem to be successful in the events of our world.  God is found with those who are oppressed or mistreated, even (or especially) when they are weak.

Prayer

Thank you Heavenly Father for the joy we feel when we win.

Help us to know that the way to win is not always the obvious way.

Help us to win by self-sacrifice and kindness and never by selfish aggression.

Help us to follow the example of Jesus, who won freedom for all by the sacrifice of his own life and was not too proud to wash the feet of sinners. Amen.