One of the most gripping events was the Marathon. It's such a long race, so gruelling on the competitors. It isn't certain until the finish line. Remember the two Kenyans who set a good steady lead. Then one of them dropped back and the other kept on with what seemed an unbeatable lead. Australia's hopeful, Robert De Castella, was back in the next group of runners. But then "Deek" moved away from his group and started to close the distance to the Kenyan. He overtook him and went on to win with a strong margin.
Probably most of us had mixed emotions as we watched. We were very happy that an Australian had won, yet felt a measure of pity for the Kenyan who had run such a consistent race and had lost his gold only in the closing moments of the race.
The Christian life is described in a number of places as a race, but, unlike our human sporting races, we are not competing with others for a prize that can only go to one of us but for a prize that is reserved only for us. Everyone can win!
Listen to the way Paul describes it. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2 Tim.4.7-8, NIV).
Notice what Paul is saying. "I have fought the good fight" . The Good News has "I have done my best in the race". There is effort in the Christian life. We depend on what God has done for us in Christ our Saviour. The Christian race begins when we receive Jesus as our Saviour. It continues as we daily put our trust in him and step out to be his person and to do his will. We live day by day on the basis of his amazing grace. The Christian life is enabled and empowered by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit doesn't do it for us - we are the ones who have to step out with confidence, trusting him as we run the race.
Then Paul goes on to say, "I have finished the race". The Good News has "I have run the full distance". We have a saying "You've got to be in it to win it", and then, when children face the disappointment of not winning, we console them by saying that it is being in it that counts, not winning! Some schools award points to the team for participation, and, certainly, there would be no race if only the predictable winner is to run! Yet the purpose of the Christian life is that we all "run the full distance" - that we come to the end of the earthly part of our life having "kept the faith" - having kept believing in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and acknowledging him as our Lord, having lived by faith and grown in faith.
But Paul looks forward confidently to receiving his "gold" - "the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day". I think our Marathon runners received a leafy crown. But this is more than a crown of honour that will perish. This is the assurance of being right with God by faith now, and of being right with him for ever in eternity - knowing his love and his nurture and his care, finally being set free from sin and all its consequences in our lives and personalities, joining the great celebration of praise and worship in heaven.
Paul writes with confidence, because he is depending, not on his own running success, but on the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Today we come to give thanks to God for Horrie Fagg, who, like Paul, has "fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith." For Horrie too we speak with confidence of "the crown of righteousness" which he has now received from his Lord.
One of the lesser known hymns of Charles Wesley expressed it like this:
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