On the 6th June, we had a fantastic celebration day as we gathered for AFCU at 175: A celebration of God’s Goodness at St Paul’s Church, Camberley. On that day, Liesel Parkinson, AFCU’s Prayer and Pastoral Director, spoke at our thanksgiving service on Hebrews 12:1-3 -running the race of our lives.
In this month’s Directors article, we share some of what Liesel said.
Hebrews 12:1-3
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
One of the things I have been told often enough in my life is that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. A marathon fits with the endurance message the Hebrews text stresses, and certainly 175 years is a very long race. But I’m not sure it’s the best image because marathon running is, by and large, a solo event.
I think the best image for the race we as military Christian’s are running is a relay race. I want to give you four reasons why I think this is, and what it teaches us.
First of all, we are not just competing; we are carrying something to the finish line. Modern relay races carry lightweight batons, but they originated thousands of years ago, in Greece and Persia, with couriers carrying message sticks that were passed from person to person.
As Christians, we just aren’t carrying important correspondence. As Paul says in Philippians 2:16, we are “holding fast to the word of life, so that we may boast in the day of Christ that we did not run or labour in vain.”
We are carrying God’s words of life! How awesome is that?! Our prayer is that many in the military will hear it, receive it and be saved by it. No matter whether we are serving or not, we can all play our part in holding fast to and passing on this glorious gospel message of life.
Secondly, we run our own race faithfully, but our part in AFCU’s race is built on what has gone before us. Those who have run a relay race will know that the winning teams are those where each runner has performed their best, and your success in your leg is built on the success of the people who ran before you. We are only doing what we do now because we are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before.
Verse 1 says that we can only run when we have got rid of every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us. In a relay race, the things that hold us down affect our teammates, too. That’s true of us, as Christians, too. We are all parts of one body. What affects one part affects the whole. Let’s deal with what’s stopping us from running as fast and freely as we could.
Thirdly, it’s a relay race because we need seamless transitions between one runner and the next. Races are lost if batons are dropped. I wonder where you are on your AFCU part of this glorious race. As we are still all on this side of glory, I’m going to say we are all still running. Maybe you are still running after handing off your baton; maybe you are at the point of transition from one generation to the next; maybe you are running as hard as you can between handoff points; or maybe you are still just starting on your leg. Wherever you find yourself, YOU are an important part of the race – keep running for the glory that is set before us. Keep going.
Finally, just like a relay, it’s really important to keep focused on where you are going! Ordinary relay races are usually run on tracks, and you have to stay in your lane to make sure you pass your baton on to your own team member. Our relay race has a different focus. The writer of Hebrews says we need to have our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Not only will His example give us the strength to keep on keeping on, but it will also mean we won’t lose our position on the track and wander off. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Him, no matter how bumpy and treacherous the ground we’re running over looks, no matter how long we need to keep going before we can pass the baton.
Friends and fellow teammates – thank you for running this race so faithfully and so far. As we celebrate this milestone, our race is not complete. Let’s keep on running and look to God for what he still wants to do to extend His kingdom in and through the military.