The opening ceremony for the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris stood in stark contrast to the spectacle we saw on Friday (July 26). That very staid ceremony featured the traditional parade of athletes through a stadium along with speeches and proclamations by Olympic Committee officials and politicians.
One hundred years later, a regatta of boats filled with athletes sailed down the Seine River and it was impressive. As was the highlighting of the city’s beauty and architecture through various musical and dance scenes, tableaus, and pre-recorded videos. It was a shame that it rained, but that didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. However, it was the attempts at what the ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly has described in various interviews as “unity,” “inclusion,” and “peace” that certainly did.
Jolly’s tableau of the Last Supper or whatever he was trying to illustrate and the reaction to it, brought several thoughts to my mind. One was most likely the last thing he would expect – that drag queens and the actor portraying the Greek god Dionysus in the tableau need to know about Jesus too. They don’t know Christ and were acting like people who don’t know him, so what else should we expect? How will they know unless someone tells them? France has been a determinedly secular country since the French Revolution in the late 18th century and it showed.
As I continued to watch the opening ceremony that has created so much controversy, I couldn’t help but think of the International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries, referred to as the Paris Team, that are serving during the Olympics. Plus, there are another 300 Southern Baptist volunteers from the U.S. and Canada that have joined them just for this moment. The opening ceremony demonstrated the task that lay before them and how many more workers are needed not only in Paris but here and around the world (Matthew 9:37:38).
I also couldn’t help but think about the many things we as Southern Baptists tend to get hung up on. As we squabble and express our outrage online, sometimes we miss the bigger picture, and Friday night showed us the bigger picture. There’s a whole world that doesn’t know Christ. While we argue, they pass into eternity without Him. That’s the real outrage.
If the mention of the 1924 Summer Olympics rings a bell with you, it was immortalized by the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire, which featured the story of Scotsman Eric Liddell, a Christian who ran for the glory of God. A member of the British Olympic Team, Liddell’s main event was the 100-meter race, which was scheduled on a Sunday, the Sabbath. His personal conviction did not permit him to run on Sundays.
Despite much pressure, he vowed not to run. Teammate Andrew Lindsay, who previously medaled in the 400-meter, offered to switch events with him. Liddell did and was the underdog. Before the race an American runner handed him a note quoting 1 Samuel 2:30 when God declared that He would honor those who honored Him. Liddell won the race, and the British team celebrated. May we all have the faith of Eric Liddell.