Christopher Idle writes a memo for sports-loving preachers
As they speed round the final bend, bronzed Australian John Landy has a small lead over Roger Bannister; no more than a yard or two (as we used to say).
The former is the world-record holder for the mile; the latter, the first man to run it in less than four minutes. These two are way out in front; the rest of the field well behind the main camera-angle. This is Vancouver 1954 and the so-called Miracle Mile, the Mile of the Century.
Speaking without notes
So at least I tell the congregation in the final lap of my sermon some 50 years later. I am a bit surprised that no-one seems to know the result; signs of ageing. But that makes my story all the more gripping; never take these things for granted.
By now I am speaking without notes because I know it so well. Has no-one else heard the commentary or seen the film, in glorious black and white?
The crucial moment comes, not at the finishing line but 20 seconds earlier; Landy has led for most of the race. The crowd noise is deafening, and without any big screens to glance up to, he has no idea where Bannister is. He can neither hear nor see him.
The Aussie selects the best possible moment to glance back: on the crown of that last bend, with the minimum angle to turn his neck to the left. Except that it proves to be the worst, since his rival chooses that exact second to overtake on the outside, Landy’s right. By the time he looks straight ahead again, Bannister is two yards clear and the race is effectively over. Landy never catches up.
What was it meant to teach us?
What a great illustration! Firmly grounded in such Scriptures as 1 Corinthians 9 or Hebrews 12; or so I had assumed. Afterwards, a colleague said: ‘That was a great story; really exciting. But what exactly was it supposed to illustrate?’
‘Ah’, I said; ‘It’s funny you should say that. Because when I was about half way through telling it, I began to wonder the same thing! But by then I thought it best to plough on.’
There are several possible ways of using this illustration But was the moral never to look back? Or to chose the right moment to do it? Or was it to ignore the opposition, or our neighbours, and simply run our own race? Or (on the contrary) study and watch our opponents carefully? Or get our timing right, keeping our eyes on the tape as we strive forward for the gospel? There are problems with all of those!
In other words, it was such a good story that I had just slotted it in, without bothering to work out what it illustrated – if anything at all, relevant to my main theme and text. Perhaps the real ‘moral’ is not to skimp our preparation; Roger Bannister didn’t.
The last wicket
I wasn’t at Vancouver in 1954, but I was at Canterbury in 2018. In a summer of tumbling cricket records, one that didn’t hit the national headlines took place before my very eyes; Kent v. Middlesex, day two of what should have been four. Promotion-chasing Kent had built a solid first innings lead, so it wasn’t a cliffhanger. When their (our) last pair came together they had probably done enough; I planned to wait till the last wicket fell (it was evening by now) and then shuffle off to the station.
Well, a hundred runs later they were still out there in the middle; Grant Stewart had scored an impressive 99 (having already taken six for 22, he was out for 103), and his partner Ivan Thomas at the other end, was on a grand total of one run. Ace statistician Andrew Sansom confirmed that this had never happened before in first-class cricket anywhere in the world.
Thinking carefully
As ever, the preacher is on the alert. What a fine illustration! But, recalling my haste about Landy, of what exactly? Some care needed here too. Man of the Match Stewart could never have reached 99-plus without his partner. Were they then equally heroes with different gifts? Might have been if our target was 100 to win. They certainly both got generous if bemused applause. We mustn’t make one player a hero at the expense of another. The value of varied talents? They both had to stay there. Be aware of your limitations? Thomas never risked a boundary. But what are records for, if not to be broken? So be adventurous? And what were the captain’s instructions? Unless it’s a service for Christians in Sport, this could get a bit complicated. It could even end in praise of good works rather than grace. And I don’t mean W.G.
Day of Prayer
Some books on preaching warn us against overdoing the sporting stories; football, for some reason, is often ruled offside. But join me in 2010 at a Kentish village for the Women’s World Day of Prayer. This year it’s the turn of the women of Cameroon to plan the outline, and guess what? In those very days their country has reached the group stages of the World Cup – as I was surely bound to mention. ‘And if you wonder why football has to intrude into a service for women; let me tell you. If Cameroon get to the knock-out stage or even the semi-final (imagine!) it won’t be just the men who are dancing in the streets of Yaounde or Douala! (Yes, I looked them up.)
Many churches took advantage of the 2018 World Cup, as at the 2012 Olympics, to advance the gospel in imaginative ways. Here in South London some churches adorned their pillars with the flags of every World Cup nation represented in the congregation, with focused prayer to match. One had 11 flags, another 20; what a colourful wordless reminder of the global church in a truly multi-cultural fellowship!
