"I jump into a sand pit for a living"
Introduction
What has Mark’s gospel got to say about sport? More than you might think. Of course, there are no direct references to sport in the gospel but there are principles that we can apply to sport as much as to any other walk of life.There is almost a reference to sport. I know that some rowers have been encouraged by the statement that Jesus “saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them” (6:48). Rowing, like most sports, requires a great deal of effort. Jesus noticed how hard the disciples were working. He notices the effort we are making as we train or play.
We read in chapter one of the gospel what might be called Jesus’ mission statement: Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15)
Sportspeople as much as any one group of society, need to enter the Kingdom of God by repenting and believing the good news of Jesus and then living out God’s values in the world of sport.
In this series on Mark’s gospel we will see that there is much in the gospel which will enable us to live as Christians in the world of sport. A good starting point is to recognize that the message that Jesus proclaimed is indeed good news.
The challenge for us is to live out the gospel and espouse kingdom values in the world of sport. We are to proclaim by our lives the good news of Jesus. The first step is to believe it!
PS St Francis of Assisi said: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”