The summer and winter Olympic games draw the attention of the entire world every four years. Thousands of athletes from hundreds of countries who have trained very hard for many years gather to compete in challenging sporting events in the water and on land and snow, and in the case of some skiing winter events, even in the air! We watch with amazement at the skills demonstrated by these champions, celebrating with them as teams or individuals from our own country win medals. And we have only a slight understanding of the rigorous discipline that was required in strenuous training to reach these levels of expertise.
This hymn study is being written for the weekend on which the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics is launched. Day after day, people from around the globe will tune in on their television sets and computers to watch broadcasts of one event after another, hoping to hear their national anthem played at the awarding of medals. What will impress us will be their speed, their endurance, their focus, their determination, and their joy when they have succeeded in their competition. None of us can imagine that we could ever do what phenomenal things they do with their bodies, especially as we age (hopefully graciously!). When our team members win, we share their ecstasy.