Who will win?

The largest and most prestigious sports competition on the planet is about to get underway. The Olympic & Paralympic Games are the very best example of humanity’s inherent desire to compete and achieve; and this year the games are being hosted in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most beautiful, exotic and religious places in the whole world. I can’t wait.
What inspires me most is the stories that lie behind every athlete’s performance. Stories of overcoming the odds, of failure but finding the strength to try again; and stories of discipline and defeating inner demons.
 
There is another hidden story. Brazil is facing its worst recession in 100 years. The effects can be seen in the slums of Rio, Sao Paulo and Brasilia. Poverty levels and child mortality rates are high in Brazil, with an estimated 42 percent of children in Brazil living below the poverty line. As well as it being a time of political and economic unrest, the country is also trying to control the Zika virus. During the Games, the division between those who have and those who don’t will be all too evident, and it brings in to question who we understand as the winners and losers. But despite the shadows of Brazil's story there is something very special about Rio which shines oh so brightly. Christo Redentor. Christ the Redeemer.
 
Completed in 1930 and standing 30m tall a top of Corcovado, the statue is an incredible witness of Brazil’s faith. People speak of it as being a powerful symbol of hope, of compassion and reassurance stemming from the knowledge that the world’s pain is carried by Jesus with open arms on the cross. I wonder what it will mean for the Olympics?
I was delighted to read the prayer of blessing that Dom Sebastiao Leme used when dedicating the ‘Cristo Redentor’ in 1930. His words were:
“Christ wins! Christ reigns! Christ rules! Christ protect your Brazil from all harm!”
At the start of the Olympics Dom Sebastiao’s words seem particularly relevant, especially as we ask the question, ‘who will win?’.
No matter who crosses the finishing line I hope that the message is Jesus’ transforming and life-changing promise conveyed in that amazing statue, and more importantly, in His Gospel. For as Christians we live in the knowledge that the victory was His, is His and will be His.
 
I finish with one last thought. What would it feel like to have a statue of this size on a hilltop overlooking Truro, Liskeard, St Agnes or wherever you might be? In its absence, where is the great symbol of hope in Christ for our time and for our community? Is it the church? If not, why not?
 
May you know the victory of Christ in your life today. Jeremy

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