Vicar’s September letter

Dear friends,

I can remember as a child being taken to the circus as a special treat. I don’t think it was for a birthday, but just because there was one nearby. In some ways it was more exciting because it was not something that was normally possible. I seem to remember the slogan ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ being used at the time, although this is quite possibly a memory failure as this phrase was used by Barnum and Bailey in theUSand popularised through the 1952 Cecil B. DeMille film of the same name. I know there is much debate now about animal care in circuses and they don’t seem to have the same attraction as when I was a child, but it certainly seemed like ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ to me at the time.

It struck me over the last couple of weeks (I am writing this in mid-August) that the ‘greatest show on earth’ in current times is probably the Olympics. I think this is probably the case generally, but obviously interest has been heightened for us this year as the host nation. The 2012 Olympics have seen an unprecedented demand for tickets as well as record numbers of volunteers wanting to help in all sorts of ways at the events and venues around the country. We wanted to be participants in some way rather than just spectators. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies were generally regarded as spectacular; there were some genuinely amazing individual performances – Jess Ennis, Mo Farah, Usain Bolt, Kirani James, Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas; some inspiring team performances – GB rowing, GB cycling, Jamaican sprinters, USA basketball; some heroic endeavours – Manteo Mitchell, Liu Xiang, Kate Walsh; all in all some great moments and an event that seemed to unite the world. Historically, I think that the (football) World Cup or the American Superbowl may have made a case to be the greatest show on earth, but the Olympics seems to capture the imagination and interest of a world-wide audience in a way that no other event seems able to.

I missed the first week of the Olympics (other than news updates on my phone) as I was at Keswick Convention. I do not say this with any regret as the week at Keswick was excellent. It was nice to be there with a group from the Benefice, (I had gone on my own last year); it was nice to sit and listen to some good Bible based teaching; it was nice to not have to prepare anything or have any particular responsibility; it was nice to share some great conversations, some great fellowship and our camp chores. The main teaching series during the week was Jeremy McQuoid working through 1 Thessalonians. One of the main themes of the book is the second coming, which is referred to in every chapter of the book. Jesus’ return will mark the end of this world and the beginning of life with him in a new earth for those who have trusted in him. Jesus will come on the clouds in glory and that this will be witnessed around the world. We are told that those who believe in Jesus will be lifted up and meet with him in the sky. This will not only be truly the greatest show on earth, but, in terms of the earth as we know it, also the last show on earth. Will you be a participant or a spectator?

Yours