Use this news story from recent days to help your students see the relevance of this week's lesson from the Standard Lesson Commentary or Standard Lesson Quarterly.
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GOING FOR THE GOLD
The Beijing Olympics closed on Sunday. The performances were stunning at times. Michael Phelps brought home eight gold medals and seven world records in swimming, winning one race by a hundredth of a second. Usain “Lightning” Bolt of tiny Jamaica won three gold medals and set three world records in track. On the national level, China took extreme measures to “win the gold” as the host nation, both in medal count and in showcasing its culture. The level of attention paid to this Olympics worldwide was in the stratosphere.
ACHIEVING TRUE GOLD
The world gives its attention to the glory of the gold: the fastest times, the longest jumps, the highest scores, etc. In today’s text, James is not so much concerned with “who’s best,” but with “how we play the game.” He names several “Olympic-caliber” qualities such as patience, endurance, and honesty. But he also reminds us of other graces that are particularly Christian: not holding grudges, acceptance of suffering, purity in speech, prayer, confession, and praise. That’s the way to true gold—God’s gold!
- From a Christian perspective, what problems does an emphasis on winning in sports present?
- Pride seems to go with winning and shame with losing in various kinds of competitions. What should be the Christian attitude in these situations?
- Many Olympic competitors and their supporters prayed before their events. What makes such prayer appropriate or inappropriate?
- What was a recent circumstance that required you to exercise patience and endurance? How does prayer help you in such circumstances?
- Is their any such thing as “winning the silver medal” or “winning the bronze medal” in the church? Explain.
—Charles R. Boatman