Chaplain’s Chat

I remember as a young boy going to the movies with my parents. It was one of the first films I had ever watched, and they told me we were going to see Chariots of Fire. I had envisaged pyramids and Pharaoh and chariot races, so I was surprised when the first scene of the film involved a group of athletes running along the beach as they trained for the 1924 Paris Olympics. I must admit, I was hooked. It has become one of my favourite films and I have seen it many times. The two main characters are Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, who were both vying for the title of 100m Olympic Champion. Eric decided not to run the heats of the 100m, which were scheduled to be run on a Sunday. His Christian conviction and conscience were the basis of his decision. Instead, he eventually ran the 400m, won the gold medal and broke the world record in the process. Harold Abrahams ended up winning the 100m.

There is a marvellous scene as Eric is in church on the Sunday, reading from the book of Isaiah. As shots of the other competitors are played, the words of Isaiah 40:30-31 ring out: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Of course, these words are there for us as well, to remind us not only of our mortality but also of where our hope is to be found. We certainly get tired and weary at this time of the Term, but may we look to the Lord for our strength in all that we do.

Rev Anthony Benn
Chaplain