<> Ask the Pastor the Rev. Walter Snyder "Faster. Higher. Stronger." That's the motto of the Olympic Games. When the modern Games were first established, the man responsible for their revival was looking for an appropriate theme. He left us with a sense of unfinished business. The Games don't approach us with a "been there, done that" attitude. They don't seek to find a peak level of performance and stay with it. We aren't promised the "fastest, highest, strongest" athletes. No, the Olympic spirit seeks always to better previous efforts. It may be one man struggling to top another's world record. It may be one girl reaching deep into her inner resources to exceed her personal best. The life of the Christian on earth is parallel to this struggle to exceed. While content with our life in Christ, his Word and Spirit compel us to try harder to live according to his will. All of life becomes our Olympics, and Christians are invited to lay everything on the line for the Lord. God doesn't call us to be couch potatoes. After saving us, he puts us on his "track" - the straight path to our heavenly home. More than any coach or trainer, he's with us every step of the way as we struggle, not against other athletes, but against "principalities and powers," against the forces of Satan himself. We know that victory is already assured for those who believe in salvation through the merits of Jesus Christ. We now push to excel as disciples of our Savior. This is in keeping with what Ephesians 2 tells us. Salvation is a gift of God, but in salvation we are converted into God's workmanship to do God's tasks. We live and give as Christians because we are celebrating the end of the race even as we still run it. The prize is already in our possession: We are children of the heavenly Father and heirs of the kingdom. Now we "fight the good fight." We "press on to our goal." We wrestle with our own weaknesses, finding strength in Word and Spirit. Like boxers, we beat our flesh into shape. Our training table is the Lord's Supper - the Supper of Champions - where his body and blood give us nutrition perfectly balanced for our needs. This Supper also reminds us of our ultimate dinner, when we will dine in the heavenly courts, at the Victor's table forevermore. Yet in our Olympian struggles, we already have a gift promised by the Games, yet never fully realized. Already in ancient times, wars would cease and athletes received safe passage. Again in our time, the Olympics promise a peaceful gathering, and look to the end of non-athletic struggle on earth. Yet nothing on earth can we earn or receive that will bring true peace. The slaughter of the Israeli athletes in 1972 is but the most blatant example of how peaceful gatherings do not necessarily indicate true peace. Even as these 1996 Games continue, so do wars and rumors of war. Nation still rises against nation, and family member against family member. Crime is not solved. Corruption remains. Cancer still kills. On and on reads this litany of horrors. The only way they are interrupted is in the peace that surpasses understanding. This peace which Jesus gives is not of the world, nor like it. It is contentment in knowing that Christ is in control of our lives. It is handing over our anxieties to the One who cares for us. Death itself cannot scare or stop us, for we continue on into life eternal. An Easter hymn says, "The strife is over, the battle's won." Believers are part of the peace won on Calvary and delivered from a grave burst open. We carry on with uplifted hearts and consecrated minds and bodies. We are certain of our "Olympic gold," which is our crown of everlasting life. The lives of the saints are now lives of heaping awards and honors upon the true Victor. All praise, honor, and glory go to Jesus Christ, who is decorated as the One who won it all. Together we - with all the saints, with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven - continue to "Crown Him with Many Crowns." So long for now. Remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951 or via the Internet through xrysostom@aol.com. You can also stop me on the street for a chat. Walter Snyder is the pastor of St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas, and coauthor of "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1996 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.