February 11, 2002

CARRYING THE TORCH

Pasadena was one stop on the journey of the Olympic torch across the United States to its winter home in Salt Lake, Utah. A friend of mine got up during the early morning hours to stand in the darkness and the rain, waiting for the inspiration of seeing the torch carried by a determined runner during that leg of the journey.

People of all sorts were honored to be able to carry the torch for a little while. Even if no one noticed them, if no TV cameras were in sight, if their leg was ignored, they took their responsibility very seriously. It took the combined faithfulness of hundreds of runners to deliver the torch to the site of the Winter Olympics. There it was used to ignite the giant Olympic Flame that is the centerpiece at the Olympic stadium.

Suppose my friend woke up to the alarm clock that morning, saw how dark it was, heard the rain, and decided it wasn't worth the effort. Another couple of hours of sleep seemed more attractive. Well, the crowd of on-lookers would have been a little slimmer, but the runner would have still carried the torch to its next exchange point.

But suppose the runner had decided to sleep in, reasoning his health would be threatened in the cold dampness. His self-centered decision would have jeopardized the whole journey. He had it in his power to extinguish the "eternal flame."

You and I are runners in an even greater spectacle. We have been entrusted with the light of the gospel. It has been handed to us because generations of faithful runners before us have braved all sorts of circumstances to carry the torch for their leg of the journey.

Can we decide it's not convenient for us to run with the torch today because the weather or other circumstances aren't quite right? How can we even imagine that? We have been entrusted with the true Eternal Flame. It's a great honor to be able to carry if for a mile or two. Only our best effort will do.

Go for the Gold!

–Pastor George Van Alstine