“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
My favorite sport is NASCAR. I have enjoyed watching NASCAR races since about 2000. My favorite driver is Matt Kenseth, the number 20 of Joe Gibbs' Racing. I have watched and followed his career, since he was a rookie in the Sprint Cup Series when he drove the number 17 for Roush-Fenway Racing.
Kenseth, so far in his career, has won 24 Sprint Cup races and one Championship. He is doing quite well this year with three wins, 3 Top Five finishes, and 7 Top Ten finishes and he is currently fourth in Championship points. Unfortunately, he also had three DNF's or in racing terms it means, “Did-Not-Finish” race. A driver's greatest disappointment is to have a DNF due to a wreck or a mechanical
problem. Last Sunday, at Dover his engine failed while he was running in the top five.
A DNF hurts a driver's overall score in the Championship points race. Despite Kenseth's three DNF's he is still fourth in the points standings, which is not bad. Without the DNF's he would be much closer in points to leader Jimmy Johnson or possibly in first place ahead of Johnson.
When a driver faces the possibility of a DNF due to a crash or other mechanical problem his crew chief and pit crew will determine if repairs can be make to get the driver back out on the track and help them finish the race, even if they end several laps down from the leaders. Crews often will work quickly to get the car running again and help the driver finish 25th or better rather than 35thor 40th. This can make a big difference in overall points for the championship. With an engine failure, they can not do anything because NASCAR rules don't allow an engine change once the race begins.
I like NASCAR in part because despite the attention given to the drivers, it is really about a team of individuals working together to get the driver across the finish line, hopefully with a win. How a NASCAR pit crew operations reminds me often of how the church should operate. We help each other to finish the race.
As church members, we sometimes believe we are running a race, like described by the writer of Hebrews, “let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,” (Heb. 12:2) We must believe we are not alone in this race, we have each other and the Holy Spirit is always with us. As a pastor, I am most effective in my role when I have ruling elders and deacons who fulfill their roles with faithfulness and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Teaching elders, Ruling elders and Deacons should be a cohesive team working together using each others gifts to build up the church and helping each other. When the whole body of Christ functions as Jesus intended when we each use our gifts to insure the church and each individual member finishes the race set before us. We are to always function as a team not as single individuals gaining only our own salvation, but we should desire that each of our brothers and sisters in the faith finish the race.
Jesus' first disciples were called into the action, to run this race, as it were. Jesus was with them for three years, teaching, instructing and leading. They never could have done it without him. When Jesus made it clear he was leaving them, he also insured them he would not leave them orphaned, but he was sending the Holy Spirit to be with them always. Just as the Holy Spirit is Jesus' living presence with us today. Jesus tells his disciples, just as he tells us, that even after his death he will still be with them. He will still encourage them, plead with them, pray for them, teach them.
But the nature of his presence will change. “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me,” he says (John 14:19). He will be present to them in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. They will not run this race alone, they will not have to cross the finish line alone. We all have been in those circumstances where we sign on to do something as long as we have someone to help us with it. If we have to do it alone, forget it. The disciples signed on because Jesus was team leader. We signed on because we believed that God would be present in our lives, that God was trustworthy, that God was Someone we could count on. Then, things happen that seem to suggest that God is not with us. That Jesus has indeed left us “orphaned” (John 14:18). And when that happens we’re tempted to take a DNF. As the body of Christ, we are each others pit crews working to keep us in the race, each doing our part based on the gifts Jesus has given us to assist each other in finishing the race.
“What is your only comfort, in life and in death?” asks the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism, a teaching tool that was written in 1562. The answer is as true today as it was 500 years ago: “That I belong — body and soul, in life and in death — not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
We belong to Jesus Christ, and his Spirit gives us life. This is good news for any of us who find ourselves limping toward a finish line. “I’m here,” says Jesus, in every time and place and situation. "We’re not taking a DNF. We’ll finish together.”
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