Russellings of the Spirit

What an amazing event the opening ceremonies of the Olympics were! It is completely impossible to put into words the sheer majesty, magic, and visual power of the spectacle of more than 15,000 costumed performers, dazzling fireworks, high tech video production and incredible contraptions involved. The massiveness and precision of it all was at once awe-inspiring and just a little bit scary. As one of my fellow spectators commented, “I’m not sure I would want them mad at me.” Every movement was precise. Every moment stunned you just a little bit more than the last. Everything was just as surprising as it was beautiful. It was a great way for a country that is basically shrouded in mystery to stride onto the world stage and make its grand entrance. I could watch that video again and again.

In a very real way I thought of this ceremony and the games that will follow as one form of worship. When we take the gifts that God has given us and use them in ways that fulfill and then go far beyond our understanding of their capabilities, we are actually paying a great homage to the Source of those gifts. It is as if we say, “In gratitude for the gift of my artist’s eye, or my athletically endowed body, I pledge to use them to their utmost, and then to dare to go beyond my vision of ‘the possible’ into previously uncharted realms of possibility.” What better way to glorify God than by honoring God’s handiwork?