Student Celebration Weekend - Friday
2 Timothy 1:13-14
"Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus” (NLT)
In the past 112 years, the U.S. men’s track team has run the 4x100 relay 43 times in Olympics and World Championships. Except for one case, they either finished 1st or 2nd (29 times)—or got disqualified (13 times).
Talk about all-or-nothing!
Surprisingly, a repeated issue emerged in most of those disqualifications: a faulty handoff. Of course, crazy things happen when two of the world’s fastest humans try to pass a baton at top speed. But whether we point to sheer bad luck or preventable errors, it’s a part of the race that can’t be ignored.
The same is true for our mission as the Church.
The Bible includes several verses on passing the baton of faith:
2 Timothy 1:13–14: "Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus"
2 Timothy 2:2: "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."
Hebrews 12:1: "Run with perseverance the race marked out for you"
1 Corinthians 9:24: "Run in such a way as to win the prize."
Students run fast but need wisdom. Adults run slower but have wisdom. Thankfully God has designed the local church to be multi-generational and to win the race we need each other. The love of Jesus needs to get passed on. And it’s incredibly important that we hand it off well.
Next week as you watch the Olympic races, pay special attention to the relay handoffs. Let it remind you of the next generation that will run on after you. Let it be all the reason to run even harder together.
Friday’s Reflection
Let’s end the week with a clear call to action: Let’s humbly and compassionately hand off the baton of faith to those behind us. A great way to start is by serving with our Children, Student, or Young Adult ministries. Reach out about ways to get involved.
