麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Carolyn Skinner, sports chaplain

Good morning.

This week in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics, it was the first time since 1972 that all countries were present, with no countries boycotting the games and several long-standing bans were lifted. A record 169 nations took part in the opening parade - a reflection of the extraordinary political changes the world had seen since the last Olympic Games at Seoul in 1988

One of the most moving moments of the Games was after the women's 10,000m final. The winner was Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia, the first black African woman to earn an Olympic medal. She waited for the second-placed Elana Meyer, a white South African, before setting off hand in hand for a victory lap symbolic of a new, multiracial South Africa.

Moments like this are powerful, they remain imprinted on our memories, and they serve a purpose greater than sport. At the last Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 it was the first time that a Refugee Olympic team was represented, sending a message of hope and inclusion to millions of refugees around the world and inspiring the world with the strength of their human spirit.

Romans 15:7 says 鈥淭herefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you,鈥� which encapsulates the motto for this Olympic Games, which is 鈥淯nited by Emotion鈥� expressing the hope that as people come together across the globe they will understand that there is more that unites than divides them.

Loving God, we celebrate the diversity of humanity and ask for your help as we continue to pursue unity and inclusion across the world, not just for now but as we look to the future.

Amen