August 1, 2024

Letter to the Romans 12, 18

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

Dear Readers,

the stamp which I would like to show you today is a document of contemporary history. The stamp comes from the African state of Togo. It commemorates the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. It depicts an athlete on the rings. It is presumably the Soviet gymnast Alexander Ditjatin, who won 8 medals at the Summer Olympics. 

The Olympic Games of modern era can be traced back to a suggestion by the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. He had the vision that young people should face each other in sporting competitions instead of fighting on battlefields. He believed that international sporting competitions could contribute to peace and understanding among athletes and nations.

Unfortunately, this hope was not fulfilled. Just a few years after the first Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, the First World War broke out. The peoples of Europe and the world fought each other again and the war claimed countless victims. 

The 1980 Olympic Games went down in history as the so called "Boycott Games". In December 1979, the Soviet military invaded Afghanistan. This led to international tensions. As a result, the USA and many Western countries refused to take part in the Olympics and the Games were boycotted. Many countries in the so-called Third World also decided not to take part in the competitions.

Even today, athletes from all over the world are facing each other peacefully in Paris at the Summer Olympics and inspiring millions of people with their performances, at the same time when Russian soldiers are brutally fighting their brother nation in Ukraine. Currently there is still no sign of peace.

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” the apostle Paul admonished Christians around 2000 years ago in his letter to the Church in Rome. Peace among people does not happen automatically. You must want to live in peace with others. You must try to achieve it. Just like athletes spend time in training for their goal.

The apostle Paul sees it very realistically: Other people can deny me peace. With their aggressive behavior, they can drag me into a conflict. Unfortunately, this is an everyday experience. The poet Friedrich Schiller said it in 1804 in his drama "William Tell": "The most pious person cannot live in peace if the evil neighbor does not allow it."

Even if Pierre de Coubertin's hopes were not fulfilled, there will still be Olympic Games. That is a good sign! The Games can be a contribution for peace. In the same way, we Christians should hold on to the hope for peace. We should do everything in our power for peace. No unpiece must come from us! God forbid that we become "bad neighbors". 

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. He is our hope. Those who live with the Lord Jesus Christ and trust him, will always find a way out of a conflict with his help. Unfortunately, wars cannot be avoided through sporting competitions. But peace can come where the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, rules the human heart with his love. This does not happen automatically. You must want it too. It is up to each individual person to make it possible for Jesus Christ to bring peace into their lives. Those who live in peace with Christ will also want to live in peace with their fellow human beings.

Thank you very much for listening to me. I cordially invite you to the next devotion on August 15. Until then, I wish you God's peace and blessings through our Lord Jesus Christ.