Text Box: I must confess that I have caught Olympic fever in the past few weeks. I seem to be somewhat alone in my interest as most people I speak with have a passing interest, at best, in watching the 2010 Winter Olympics. To give some context, I grew up just outside of Vancouver, the host city for this year’s Olympics. My favorite sport of my youth was downhill skiing. As a teen I spent at least 25 days a year on a ski hill. In addition, hockey was the big sport of my culture and I have even played a game of curling. I do not know of anyone else in our church with a similar upbringing. That is one aspect of our church which is unique. We come from many different places, but God has brought us together to worship Him. An example of our diversity was a recent Sunday worship service. By my count, with just over 80 people in attendance, including children, we were born in 21 nations. There is a richness in being a part of a church with such diversity. I only wish a few more of you would be more interested in my Olympic stories. Bare with me as I continue. When the New Testament was written, the idea of Winter Olympics was not conceived. The Greeks did have a summer Olympics which Paul referred to in his first letter to the Corinthian church. I Cor 9:25-27 says, Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my Text Box: slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. As I watched the Olympic athletes these past few weeks, it is remarkable how hard they train and work so they can win an award. They are the best in the world at what they do and in most sports, there is great sacrifice involved in being successful. Paul rightly points out that all that training only leads to an award that will not last. In the ancient world, Olympic winners were given a wreath that was worn as a crown. I have a distant relative, Cindy Klassen, who has won 6 medals at the past two Olympics. I read an article about her which said that she keeps her medals in a closet. What defines her more than her medals is her faith in Jesus Christ. That is Paul’s point. Our faith is more precious than an Olympic gold medal. Yet, we are more likely to take our faith for granted than to pursue it with the energy aspiring Olympians invest. In Matthew 13:44, Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” I trust you will value your faith in Jesus above all other pursuits. In about another month we will be celebrating Easter. We will be reminded again that the treasure of our faith came at a great cost when Jesus went to the cross to carry our sins. May we always value the treasure that is ours because of Jesus. Let us not take our walk with Jesus for granted as it is our most valued treasure. -Pastor Rick Text Box: Thoughts on the Olympics

Gospel News
Text Box: March 2010 Text Box: Inside this issue:

Haiti Update

2

Seniors Ministry

2

Faith & Reason

2

March Events

3

Baptism

3

Youth Ministry

3

Nets Game

3

Easter Schedule

4