Introduction

Amy Winehouse won a Grammy this year for her gutsy song, "Rehab". (Which I understand is a autobiographical song for her—because she does need to go.) Well, your pastor had to go to rehab earlier this year. And thanks to the change in our conference insurance policy I was able to afford to go. It wasn’t for alcohol or drugs however, it was for a damaged rotator cuff that I had injured in weigh training. (You’re right, I probably don’t know what I am doing—and it showed.) Back last Fall I went into the doctor and she determined that my pain was due to a rotator cuff being damaged. Fortunately unlike some of you in the congregation I had not torn mine so it did not require surgery. I was very skeptical whether or not the rehab would help. Call me an unbeliever—but it really did. It is not 100% but I am able to sleep better at night and it isn’t constantly hurting like it used to. So I became a believer in the helpfulness of rehabilitation.

Injuries, of course, are a part of all sporting events, including the Olympic games. For example, in Mexico City in 1968, American Micki King was ahead after eight attempts in springboard diving. Unfortunately, on her 9^th dive she hit the springboard and broke her left arm. The result was a 4^th place finish—so she missed medaling. But four years later she was back on the springboard, and—in 1972 at Munich, Germany—this time she got her gold.

In 1976 in Montreal, as some of you may still recall, Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto broke his kneecap during the floor exercises. Not wanting to upset his teammates, he didn’t say anything about what happened. Then, in an incredible display of courage, he performed on the sidehorse, and an excellent routine on the rings—and on that dismount he dislocated his already injured knee. His heroic effort was rewarded when his country won the gold medal in the team competition.

In 1980 at the Moscow Olympics, just two days before his given event—the small-bore rifle competition—Karoly Varga from Hungary broke his shooting hand. (Hate it when that happens, right?) Even so, he stuck it out and went ahead to earn the gold medal anyway!

I hate to admit it, but injuries are a part of church, too. I recall both Dorothy Cunningham and Miriam Howard falling on our steps leading out of the building at the main entrance. And I also recall a couple of fender benders, too, Earl, you know what I’m talking about, in the church parking lot on the way to a Men’s Lenten breakfast one Saturday morning.

I remember reading about a small country church where the choir traditionally processed down the center aisle from the back. Well, one of the robed sopranos got her high heel stuck in the grate on the floor that let in the warm air. Rather than make a scene, she just slipped her foot out of the shoe and continued singing and processing, albeit a bit lopsided. After her came the alto who athletically side-stepped the shoe while unobtrusively pointing it out to the man walking and singing behind her. It was the tenor who bent over and, still in stride, picked up the shoe—however, the whole grate came up with it. Nevertheless, he processed on, singing as best he could while casually holding the shoe and the grate next to his side so as not to call attention to it. Last came the unfortunate bass, who wasn’t really all that aware of what had just gone on—and he fell, singing, into the hole!

Well, if physical injuries were all people had to be careful about in the church our problems would actually be quite minimal. It’s when one brings up injuries that relate to:

. . . and suddenly the injury list starts to get rather long.

Don’t get me wrong. These are real hurts. They literally leave good church people wounded—needing time to heal. Because of injuries of this type, men and women are often sidelined for weeks—then months—even years—would you believe decades. Sometimes the damage lasts an entire lifetime.

Let’s go to the text we have been looking at throughout this series: Hebrews 12, if you want to turn there now. As you do, allow me to just briefly review what has been said to date.

My subject for this series has been about believers with a "go for the gold" mindset. I knew spiritual champions couldn’t be produced in a period of five weeks any more than Olympic champions could be. But I wanted to give you a feel for what kind of thinking was necessary if you have personal aspirations of being a winner. I also shared some practical advice each Sunday—what I would call more or less beginning steps.

Response Review

Sunday 1 was—Believers with a "go for the gold" mindset Remember the Witnesses. They keep in mind that outstanding spiritual champions from the past are in that heavenly crowd of witnesses watching how we’re doing.

Sunday 2—Believers with a "go for the gold" mindset Remove Any Hindrances. They don’t go about training for the race God has called them to run with all kinds of distractions pulling at them.

Sunday 3—Believers with a "go for the gold" mindset Run with Perseverance. They expect that their calling is going to require some tenacity, some sticking in there. So they don’t give up the first time they feel thirsty, or get winded, or have a cramp.

Sunday 4—Believers with a "go for the gold" mindset Reach for the Goal. They not only agree that he set a marvelous example, they train their minds to return repeatedly to Christ and his work on their behalf.

Once again—they

This Week’s Response

Now to today’s verses—Hebrews 12:12–13. I’ll read them first from the New Living Translation, which I’ve been using throughout this series.

The last part of verse 13 is rendered in different ways depending on the version you read. I actually prefer a translation like the way the New American Standard Bible renders it:

So Number 5 and last in the sequence is that believers with a "go for the gold" mindset Recover from Injuries. After an affliction of some kind, they don’t remain incapacitated forever. They recover from their injuries.

They’re like Carlos Lopes at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. One of the favorites in the marathon, Lopes was from the relatively small European country of Portugal. Just two weeks prior to the race he was struck by an automobile and thrown through its windshield. In spite of this accident, in which there were cuts and bruises but no broken bones, he went on to compete and not only won the gold in the marathon, but set an Olympic record as well.

Champions sometimes push harder than they should to get back into the action. That’s why in professional sports—where lots of money is involved—they have team trainers and doctors whose specialty is what’s called sports medicine. And these experts know approximately how long a rotator cuff takes to heal, or a hamstring, or a fracture. Injuries are taken seriously. But the bottom line is to have players heal properly and in time to get the athlete back on the field.

I’m not aware of any specialty called church medicine, but maybe we need to invent such a thing. Not that our injuries are all that dramatic. It’s just that in many cases they seem to take far longer to heal than they should, perhaps because we don’t pay the proper attention to them.

A leader in the church disappointing you shouldn’t have meant that you stopped attending 35 years ago, and that your children and grandchildren copied your example and missed out on the best that life has to offer. Whatever the pain involved in the incident, it certainly doesn’t merit that great a price.

So you had a bad mix of personalities on a given committee, and you dreaded going to the meetings. Or you don’t like the pastor. That can happen. And granted, it’s not a pleasant experience. But to forfeit using your God-given spiritual gifts for over ten years now and counting—that’s not a good result.

How-to

Now, if believers with a "go for the gold" mindset recover from injuries, and that’s a message for you, what are you to do?

First—Let’s identify the injury—the bruise, or cut, or break, or attack—what was it that landed you on the disabled list?

Second—Ask, what’s a reasonable amount of time for healing to take place . . . a week, two—a month—the season? (And yes, there are such things as career-ending blows, but that’s probably not where most of you are.)

So, fill in the blanks: This is what happened ___________. A normal healing time should be somewhere around ___________.

Third—Let’s talk about a program of rehabilitation. All through this series I have given you simple strengthening exercises to consider:

But, this week specifically:

* Identify the injury.

* Figure out a reasonable amount of time needed for healing to take place.

* Get started on a program of rehabilitation.

* Then, make slow and careful attempts to do the things you used to do.

It’s not a whole lot more complicated than that. That is, if you still have the desire to go for the gold!

Conclusion

I received a phone call from Buddy Higgins a few weeks ago about an illustration that I used in my second message in this Olympic series. He had to tell me how much the story of Park Tae-Hwan, young Korean gold medalist, who got back up four years later after public humiliation by being disqualified due to a false start in a swimming competition meant to him and others he knows.

Remember: it’s not hearers of the Word who are heroes in that great crowd of witnesses, it’s doers of the Word. So, will there be any noticeable improvement in your faith walk as a result of these five Sundays we have spent together?

Most of you have heard of Christian singer Twila Paris. One of her songs gives reason to take seriously what I have been preaching these five Sundays. The song is called "Runner". It was released in 1985. The chorus goes:

So don’t stay injured forever. Get back in the race. Her third verse sounds like Twila took the ideas from Hebrews 12.