The Liturgy of the Olympics

The Winter Olympics start this Saturday in Socchi, Russia.  I have always loved the Olympics and part of the reason why is because it offers us a glimpse of international liturgy.  Yes, liturgy.  In the truest sense of the work, liturgy means “the work of the people,” and while we usually think about it in context of a religious ceremony, it is essentially any act humans engage in to make meaning of an event.  In our tradition, liturgy is influenced by Scripture, tradition and reason.  If we expand that a bit, we can see the rules of competition as the scripture of this event, years of a consistent pattern of events as tradition, and what makes sense in that particular context invoking reason.

The Olympics offers a forum for countries to put aside their difference (for the most part) and allowed the international community to come together and celebrate our common humanity and desire to seek excellence in athletic pursuits.  Without romanticizing it too much, it is a noble and worthy ideal, and as such deserves some pomp and pageantry – liturgy – to mark the occasion.

As with all good liturgy, it starts with fire.  Months prior, on the top of Mt. Olympus, a torch is lit and that flame is carried on a long journey to ignite the Olympic cauldron in the host city.  One of my favorite parts of the Opening Ceremonies is watching how the cauldron is lit and who has the honor of lighting it.  (In my humble opinion, Barcelona had the best one, with the Para-Olympian archer!)

The host country gets the opportunity to celebrate its culture and heritage.  It is interesting to see what is important enough to them to uphold (really, England, the National Health Service?).  These glimpses into a foreign way of life allow us to see our differences and similarities, with the former usually greater than the latter.

The parade of athletes is like the bride coming down the aisle.  It is “the big moment” for most of the athletes, as most do not receive a medal, but they all come to compete.  This usually takes the most time, but it nothing else, I get a good geography lesson as the commentaries remind us where Azerbaijan is.  There are also the narratives of certain athletes and their journeys to get to the games, sacrificing much in order to have the opportunity to be an Olympian.  These stories are like the narratives in the Old Testament, reminding us of the importance of faith and perseverance in the most difficult of times.

Like our statement of faith, the Nicene Creed, the Olympic liturgy includes a promise made on behalf of the athletes and the judges. The way this is done has its own ritual of holding onto the Olympic Flag while reciting the oath:

In the name of all the competitors I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.

The judge, also from the host nation, likewise holds a corner of the flag but takes a slightly different oath:

In the name of all the judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in these Olympic Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them in the true spirit of sportsmanship. (from Wikipedia)

I want to believe that all adhere to the “true spirit of sportsmanship.”  It offers the competitors the opportunity to respect the dignity of themselves and every human being (hopefully that sounds familiar, from our Baptismal Covenant). It may be Pollyanna, but I choose to believe in the ideal.

I encourage you to join with me and millions around the globe to support our athletes as they compete.  I would love to hear your comments about the liturgy and what strikes you as interesting in how the world makes meaning of our common life and commemorating a historic event.  And I pray that all will be safe.

In Christ,

Rev. Valerie+