HTR Magazine June21 Web - Flipbook - Page 4
A Letter from John
Dear friends,
ANYONE FOR TENNIS ?
I wonder what has helped you through the pandemic? Country walks? On-line
keep fit? Bake off sessions? .... As a life-long tennis fan I have loved watching
tennis: each week Amazon prime allows me to travel the world and watch the latest
battles between Djokovic, Nadal and the rest of the superstars. I eagerly look
forward to Wimbledon, having been devastated by its cancellation last year!
It strikes me that the game of tennis can teach us a lot about the Christian life.
You need not only to have the right equipment but to use it.
Its no good having access to worship, the Bible, the Sacraments, times for prayer,
and beautiful church buildings if you don’t make use of them.
You need power.
In tennis watch the power and precision of the forehands and backhands, the
volleys and the lobs. Having just celebrated Pentecost we know that we need the
power of the Holy Spirit to keep on target and if we try to live in our own strength
we will fail.
You need to serve well.
The big tennis server is at a great advantage. Christians are called to serve following
the example of Jesus - to be servants of the Servant wherever we live, work and take
our leisure.
You need to receive well.
Tennis stars attack every service that isn’t an ace. The Christian life isn’t just about
giving. It also means being humble enough to receive all that God and other people
have to give.
You need to overcome your faults.
Players keep an eye on the number of double faults and unforced errors. For us God
isn’t just the umpire saying what’s in and what’s out, He is the one who encourages
us to play on and learn from our mistakes.
You need to listen.
These days the top tennis players travel with their coaches, personal trainers and
sports psychologists and listen to their guidance. As we play the game of life we
need to listen to God. Let’s think of Jesus as our personal coach . He believes in us
