The Finish Line

It was the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain during the semi-finals of the men's 400 meter race, when Derek Redmond pulled a hamstring muscle. Redmond collapsed about half way through the race with the injury, but got up, determined to finish despite the pain. His father came out of the stands and onto the track to help his son. Redmond initially tried to push him away, not realizing who he was, but then heard a familiar voice. "Derek, it's me" his father said. Redmond told his father "I've got to finish this race." His father said "If you're gonna finish the race, we'll finish it together." With his father's help, Redmond made it to the finish line. What a cool story...and true! It reminds me of our Heavenly Father's heart towards us..."if you're gonna finish the race, we'll finish it together". What a picture of trust in the midst of pain...of love in the midst of heartache. If God loves us this way...and He does...then shouldn't we learn to love each other the same way? What if people could learn to come along the wounded, hurting, messy lives of others and help them continue...all the way to finish line! At ECHO we hope to be that kind of people...people who help others get up, & keep on going, even in the mess of life and the hurt that goes with it. This song by Steve Taylor comes to mind...and though it is over 10 years old...it speaks of the struggle...the pain...the messiness of life as we press on toward the "finish line"...towards ultimately victory! Because in God's Kingdom all you got to do is finish...it's not a competition...its not whose first...because "the first shall be last and the last shall be first" The victory is in not giving up...even though we all need help along the way!

The Finish Line

Once upon an average morn

An average boy was born for the second time

Prone upon the altar there

He whispered up the prayer he'd kept hid inside

The vision came

He saw the odds

A hundred little gods on a gilded wheel

"These will vie to take your place, but Father,

by your grace I will never kneel"

And I saw you, upright and proud

And I saw you wave to the crowd

And I saw you laughing out loud at the

And I saw you brush away rocks

And I saw you pull up your socks

And I saw you out of the blocks

For the finish line

Darkness falls

The devil stirs

And as your vision blurs you start stumbling

The heart is weak

The will is gone

And every strong conviction comes tumbling down

Malice rains

The acid guile is sucking at your shoes while the mud is fresh

It floods the trail

It bleeds you dry

As every little god buys its pound of flesh

And I saw you licking your wounds

And I saw you weave your cocoons

And I saw you changing your tunes for the party line

And I saw you welsh on old debts

I saw you and your comrades bum cigarettes

And you hemmed and you hawed

And you hedged all your bets

Waiting for a sign

Let's wash our hands as we throw little fits

Let's all wash our hands as we curse hypocrites

We're locked in the washroom turning old tricks

Deaf

And joyless

And full of it

The vision came

He saw the odds

A hundred little gods on a gilded wheel

"These have tried to take your place, but Father,

by your grace I will never kneel

I will never kneel..."

Off in the distance

Bloodied but wise

As you squint with the light of the truth in your eyes

And I saw you

Both hands were raised

And I saw your lips move in praise

And I saw you steady your gaze

For the finish line

Every idol like dust

A word scattered them all

And I rose to my feet when you scaled the last wall

And I gasped

When I saw you fall

In his arms

At the finish line

lyric by Steve Taylor

be God's!
Brian O
Lead Pastor dude, ECHO