Dear Rose Park,
This coming Sunday my wife, Sam, will be participating in the 44th running of the Chicago Marathon. She’ll join the nearly 40,000 other runners as they journey through the streets of downtown Chicago; beginning in Grant Park, heading north to Sheridan and Broadway, then making their way south and west towards the United Center, going through Little Italy and Pilsen, until they finally head north on Michigan Avenue to finish back at Grant Park where with any luck Sam will see Simon, Winn and I with a big smile.
Running is a common metaphor used throughout scripture; Paul talks about it in his letter to the Corinthians, Jeremiah speaks about running with the horses, and perhaps most famously the book of Hebrews mentions running with endurance the race set before us. Running has always been a test of endurance, discipline, sustenance, and strength. Sam has diligently trained over the past several months in order to complete the 26.2 mile journey and as we’re just days away from the race, I’m hopeful to offer her and you all another metaphor as we run the race set before us.
In a nod to their life cycle the monarch butterfly represents strength, endurance, spirituality, trust, sustaining belief, and transformation. Not only does the monarch literally transforms from a caterpillar into a butterfly but it also has a tremendously long migration pattern. The monarch can easily fly up to 2,700 miles in a single migration. This is all to say, the monarch embraces transformation and is built for the long haul.
We might not all enjoy going for an early morning run, but all of us are runners in the sense that we are journeying in a life of faith. As runners in faith, I hope and pray we can mimic the monarch by embracing transformation and committing our faith in Christ for the long-haul. Let us embrace the transformational work of the Holy Spirit over the course of a lifetime. Let us step out in faith as the Good Shepherd leads us to still waters and green pastures. Finally, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, not just for a moment or a day but for our entire race.
Good luck to all the marathon runners this weekend in Chicago, but best of luck to one in particular.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark
Photo by Sonika Agarwal on Unsplash