Faces of Faith: Eric Liddell, the Flying Scotsman Sunday, May 6, 2007 – Rev. David Tinney Text: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Theme: We each have been given gifts to be used to further the kingdom of God. The gifts, like running and speaking for Eric Liddell, are not just for our own enjoyment but to grow the kingdom and to glorify our Creator. Ever since the beginning of the year I have been preaching a fairly aggressive set of sermon series that have involved some controversial topics. I had scheduled more of the same for this spring but decided we needed a change of pace and a short sermon series where we could explore our faith by learning about the faith journeys of others. So today I begin a mini series entitled “Faces of Faith” and for three weeks we are going to look and men and women who changed their communities through their convictions, faith, and obedience. Next week I am going to be preaching about Harriet Tubman, one of the leaders of the Underground Railroad and one who is often referred to as “The American Moses.” The week after I am going to preach on William Wilberforce, who is the personification of perseverance and fought for years to end Britain’s slave trading. He is one of the key characters in the recent movie “Amazing Grace.” Today I would like to tell you the story of another man from Great Britain named Eric Liddell. If the name means nothing to you the perhaps you will remember the movie, “Chariots of Fire” and remember the “Flying Scotsman” who won Olympic gold in one of the most dramatic races in Olympic history. I tell you his story because it is not just about his athleticism but about his obedience to God and his use of his natural and spiritual gifts to change his world. Eric was actually born in China to James and Mary Liddell in 1902 in a Christian Mission compound south of Peking. His parents were devoted members of the London Mission Society and spent most of their lives in various cities and villages in China teaching and spreading Christianity. When Eric was a young boy he and his brother were left back in Scotland in a boarding school for Missionary children where he did most of his growing up. This was never looked at as a hardship but for Eric it was an expectation of those who wanted to serve as missionaries. He and his brother went for long periods of time between visits with his parents and when they did come on furloughs it was usually for 100 days and no more. Early on records show that Eric was good in class but his passion was sports. He loved running and competition and excelled even at an early age in rugby. When Eric was in his late teens he gained a reputation in Scotland for his athletic abilities in football and track. He stood 5’ 9” tall and weighed all of 155 pounds and was not built like your normal brawny rugby player1. But what he lacked in body size he more than made up for in sheer determination and heart. In the early 1920s his athletic prowess focused more on track and he started making a name for himself in the short sprints of 100 and 220 yard dashes. In fact by 1923 he was already posting some of the fastest times in the world and was becoming a celebrity in Scotland. The media, friends, and coaches were all promoting him as Scotland’s or make that Great Britain’s best hope for a gold medal in the Olympics to be held the next year in Paris. Eric was 21-years-old, midway through college with all the stresses of education, training and running at every opportunity, and struggling with his call to be a missionary in China. While trying to juggle all of these demands and responsibilities a young evangelist by the name of David Patrick (D.P.) Thomson asked Eric to join the Glasgow Students’ Evangelistic Union and to be one of their main speakers. Eric was a shy man and did most of his speaking on the track. He had a deep faith but was not one to speak it out before groups – especially the groups that the GSEU were targeting. You see they wanted to reach out to men who would much rather go to the bar than to church. Thomson’s theory was they would come to see an athlete but not a preacher and if an athlete could preach you could reach the previously unreachable. His theory would later prove to be very true. For Eric this was the hardest decision in his life, but when he said yes he believed that God changed the course of his life and blessed his future. He believed that God took his gift of running and then added a gift for simple witnessing and it changed his life and the lives of thousands of others across Scotland and England. Oftentimes he would use the forum of a track meet to preach to crowds afterwards. Look at this clip from the movie “Chariots of Fire.” (Insert video clip here of him preaching at a track meet) One of the other big decisions of Eric’s life came when he was selected as part of British Olympic Team in 1924. The Olympics had been his focus. He had honed his skills in the 100 yard dash and had his time down to 9.7 seconds – one of the fastest in the world. He wanted to win for God so that he could use his fame to draw others to him and proclaim the word. You can imagine the pressure leading up to this great race. In England there was another great sprinter by the name of Harold Abramson. Eric and he were polar opposites. Abramson was rich, arrogant, rude, and focused on personal fame and glory. Eric was middle class, outgoing, friendly, gregarious, and focused on the joy of running and serving God. In their last battle for the 100, Eric left Abramson in the dust and so the latter went out and hired the finest private coach he could find. Eric’s coach was God. England needed a win to boost their country’s spirit after World War I and they were counting on Eric and his team to beat the others, particularly the Americans who had some stars of their own. The problem came when the Olympic Committee announced the times of the qualifying heats. Eric would have to run on a Sunday and that was against his religious convictions. He was adamant. He would not run. The British Olympic Association tried everything to budge him. They tried to appeal to his pride, to his training as an athlete, to his teammates, to his nationalism, and to his duty to the King. Nothing would sway him. Eric believed in that the Sabbath belonged to God and that it should be kept as a day of rest and worship. So he stood by his principles and refused to run in the race that he had been training for for three years. Can you imagine doing something like that? Can you imagine at the age of 22 standing up to the powers of England and the Olympic Committee and saying NO? Can you imagine having that kind of spiritual obedience? The press came out on both sides. Some called him a man of conviction and applauded him. Others called him a traitor to country and blasted him for serving God above country. In the final hours it was decided that Eric would compete in the 220 and the 440 yard dashes – two races that he was really not expected to win. On the day before both finals Eric had to run and place in two qualifying heats for both races. To everyone’s surprise but Eric he qualified. The next day he placed second in the 220 and everyone expected him to be exhausted. The American coach told his runners to ignore Eric that he would tire after 100 meters and would have to be dragged across the finish line with a rope. Eric began the race as he did every race. He went to every runner and shook their hands and told them to have the best possible race and then prepared for the start. Rather than me telling you about it let me show it to you in this video. (Insert video clip) I don’t know about you but every time I see a race like that I get chocked up. When you add the great cinematography and the great musical score and you can’t help but want to jump out of your seat and cheer. But there were some things that made this race special that were captured in three elements of this video. First, just before he ran someone gave him a note. Sources differ on who it was but most speculate that it was Jackson Scholz the American 100-yard speedster, who was thoroughly taken by Eric’s convictions and courage. The note read, “He that honoureth me, I shall honour.” He shared after the race that note was a huge surprise for him and helped him to know that there were others out there sharing his convictions about God2. The second thing is the manner in which he ran. Some of his critics say that Eric had the worst of forms – arms like windmills twirling and head back not watching the lanes. Many wondered how he could stay true to his lane with his head in cocked back looking at the heavens. But Eric said it was his way of expressing his joy and pleasure in using God’s great gift of speed. You and I should remember that face tilted back as we do our work in the church and use our spiritual gifts. When we claim them, when we use them the way God intended, we should experience GREAT pleasure and joy. He once told his sister Jenny, “God made me for a purpose, China, and he made me FAST. When I run I feel his pleasure. It is not just fun, to win is to honor him.” Is that how you feel about your gifts? Do you get great pleasure out of the spiritual gifts that God has given you through the Holy Spirit? Could you say, to win is to honor him? Finally his finish is not about himself. So many of the other runners stopped to pose for pictures or to wrap themselves in glory, but not Eric. His victory was the Lord’s victory and it was never about ego. Eric went on to be known as the Flying Scotsman and could have basked in his golden memories and milked his fame by endorsing products. But he stayed true to his call and his purpose. For a little more than a year he used his fame to gather people to Christ. He spoke often and now the crowds were larger. In 1925 he shipped off to China where he became a missionary like his parents and brother. For twenty years Eric served as a missionary, teacher, and coach in China. He was married and raised a family and lived each day in faithful obedience to God. He never brought huge numbers to Christ but he changed so many lives by the way he lived. People were forever commenting on his unswerving obedience, faith, and contagious joy. In the 1940s Japan started battling with China and invaded some of the areas where Eric and his family were serving. Eric managed to get his family out but he stayed behind to protect the mission. In 1943 he and many other foreigners were put in a prisoner of war camp named Weihsien (way SHIN) where they lived for many months in unbearable conditions. In 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II when the camp would have been liberated, Eric died of a brain tumor. One of his last prayers spoke of his great faith and obedience. “Father, I pray that no circumstances however bitter or however long drawn out, may cause me to break Thy Law, the Law of Love to Thee and to my neighbor. That I may not become resentful, have hurt feelings, hate or become embittered by life’s experiences, but that in and through all I may see Thy guiding hand and have a heart full of gratitude for Thy daily mercy, daily love, daily power, and daily presence.”3 The “Flying Scotsman” was a man of principles and speed and he used both to glorify his creator. When he died he was given a great compliment when someone said, “He lived a better life than he preached.” That is a great tribute to a great man. 1 David McCasland, “Eric Liddell – Pure Gold” Discovery House Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001, p. 57. 2 McCasland, p.103 3 McCasland, p. 246 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Faces of Faith - Eric Liddell Page 1