Good Losing

When it comes to late April and the bank holiday weekend in May, there are a lot of eyes glued to events in the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield where the World Snooker Championship has been played for many years.

There has been talk in recent years about moving away from this iconic venue, which is, perhaps, a bit shabby and doesn’t have the seating capacity of other venues. The top professionals in the game, however, say that there is nowhere quite like it to play in. It has the true sense of being a sporting arena. The crowd is close and the tension is often palpable as close matches are fought out under the glare of the television cameras.

The world championships are a true physical and mental contest as the matches are longer and there are no hiding places. You can see the tension in the body language of the players as they hang their heads after losing position, or miss a ball they would normally pot, or leave their opponent a chance that might mean the end of a frame.

The crowd get very involved, some of them tune into the television commentary which is always provided by former players who have great insight and analysis of everything that is happening.

I can think of fewer sports that model to me the virtues of being a good loser. There is an honesty and integrity there, where players, at times, call fouls upon themselves, even if the referee hasn’t noticed they touched a ball with their sleeve. It’s a venue and competition that every player wants desperately to play and to win and, after competing in one of those tense and gruelling late night dramas that sometimes unfold, they are often called upon to do an interview or share their reaction straight after the match.

It’s hard when you have given your all and haven’t played as well as you could. It’s bitterly disappointing if you have let a commanding lead disappear and your opponent has outwitted or ambushed you to win in the very last frame after you have led throughout. I love the way they shake hands and often embrace recognising what a contest they have just been part of.

Even when they feel bitterly disappointed in that moment, they seem to find the grace to be generous about their opponent and to wish them well for the next round of the competition. Even when they don’t like each other as individuals, and there are some well documented feuds that exist on the professional circuit, they seem to be able to rise above them at that moment of victory or defeat.

I think there is much for the church to learn there. We speak a lot and, indeed, pray a lot about forgiveness. So often, however, we hold onto previous hurts. People fall out and move on to other churches; sometimes they leave the church altogether and it’s much easier to speak unkindly about that place than it is to hold your own counsel.

Churches can be critical of one another rather than recognise the challenge of the task we are collectively involved in to share the love and hope of Jesus with the world around us. Even if, at times, we use different programmes or styles of worship it might provide a much more effective witness to the world around us if we could celebrate those very differences and pray for each other.

Some years ago, I remember attending an institution service for a former Rector of a neighbouring parish. In the order of service he wrote a note about all the facilities in the local area – including schools, banks and community organisations. He spoke about other worshipping communities from other denominations and provided details about their service times. He mentioned that, while this church worshipped in  a particular style, that style may not appeal to all their visitors and so he pointed them to other congregations that did things differently, and that visitors would be made feel very welcome there if they hadn’t appreciated what had happened in this place.

I thought it was such a gracious and generous approach, rather like those gladiators of the green baize who fight until the last ball is potted, but recognise that it’s important to be a good loser as well as a good winner.

Could I draw your attention to a week of special events taking place in our Diocese from 12-18 May.

They are to resource our churches for growth and take place in Willowfield Church and St. Saviour’s, Dollingstown. The topics include Evangelism, Worship and the presence of God, Creating healthy Christian communities, Developing a culture of generosity, Intercession and prayer in the local church, Ministry that impacts a local community, Keeping the bible front and centre and Ministry in the power of the Holy spirit.

The details are all on the parish website www.stfinnians.org and the church’s Facebook page.

They promise to be special evenings full of excellent teaching from experienced practitioners in these areas.

Look forward to speaking again soon.

Much love to everyone,

Jono.

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