Being A Legend
Celebrates the centenary of Eric Liddell winning gold at the 1924 Summer Olympics
by Janice Ross
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To explore the life and legacy of Eric Liddell and consider what makes someone a legend.
Preparation and materials
- Have available the YouTube video ‘The Eric Liddell 100’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 3.22 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/FLaKb1txtQ8
- You will need to display the words PASSION, INTEGRITY and COMPASSION, leaving room to write under each heading during the assembly.
- Further information and educational resources are available on The Eric Liddell Community website at: https://ericliddell.org/education-resource/
Assembly
- Ask the students, ‘Who do you think is the best sportsperson ever?’
Encourage the students to name some sportspeople and explain why they have nominated them. - Suggest that many sportspeople are forgotten when newer, faster record-breakers come along. Others may spoil their reputation by bad behaviour on and off the pitch.
- Identify that some of the sportspeople we consider to be the best are chosen because they are simply the best at their sport - they get the best results.
We might choose others because they are inspiring: perhaps they have succeeded against the odds, perhaps they have returned after a bad injury, perhaps they are great at encouraging their team, perhaps they are just really nice people! - An inspiring person is one who people look up to. Inspiring people are talked about long after records are broken.
- Tell the students that you are going to show them a video of an athlete who was the best of his time. He has been an inspiration to many, and continues to inspire people today.
Ask the students to listen for reasons why this man is so inspiring that he is still called a legend.
Show the YouTube video ‘The Eric Liddell 100’ (3.22 minutes long). - In the video, Eric Liddell is summarized as ‘a legend, a legacy, a lifetime of inspiration’.
Three things that people find inspiring about him are his passion, integrity and compassion.
Display the headings PASSION, INTEGRITY and COMPASSION.
Discuss each of these virtues. You may wish to write examples from the video under each heading. - Ask the students, ‘Is there evidence that Eric Liddell had passion?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Answers might include the following.
- He reached the 1924 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal.
- He trained to run in the 100-metre race, but switched to the 400-metre race so that he could still compete. - Ask the students, ‘Is there evidence that Eric Liddell had integrity?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Answers might include the following.
- He refused to run on a Sunday because this went against his faith.
- He stood up for people and the things that he believed in, no matter what.
- He undertook rigorous training for the 400-metre race. - Ask the students, ‘Is there evidence that Eric Liddell had compassion?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Answers might include the following.
- He cared for people in China, leaving his family to be a missionary there.
- He chose to stay and help even when he knew he was in danger of imprisonment.
- He organized sports games to keep up morale in the camp. - What most people probably remember about Eric was his decision not to run on a Sunday. This had huge consequences.
At that time, Eric and many other Christians regarded Sunday as a very special day of the week. The Bible said that when God was making the world, he rested on the Sabbath and that it is good for people to have a day’s rest too. For many, Sunday was a day when they stopped work, went to church and had a quieter day at home with their family.
Eric believed that God had made this rule for people’s benefit, and he refused to break it.
Time for reflection
Eric knew that his decision not to run on the Sabbath would cause conflict. He would be laughed at, his fans would be angry that he had pulled out and the country might lose its chance of a medal.
Eric knew that what he was facing as a Christian was nothing new. Jesus had faced the same conflict over issues that he believed in.
The good news is that Eric was allowed to take part in the 400-metre race, whose heats were running on a weekday. He won the gold medal, and this year - 2024 - marks 100 years since his achievement.
Perhaps there are things that we believe in, things that are important to us, but cause conflict with others. Perhaps we are laughed at, or treated with disrespect. Perhaps we even feel that we stand alone.
Let’s take a few moments to consider how this affects us and how we cope with criticism.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the courage of Eric Liddell.
Thank you that he stood up for what he believed and that he put you first in his life.
Thank you that you honoured him by enabling him to win the 400-metre race.
Please give us courage to stand by what we believe, even if few others agree with us.
Amen.
