By Peter Hallett
Published June 23, 1998
"With Christ our head and cornerstone, we’ll build our Nation’s might, Whose way and truth and light alone, can guide our path aright. Our lives, a sacrifice of love, reflect our Master’s care, With faces turned to heaven above, Advance Australia Fair. In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair."
So reads the "lost" third verse of the Australian National Anthem which was sung in public for the first time since the song became the anthem at the National Prayer Gathering and March for Jesus at Parliament House on May 30.
The Chronicle’s City Desk commented that it couldn’t quite imagine big, tough footballers beefing out this verse with its clear message of worship. Perhaps not, but then again this comment is based on the widely held view that Christianity is the domain of old ladies and emotional cripples. Or, as some columnists might have us believe, intellectual incompetents. The reality is that people from all sorts of backgrounds claim Christ as Lord - footballers and scientists included!
Peter Garrett, Darren Beadman, Margaret Court, Michael Chang, Brad McKay, Greg Chappell, Caroline Jones, Darren Beadman are a few names from diverse fields who are counted as Christians and not just the type who go to church on Sunday and forget who God is the rest of the week.
Then of course there are the thousands of vibrant, positive, active, compassionate, wise, and even funny "ordinary Australians" who follow Christ with all their hearts.
A few of them are even footballers (or were once like Paul Osborne and Chicka Ferguson) and would probably be more than a little excited to sing the third verse of the national anthem (but let’s face it, they never get passed the first verse at football games anyway!).
The reality is that most people who chose to live the Christian faith do so because they have carefully and deeply considered the evidence on various fronts - historical, scientific, social, and spiritual.
Likewise, it is a noticeable pattern that those who reject Christ do so without clearly considering his claims. (This reminds me of the way my kids often turn down new food because it sounds strange and their sure they won’t like it - and they haven’t had a bite!)
But let’s get back to the sporting field. Given that Australians revere there sporting heroes so much, a book well worth getting hold of, whether you are a Christian or not, is The Gods of Sport which tells the story of more than a dozen Australian Christian sports men and women, many of whom have been household names in their time.
Nick Farr-Jones (rugby union great) Andrew Harper (soccer), Steve Lawrence (AFL ruckman... c’mon the Hawks!), a swag of league players including Brad McKay and Dan Stains, marathon runner Tani Ruckle and more are included with a forward by Greg Chappell.
Unfortunately the book is out of print although you may find a stray copy in a Christian bookshop or in your local library. Written by Ric Chapman and Ross Clifford (published by Albatross Books), the back cover of the book makes this point: "Here are the stories of 12 well-known Aussie sporting celebrities. All have reached heights most of us only dream of. All have made an impact in the international arena as well as on the local scene. But wehat they have learnt is something far greater: true greatness comes from who you are, not what you have achieved. And that greatness is ultimately a gift from God."
So whether we are singing Advance Australia Fair, scoring a winning try or riding the Melbourne Cup winner, God is truly determined to find his way into relationship with us to ensure we all experience the greatness he intended.