Wimbledon and the Great

It is coming very soon. Played on grass in the early summer in London, Wimbledon is known in the tennis world as the most prestigious of all tournaments. All the greats have played there. It is a also a picture of the English. The best seats for the best matches are very expensive and hard to come by, but each day you can queue up for tickets, with some of the best in the house reserved for that purpose.

If you read, "Watching the English" you will learn all about queueing, but for a first hand look at real rules you can go here: Wimbledon Queueing Rules

Now it is important to note two things. The first is that breaking the queue is seen as more shocking and publicly unacceptable than running naked down the street. It is just not done. The second is that selling tickets in this way creates a kind of level playing field for Englishmen and women of all classes. The very wealthy may sit next to the East Ender and it is fine because they are both English and it is sport.

And yes they have strawberries. Picked fresh (I mean fresh). From the Wimbledon website: "To ensure utmost freshness, strawberries — usually Grade I Kent strawberries of the highest quality from LEAF-registered farms — are picked the day before and arrive at Wimbledon at 5.30am, prior to being inspected and hulled. The price of the traditional strawberries and cream at Wimbledon will be £2.25 at this year's Championships."

Wimbledon is excellence, with order, and equality. As I am thinking today, I am thinking about our weekly worship "event" and offering to the One who created strawberries. It is a championship that we attend each week. Do we ensure the utmost freshness? Do we queue up (come early)? Do we manicure the lawn? (dress well). We come to not see one of the greats, but the Great. Some food for thought. Cheers.