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Homily preached
at Bradford Cathedral
17th February 2008 - 4.00pm Evensong Perseverance |
"O Lord God, when thou givest to thy servants to endeavour any great matter; grant us also to know that it is not the beginning but the continuing of the same until it is thoroughly finished which yieldeth the true glory. Through him who, for the finishing of thy work, laid down his life for us, our redeemer, Jesus Christ." That prayer is attributed to Sir Francis Drake but it may have been written by another based on Drake's words. It appears in my Book of Prayers under the heading Perseverance. So it is a suitable prayer in the light of our readings today. The People of Israel had set out from Egypt with great hope. They had prayed to be released from slavery and they were. But they were impatient to get settled in a land of their own. What they failed to grasp was that the journey was more than a means to get from A to B. The journey was a place of learning. They had lived under foreign rule and were not yet ready to live under their own. The 40 years traveling in the wilderness was, like Jesus' 40 days, a time of testing and temptation. And they constantly failed. By the time of the bronze serpent episode (from our 1st lesson) they were in need of perseverance. Moses was having a hard time. Miriam had died, Aaron had just died and the people were complaining about the conditions, especially the food. They had lost sight of Yahweh as their deliverer and their provider. They had also failed to understand that the journey is often hardest at the end. It is when the greatest commitment is needed because resources are low and it may not be obvious that the end is near. Many give up before reaching the summit and miss the best views. The exercise of perseverance produces character. Drake's prayer ends: Through him who, for the finishing of thy work, laid down his life for us, our redeemer, Jesus Christ." Although Jesus was tested at the start of his mission (in the desert), like his ancestors, the hardest test came at the end. His mission did not get easier, it got harder. Finishing his work meant laying down his life. And in our second reading, he warns that those who follow him must take up their cross, i.e. must be willing to see through the commitment of discipleship despite the hardships and suffering it may bring. As I was walking alongside the hoardings of the Westfield development on Broadway, the person I was with said, "So is this it? I can see they are clearing the site, but are they serious about seeing it through and building a new shopping centre?" I pointed out that it made little sense for work to be going on 7 days a week if they had no intention of finishing it. The delay has been for the reasons Jesus talks about, that they first needed to be sure they had the resources to complete it. In the same way, Jesus is saying, be sure that you know what it means to follow me. My journey will end in the giving of everything, in the sacrifice of my life. 'None of you can be my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions'. Not comfortable words. We are being warned that we need to travel light through this world; we need to sit light to the things of this world because they are transitory, they will pass. Persevering on the journey is easier if one is not weighed down by too many possessions. And persevering in the face of hardships builds character as well as bringing the end closer. The Israelites had lost sight of their destination and become over concerned with the simple provisions on the way. Such simplicity was part of the lesson that one does not live on bread alone. In order to reach the destination there needs to be sacrifices along the way. For young people studying for exams, if they are to achieve worthwhile results, studying must take priority; they will need to sacrifice other things, e.g. time going out with friends or time chatting online. Those who achieve in life are clear about their focus and know that other things must be given up. In 1962, Max Perutz (an Austrian scientist) was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry. The award was for unravelling the anatomy of the haemoglobin molecule and moving science forward in understanding the structure of proteins. In the presentation speech, the Professor making it said this: "The goal has been reached after twenty-five years' labour, and initially with only modest results. We therefore admire the two scientists not only for the ingenuity and skill with which they have carried out their work, but also for their patience and perseverance, which have overcome the difficulties which initially seemed insuperable." In his acceptance speech, Max Perutz, acknowledged the need for perseverance over 25 years but said he had not yet finished: "the task which I have set myself has only just begun… I hope that I shall reach my ultimate goal and explain the physiology of breathing in terms of the architecture of the haemoglobin molecule. (And he went on to say), 'for, as Sir Francis Drake said: "When Thou givest to Thy servants to endeavour any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same, until it is thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory."' Let us pray…
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