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Sermon for the Last Sunday after EpiphanyA Celebration of St. David of WalesMarch 2, 2003St.
Luke's, Jamestown
by The Rev. Eric M. Williams
Today we are taking a break from our usual Sunday lessons to honor and celebrate David, the patron saint of Wales. This will be, I hope, the first of several such celebrations. The possibilities are almost endless— St. Brigid of Sweden, St. George of England, St. Andrew of Scotland… But it raises two questions: Why saints? Why Saint David in particular? As you may know, my heritage is Welsh. My father and his brothers emigrated from Wales about 70 years ago, and so I am beginning this series with St. David. St. David was a monk and bishop who died on March 1 in the year AD 590. He was renowned for his holiness of life and shortly after his death dozens of churches were named for him. Saint David’s day traditionally is celebrated much as we are doing today: a service, including Welsh hymns, followed by a te bach, with tea and Welsh cookies. I hope you enjoy the Welsh hymns today and the lovely reception hosted by the Bishop Overs Guild. Kay Stahlman and Liz McIntyre made 400 Welsh cakes for us to enjoy. But you may ask why bother with saints who lived so long ago? What possible difference can they make to us today? My father has three brothers, only one of whom was born in this country. Uncle Jack, the youngest, has been the most committed to keeping his Welsh heritage alive. He has traveled several times to Wales and has kept in touch with our relatives there and throughout the world. Through them, he has worked to piece together our family tree. It is largely because of him that I have pursued my Welsh heritage and have even learned a little of the Welsh language. He helped form a Welsh choir in Los Angeles and has helped keep the Welsh church there alive and active. And he has traveled each year to a Welsh festival which rotates to different cities in Canada and the US. Each year he invites me and my family to join him, and on several occasions we have, including this past year in Harrisburg. He wants me and my children to know our Welsh heritage. He wants to pass on this identity to the next generations.
I would suggest that that is precisely what we honor the saints for. The saints are those, in the Church’s history, who have worked, suffered, and even died, to keep the Christian faith alive, to pass it on to the next generation.
St. Paul writes movingly to the Christians in Thessalonika. “We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.” “So deeply do we care for you,” he continues, “that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel, but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.” What St. Paul has written here, it seems to me, is a guide and example for all those who seek to follow in his footsteps, who strive to keep the faith alive and to pass it on to the next generation. This is precisely what it takes to keep our heritage alive, to pass on to others the gift we have received, to share our identity with the next generation. This past week we had a meeting to discuss church school. We talked about how difficult it is for families these days. The word that seemed to come up more than any other was “struggle.” It’s a struggle to deal with busy schedules. It’s a struggle to get kids to church. It’s a struggle to keep them involved and interested. Work, school, sports, and activities place ever greater demands on time. Something has to give, and often it is church, which places the least demands and holds the least control. A recent conference for educators had a provocative title. “Will our faith have children?” And that is the question. Will we be able to pass on our faith to those who come after us? Sometimes we get discouraged. We see the world growing more and more secular. Our faith and values are no longer supported or upheld in schools, the workplace, or the media. That’s why it is so important to remember the saints. St. David lived in a society that was profoundly anti-Christian. His little monastery and village were a Christian outpost that was repeatedly attacked by pagan Irish warlords. One humorous story holds that an Irish chieftan, knowing that David was celibate, sent an army of naked women to attack him, hoping that would throw him off guard. David’s struggle, like St. Paul before him, was to proclaim the Christian faith despite opposition, to defend it and pass it on to the next generation. This past Thursday, nearly 1500 years later, his successor, Rowan Williams, became the first Welsh Archbishop of Canterbury. Think of that. The gospel of Jesus Christ in Wales has been handed down for 1500 years, nearly 400 generations. In peacetime and in war, in times of prosperity and terrible poverty, among the highly educated and the illiterate this precious gift has not been lost. Nothing important ever comes without a struggle. Surely we can take a page from St. David and the saints, known and unknown, who have passed the faith down to us. Will we be the generation that finally drops the ball? I pledge to you that we will not. Let’s find creative ways to keep it alive. Let’s help our children to know the saving power of God’s love made known to us in Jesus Christ his only Son. Let’s support the parents in our congregation as they strive to bring up their children to know and live that gospel. Living the Christian faith will always be a struggle. Passing it on will always be a struggle. But it is a struggle well worth tackling, and a fight we are all in together. |
410 North Main Street, Jamestown, New York 14701Phone (716)483-6405 * Fax (716)483-6406 * stluke@madbbs.com |
