The Glory of Man and the Glory of God

Within just a few minutes, exactly 202 years ago, the most famous signal in English history was hoisted in flags. It marked the beginning of the Battle of Trafalgar. The flags flying from HMS Victory to the rest of the British Fleet, read:
England expects that every man will do his duty

It was, of course, on the orders of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson. As a true son of Norfolk, Horatio Nelson was born into the family of a Norfolk clergyman; he spent a brief time as a pupil of Norwich School; and he would frequently have attended services in Norwich Cathedral. He is remembered and honoured because of his character (his tendency to re-interpret his orders, and the influence that Emma Hamilton had over him), his leadership (he gathered his captains around him and listened to what they had to say), and his strategic brilliance. The success at Trafalgar was as a result of 'doing different'. Every other admiral would lead his ships in line and attack the enemy in the van (at the front of their line); Nelson divided his ships into two groups, one attacking the rear of the enemy line and the other attacking the centre. Other admirals would have approached the enemy slowly, carrying the least amount of sail to prevent fires in the heat of battle and avoiding collisions; Nelson sailed with full sail at full speed, catching the enemy unprepared and confused about his intentions. He was a great man whose achievements turned him into a national legend. He was the 19th century equivalent of Diana.

Yesterday was a day of great achievement, albeit in quite different contexts. Here in the Cathedral, men and women from City College received their degrees and their diplomas. One could not fail to be moved by their shining faces, and be even more moved by some of their stories. One woman in her late 30's lives in King's Lynn and is bringing up a young family. She teaches Physical Education each day in a college in Great Yarmouth. On top of that she has studied for her foundation degree at City College: Yesterday she graduated.

The rugby was almost too much to watch, and it would have suited my theme to associate the performance in France last night with the tradition of Nelson. To spoil the flow of a sermon is nothing. The achievements of the England squad should be recognised and saluted, even though final World Cup victory was denied to them. Perhaps Lewis Hamilton will have the Nelson touch this afternoon.

We rightly applaud outstanding achievement, though I always feel that as a nation we're not that good at it. The celebrity culture has such a hold on us that achievement and greatness is often presented and received through the eye of the TV screen.

This morning, without the benefit of the media, we celebrate another achievement, if I can describe it so. With Ian and Melissa and their families we rejoice at the birth of Meredith Rena Janice. Already, in her short life, she has brought so much joy. Today she is received by baptism into the family of the Church, and becomes part of the Body of Christ. Everything about her baptism points to the future. Her parents and her godparents and all who love her and support her are anxious to do the very best for her, to guide and uphold her as she grows in her faith in God and learns to take her place in the wider world. They will be fiercely ambitious for her to be herself: An individual child (and later a woman) made in the sight of God and fulfilling all her God-given gifts and potential. The promises that are made today for her reach far into the future: Meredith is to be loved by you her family, she will be nurtured by the love of God, and she will give you so much love in return. The Church, wherever she lives and grows up, must play its part.

Behind every example of achievement lies a human story which describes how someone was inspired and encouraged; how they overcame obstacles and endured hardship; how they were nurtured and shaped; how they often did the un-expected and stood alone. We love to hear these stories and feel humbled by them.

On the morning of 21st October, 1805, with the combined fleets of France and Spain in sight, Lord Nelson wrote the following prayer:
May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my country and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory: and may no misconduct, in anyone, tarnish it: and may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet.
For myself individually, I commit my life to him who made me and may his blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my country faithfully. To him I resign and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen Amen Amen

Nelson lost his life in the course of that battle. When it was all over there was the usual practice of the victorious British sailors seizing the enemy ships as prizes. Time was very short, because a storm was building up. The ships tried to anchor. Disaster was looming as they were being driven towards the rocks. The British sailors put down their weapons, and British, French and Spanish sailors, side by side, worked to save the ships and each others' lives. Here was the humanity after victory for which Nelson had prayed.

We do not seek glorification for ourselves - we know that. But the example of others is formative. Christian people have armies of heroes to draw upon. The saints and martyrs in every age testify to extraordinary human achievement often in the face of considerable adversity. They are marked out not because they achieved great things in the eyes of the world, though many of them did; but because they were true to the faith that sustained them. They refused to be deflected from that faith; and so often their adherence to the faith impressed those who looked on - those without faith, and even their persecutors. What they did, and the way they lived and died was to the glory of God.

It is natural for Christian people to glorify the achievements of others by glorifying God. In the early Church, these stories were told repeatedly to encourage and uphold the fragile and hard-pressed Christian communities. In the second epistle of Paul to Timothy, from which we heard this morning, Paul offers advice to those whose faith is receiving a battering from a selfish and materialist society.
You must, he says, stand by the truths you have learned and are assured of (3:14). More than that, Paul points to himself as an example.
You know, he says, my teaching, my resolution, faith, patience, spirit of love and my fortitude in the face of persecution. (3:10)
Paul is mindful of the sacrifice which a life committed to Christ demands, right to the end. He sees this as echoing the sacrifice that Jesus himself made on the cross. It's true that he would die a martyr's death, and in this letter to Timothy he appears to be anticipating that. But the offering of his life had been made right at the outset, as he knelt in the dust of the road to Damascus at the moment of his conversion. It was as though Paul realized at that moment that Jesus on the Cross offered to his Father in heaven not only his death, but also his life: His life blood, all his teaching, preaching and healing, his compassion, his wisdom, his righteous anger, his presence, his proclamation of the Kingdom, his love. If we admire all that in other people, we do so mindful of what God has purposed in the ministry of his Son, and in the power of his Holy Spirit. Great is the mystery of faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

There is a passage in the Apocrypha which lists the many inventions and accomplishments of human beings. It is often read at memorial services and it begins with the words,
Let us now praise famous men…the Lord has apportioned to them great glory. (Ecclesiasticus 44: 1-15)

The words rightly draw attention to outstanding human achievement. But they tell us as much about God as they do about human successes. The passage belongs to the category of scripture known as 'wisdom literature' which locates human wisdom, including the achievements of individuals, within the overall and mysterious wisdom of God. It is impossible to speak of the wisdom of men and women without first speaking of the wisdom of God. God is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. All wisdom has its source in God and is directed ultimately to the heart of God. If we praise famous men, we praise God. Great is the mystery of faith; and here at the cathedral we have a permanent visual aid to that mystery. It is the labyrinth which was located in the Cloister Garth at the time of the Queen's Jubilee. It is so popular with our visitors that the grass keeps getting worn away. The pattern of a labyrinth has long been a representation of the mystery of God's wisdom, a mystery which requires a life-time's journeying and exploration, turning this way and that in order to reach the centre of conscious-ness, the heart of all being. Part of our exploration of the labyrinth of our lives on earth is to encounter from time to time people who have achieved outstanding success.

In our contemporary world we would wish to include famous women alongside the men. But we might also wish to write alongside that marvellous passage a variant:
"Let us now praise little-known men and women, who have achieved so much and in un-expected ways, who have amazed us with their courage and determination to succeed, and whose attitude and humility leading to success causes us to give thanks and praise to God; for the Lord has apportioned them great glory."

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