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A sermon preached By David Jones on the occasion
of the Centenary of the Birth of
The Revd Canon Gervase Markham,
founder of the Morland Choristers' Camps,
at a special Evensong to celebrate that Centenary,
with a large congregation of past and present members of Camp,
along with many parents, friends and supporters.
May the words of my lips and the thoughts of all our
hearts be now and always acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Strength
and our Redeemer. Mark 10 v 45: 'For the Son of Man came not to be served
but to serve.''Gervase as in service.' So said Canon Markham in one of
my very earliest conversations with him, 34 years ago. He was anxious
that I should pronounce his name correctly, but he also provided a text
for today.What do we mean by 'service'? I'm not thinking about church
services. That's something slightly different. I am thinking about doing
things for other people with no particular thought about what you would
get back. Why are we all here today? Because one man back in 1970 was
keen to share his enthusiasm for Jesus Christ and for music with as many
people as he could. Ever since his work teaching in Palestine before the
2WW he had tried to share his faith with youngsters, and if we accept
that it is (or was) easier to attract girls than boys, he particularly
tried to find ways of making contact with boys. Hence the idea of 'camping'.The
very fact that we are all here today, men and women, boys and girls, shows
how triumphantly successful he was. Of course, somebody of such a forceful
character and with such clear aims was not going to see eye to eye with
everybody. He himself acknowledged that he was a product of his time,
and that he'd been taught to say exactly what he thought. Inevitably,
some were offended.Perhaps we, in wanting to learn from him and in wanting
to carry on the traditions he established, might also learn from his mistakes
- and he was the first to acknowledge mistakes.So what can we learn from
Gervase? We can't all go and start a Choir Camp (though I have to admit
that it is unlikely that the series of events we run every summer would
ever have got started if it hadn't been for what he did. When I first
said to him that I was going to start a Folk Dance Week, he asked what
I was going to call it. I said: 'The Morland Folk Dance Week', and he
commented, '….adding to the notoriety of Morland.' I'm sure most
of you can hear him saying it!)There were no doubt people in the parish
who thought that their Vicar spent far too much time working on Camp and
too little on the parish. We all have to decide what matters most to us.
There is not time to do all the things we'd like to do. And whatever we
decide is going to leave somebody else out. (And he had only three parishes
to look after!)We have all been given talents and abilities. We have all
been given help, encouragement and guidance by people who want us to do
well, to make the most of those talents and abilities. I suspect that
we would not be here today if we did not recognise this, and we are very
thankful for it.But 'from everyone to whom much is given, much will be
required'. That's another reading that I might have chosen for today.
Luke chapter 12 v 48. (Repeat)If we have been the beneficiaries of others
before us (many people, not just Gervase), then we are taught that it
is our business to share what we have with others, without any thought
of what we might get back in return. It's easy for me to say that. I'm
old and have nothing to prove. It doesn't much matter to me if people
think I'm a little odd. I've arrived at a point in life where I think
I can decide what's best in my particular situation. I hope that I make
decisions like that on the basis of what I've learned over a lot of years
from experience, from people, and of course from Sunday School, church
and bible. I'll share my enthusiasms with anybody who will listen!I know
that for lots of younger people it is not so easy. It may be that some
of you avoid telling your school friends how you spend eight days of your
precious summer holiday. After all, even in talking to people who might
be sympathetic and understanding, I find it difficult to say exactly what
we get up to at Camp. Singing all morning and evening. Building dams in
becks. Running around shooting each other with water pistols. Even those
who have experience of other Summer Schools struggle to follow what I'm
being so enthusiastic about.I do realise that for some it is not 'cool'
to show enthusiasm for anything. If in your class at school you want to
share your enthusiasm, I realise that you have to do it with care. I realise
that you don't want to find yourself with nobody to talk to. Over the
years, I have known just a few who were so certain of themselves that
they were willing to go it alone. But nobody pretends that that is easy.I'd
like to offer some suggestions to those of you who feel pressurised by
your peers, who feel the need to be 'cool', to fit in and not stand out
too much.I repeat what I said just now. I know it is not easy. But you
know what you are good at. You know that there are things you are keen
on. If you are really sure of that, that's a start. I don't suppose that
you are going to start shouting from the rooftops, but if you gently let
it be known that you like doing whatever it is, if you take opportunities
as they come up, rather than forcing your ideas into a conversation where
they don't belong, you might gradually find other people with the same
interests. Perhaps they were frightened to mention them. When you find
out that you are not on your own, it all becomes much easier. I would
add: the first time is the hardest. When you've done it once, it really
does get easier. You find it easier to know what to say and when to say
it.And of course, you are never on your own, even when you think you are.
I expect you know the footprints-in-the-sand story. One night I dreamed
I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
were you not there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The times when you saw
only one set of footprints,
are the times when I carried you." Some of us have found out how
very true that story is. Perhaps some of you have yet to find out. Find
a quiet place. It might be in a corner somewhere. It might be in a church
which is open for you to come in at any time. It might be out on the hills.
It might be in your bed at night. Share your worries with Jesus. Then
try to let your mind be quiet and listen. You might hear words. You might
hear nothing. You might suddenly discover a new calmness and your worries
have gone away. You might find ideas popping into your head and you don't
quite know where they've come from.I do believe that the Holy Spirit,
the mind of God, can talk to us in this way. We just have to listen.Perhaps
I should say to the younger people here that some of us older ones might
sometimes seem very certain and confident about things. It's not always
true! I was listening the other day to a radio programme about Winston
Churchill. He was our Prime Minister during the 2WW, and he gave us great
leadership and confident speeches. We know now that he didn't always feel
as confident as he sounded. But he was able to give us what we needed,
and we were able to defend our freedom.So my message here is that all
of us, young and old, need to talk with Jesus at times, and the more we
do it, the easier it becomes. He really is there to help.There's another
thing that becomes more obvious the older we get. Certain people - teachers,
neighbours, friends, vicars - you never know who it will be - are the
ones who have filled us with enthusiasm for whatever it is. I can look
back and wonder whether, if I had had a different Maths teacher or a different
English teacher, I'd have been more interested in those subjects. Or indeed
if I had had a different Music teacher I might have been put off Music
for ever. Almost all of the Camp staff have themselves come up through
Camp. They want to share all that they have gained from Camp. All of us,
once we get to be Team Captain or Junior Leader, are having an influence
on younger people. We need to be very sure that it is an influence for
good. We need to realise the responsibility that we have. We all need
to pray for guidance. None of us can do it by ourselves. But if we ask
for guidance, I promise you it will come. It might not always be what
we expect. We'll have to be ready to follow what God asks us. Who knows
where it will lead? That's wrong: God knows where it will lead!We are
all here today because of who Gervase Markham was and what he did. Let
us pray that we in our turn will be enabled to pass on to others what
we have learned from him and from everybody who we have valued and respected.Let
us pray:Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
To give, and not to count the cost,
to fight, and not to heed the wounds,
to toil, and not to seek for rest,
to labour, and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will. Amen