Preached at the annual Founder's Day service at Croydon Minster in honour of John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, 22nd March 2019
[You] are to be good, rich in good
works, generous and ready to share, thus storing up for [yourselves] the
treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that [you] take hold of the
life that really is life.
(1
Timothy 2.18,19)
+
Our story begins with one man and two stones.
It ends or, rather, continues, with countless people: young and old, an
inter-generational Christian social vision of care and learning.
The man was, of course, John Whitgift. The two stones: the foundation
stones of the Hospital of the Holy Trinity and the school that bore his name.
And the people include
all of us here today; pupils, residents, governors, officers and supporters of
the Whitgift Foundation. And onto that we can add all the beneficiaries of the
Foundation through the centuries.
That is the legacy of John Whitgift 423 years to the day since
those two stones were placed carefully in the ground.
The two stones represent the twin rocks on which the Whitgift
Foundation sits today: care and learning. We celebrate the foundations and the
Founder today and reflect on all that continues to be built on them.
 |
| Tomb of John Whitgift, Croydon Minster |
We do so as the Croydon that John Whitgift ‘so sweetly loved’ is
itself in a state of huge flux and almost bewildering change. As someone who
has been at this church, and Chaplain to the Foundation, for just over six
months I can say that the central Croydon landscape and skyscape has changed
even in that time.
Modern Croydon may not have the general reputation of sweetness
which John Whitgift so loved in his day - with its crocuses and the clear,
sparkling, trout filled River Wandle. But Croydon today is replete with
foundations being laid at the moment as buildings spring up left right and
centre. And don’t we all hope, for a myriad of reasons, that there will be new
foundation stones being laid on the site of the Whitgift Centre early next year.
Talking to an Old Palace sixth former the other day I was
heartened to learn that she was looking at pursuing a career in engineering.
Engineers know as well as anyone the importance of good foundations for a
lasting structure. A good, solid foundation is essential to the construction of
any structure that will last. In engineering terms, inadequate foundations mean
tottering buildings.
John Whitgift’s Foundation rests on foundations that go deep. We
talk a great deal today about values led businesses and values led enterprises.
Well, John Whitgift’s was values led and had great depth: it was, and is, a
Christian social vision that gives glimpses of what the Kingdom of God might
look like.
In the provision of care for the vulnerable and in the pursuit
of learning and wisdom, we glimpse the life of the City with eternal foundations
whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews
11.10).
John Whitgift would, of course, know well the parable of Jesus
Christ that speaks of the one who builds the foundations of his house on rock
which withstands the storms and floods, contrasted with the one who builds on
sand whose house falls like a house of cards (Luke 6.46-49). Christ’s message is that the one who hears his words
and acts on them will be building on firm foundations.
As a Christian John Whitgift will have heard those words and
sought to act on them. We might critique quite harshly some of his political
and ecclesiastical machinations – he and Puritans shared a mutual antipathy
bordering on hostility – we might query how an archbishop could amass the
fortune he did, and criticise his ostentatious displays of wealth.
We’re not here to judge John Whitgift’s heart, but we can say
that he laid a firm foundation in keeping with his Christian vision for society
and individuals’ lives, and that in learning and care John Whitgift laid
foundations for a vision that has lasted, grown and developed.
As I visited each of the schools of the Foundation last week to
talk about this service I saw that growth and development in numbers and in diversity:
the learning aspect of John Whitgift’s vision has grown beyond recognition. How
wonderful that the lives so many young men and young women, whose heritage is both
from this country and beyond, receive education from that Whitgift foundation
stone at Trinity, Old Palace and Whitgift schools.
As I have visited Wilhelmina House, Whitgift House and Whitgift
Almshouses, and met and worshipped with staff, residents and wider families I
have been so impressed by the fact that there is real care there, building on
that foundation stone laid by John Whitgift.
And more has been built on those stones: the Carers’ Information
Service and the day care now offered, supporting those who bear so much in
terms of care of the relatives, and those who can feel so lonely in the midst
of so many people.
St Paul’s description of the righteous is that, ‘they are to be
good, rich in good works, generous and ready to share, thus storing up for
themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may
take hold of the life that really is life’.
Above all, it seems to me, John Whitgift’s vision is about life,
and taking hold of the life that really is life: the life breathed into us, the
breath of God, which is to be taken hold of, inhabited and lived out in all its
glory at every stage of life.
Over the last six months I loved getting to know this
Foundation. I have seen care-in-action: moments when a caring hand has
encouraged or supported someone frail. I have observed intellectual
stimulation, when a comment from a teacher has sparked an insight for a pupil
studying. I have seen that in all three places of care and in all three schools.
I have heard carers speak of the information and care they have received that
has helped begin to turn around and transform their lives. And I have seen the
expertise and attention deployed by Court Governors discharging our role of
governance, all so ably supported by a dedicated team of central staff.
Let’s make no mistake though. There is much to do and challenges
abound. How can more people in Croydon know what this Foundation is about at
its heart? How can more young people, for whom the education we offer would be
utterly transformative, gain access to that provision? How will we respond to the
ever growing needs in the care of older people? How, in a changing, growing
Croydon, do we hold on to our core, foundational, values?
Addressing those questions takes us back to our foundation
stones – care and learning - back to the vision of our Founder, Archbishop John
Whitgift for whom we give thanks and praise to God today, to Christ Jesus our
foundation rock and salvation.
O Lord our God,
who raised up John
Whitgift as a bishop and pastor in your Church,
we thank you for
his passion for the education of the young,
the care of older
people
and for the
Foundation established in his name:
may we build on his
legacy today
in service and care
of the people of this town
that all may live
life in its abundance,
after the example
of our Good Shepherd,
Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment