Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up!
Stories
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit
Series VI, Cycle B
Object:
"Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up!" Of course, you know who gave that advice ... Winston Churchill. It was Churchill's dogged determination during World War II that saved his nation from Nazi destruction. In a speech following the retreat from Flanders before the House of Commons on June 4, 1940, he thundered,
... we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.1
As we know, the New World did come into the fray and, now, more than a half-century later, we still speak English, not German. Churchill deserves a great deal of the credit for that.
It is said that near the end of his life, Sir Winston was asked to speak to the graduating class of England's most prestigious university. The hall was packed. Young students perched on their chairs, eager to catch every word from the statesman. Finally, Churchill approached the podium. What seemed like minutes passed as the crowd waited in silence for their hero to speak. He stared up at the eager faces and said these words: "Never ... give ... up!" Another minute passed in silence. Finally, Churchill said to the students, "Never ... give ... up!" And then to everyone's amazement, he walked off the stage. The crowd was stunned. Then, as they recognized the significance of his words, a tremendous ovation erupted. The crowd went wild!
Never give up! Good advice. Advice that we need to hear again and again these days. The world seems topsy-turvy and spinning along out of control. Long-held values are called into question and even ridiculed. The job we had worked at for years and counted on to take us to retirement is suddenly "downsized" out of existence. The social safety nets are being sacrificed on the altar of a balanced budget. A boss cannot say to his secretary, "You look extra nice today," without being in danger of a sexual harassment accusation.
Charlie Brown and Linus are looking over a fence with their weary faces resting on their hands. They are filled with sadness. Linus depressingly says to Charlie Brown, "Sometimes I feel that life has just passed me by. Do you ever feel that way, Charlie Brown?"
In his normal melancholy mood Charlie replies, "No, I feel like it has knocked me down and walked all over me."
Indeed. Nothing is nailed down anymore. There is nothing to depend on. It would be awfully easy to just give up.
It is the same in the church. People work hard to offer opportunities for meaningful worship and work, for study and service, to provide an atmosphere in which spiritual growth can take place as relationships between earth and heaven are made more vital and vibrant. But instead of being greeted with gratitude for their efforts, Sunday school teachers encounter empty classrooms because parents did not happen to choose to bring their children. Youth leaders, who face the challenges of attracting anyone at all in a generation where the kids are working, have extracurricular school responsibilities, and have their own cars, rather than being thanked for their efforts, instead hear how much better things used to be when so-and-so was running the program thirty years ago. Pastors who do their level best to prepare meaningful sermons and Bible studies see slowly shrinking congregations and wonder what can be done to reverse the trend. These pastors then patiently listen as folks reminisce about the "good old days" when we had to put chairs in the aisles to accommodate everyone.
Somebody must be doing something wrong! According to regular polls, Americans say they are just as religious today as they were in a generation ago. Routinely we find that about 95% of Americans say they believe in God, 70% profess belief in an afterlife, 90% say they pray, and 40% say they attend religious services weekly (or almost weekly).
Then where are the people? Well, the sad reality is that folks have selective memory when it comes to responding to pollsters' questions concerning their religious attitudes and habits. To cite just one example, if the approximately 40% who say they were at worship last weekend actually were, churches and synagogues would have had about twice their actual attendance. The rule of thumb used to be that, on any average Sunday, attendance in a moderate-size congregation would amount to about half of those on the active roll; the rule now is about one-third. Why the disparity in what people say they do and what they actually do? Simple -- we like to think well of ourselves, and we like to think we are doing what we know we should even when we do not do it.
Some folks were talking together. One of them said, "Our congregation is sometimes down to thirty or forty on a Sunday."
One from another church said, "That's nothing, sometimes our group is down to ten to twelve in the summer."
Not to be outdone, in a truly competitive spirit, another dear lady added, "It's so bad in our church on Sunday that when the minister says, 'Dearly beloved,' it makes me blush!"
If we need any motivation to improve, we have it in abundance in Paul's words in our text: "We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord" (v. 5). What we have to offer the world is the genuinely good news that God loves us, and the proof of that is in the life, death, and resurrection of this world's Savior, Jesus Christ. We welcome all who would become Jesus' disciples, who, by profession of faith, become a part of Christ's body, the church, and who acknowledge our responsibilities to share that good news by word and deed.
Sounds simple enough, but Paul lets us know that, in his life at least, it is not. What does he say his experience has been? Does he say hard pressed -- perplexed -- persecuted -- struck down? Yes, all of those. But he hangs in. "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (vv. 8-9). In other words, no call to give up!
Good old Paul. Sounds like the old farmer's ditty to the tune of "Turkey In The Straw":
Oh, the mule's gone lame and the hens won't lay,
Corn's way down, wheat don't pay.
Hogs no better. Steer's too cheep,
Cows quit milking and the meat won't keep.
Oats all heated, spuds all froze,
Wheat crop's busted, wind still blows,
Looks some gloomy, I'll admit,
but git up, Dobbin, we ain't down yet.2
Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up!
The message for the church is surely this: Despite all the things that might discourage us from our work, we cannot be turned aside. Our task is too important. And "earthen vessels" that we are, as the scripture says -- plain old jars of clay ... nothing special -- the treasure of the gospel that we contain can make an incredible difference in the world when we persevere.
No question, giving up is often a most attractive option. But we cannot. We have too important a job to do. And remember Paul: "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." And then hear Sir Winston one more time: "Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up."
____________
1. Winston Churchill's speech delivered June 4, 1940, to the House of Commons.
2. From a bulletin of the Farmer's Union Educational Service.
... we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.1
As we know, the New World did come into the fray and, now, more than a half-century later, we still speak English, not German. Churchill deserves a great deal of the credit for that.
It is said that near the end of his life, Sir Winston was asked to speak to the graduating class of England's most prestigious university. The hall was packed. Young students perched on their chairs, eager to catch every word from the statesman. Finally, Churchill approached the podium. What seemed like minutes passed as the crowd waited in silence for their hero to speak. He stared up at the eager faces and said these words: "Never ... give ... up!" Another minute passed in silence. Finally, Churchill said to the students, "Never ... give ... up!" And then to everyone's amazement, he walked off the stage. The crowd was stunned. Then, as they recognized the significance of his words, a tremendous ovation erupted. The crowd went wild!
Never give up! Good advice. Advice that we need to hear again and again these days. The world seems topsy-turvy and spinning along out of control. Long-held values are called into question and even ridiculed. The job we had worked at for years and counted on to take us to retirement is suddenly "downsized" out of existence. The social safety nets are being sacrificed on the altar of a balanced budget. A boss cannot say to his secretary, "You look extra nice today," without being in danger of a sexual harassment accusation.
Charlie Brown and Linus are looking over a fence with their weary faces resting on their hands. They are filled with sadness. Linus depressingly says to Charlie Brown, "Sometimes I feel that life has just passed me by. Do you ever feel that way, Charlie Brown?"
In his normal melancholy mood Charlie replies, "No, I feel like it has knocked me down and walked all over me."
Indeed. Nothing is nailed down anymore. There is nothing to depend on. It would be awfully easy to just give up.
It is the same in the church. People work hard to offer opportunities for meaningful worship and work, for study and service, to provide an atmosphere in which spiritual growth can take place as relationships between earth and heaven are made more vital and vibrant. But instead of being greeted with gratitude for their efforts, Sunday school teachers encounter empty classrooms because parents did not happen to choose to bring their children. Youth leaders, who face the challenges of attracting anyone at all in a generation where the kids are working, have extracurricular school responsibilities, and have their own cars, rather than being thanked for their efforts, instead hear how much better things used to be when so-and-so was running the program thirty years ago. Pastors who do their level best to prepare meaningful sermons and Bible studies see slowly shrinking congregations and wonder what can be done to reverse the trend. These pastors then patiently listen as folks reminisce about the "good old days" when we had to put chairs in the aisles to accommodate everyone.
Somebody must be doing something wrong! According to regular polls, Americans say they are just as religious today as they were in a generation ago. Routinely we find that about 95% of Americans say they believe in God, 70% profess belief in an afterlife, 90% say they pray, and 40% say they attend religious services weekly (or almost weekly).
Then where are the people? Well, the sad reality is that folks have selective memory when it comes to responding to pollsters' questions concerning their religious attitudes and habits. To cite just one example, if the approximately 40% who say they were at worship last weekend actually were, churches and synagogues would have had about twice their actual attendance. The rule of thumb used to be that, on any average Sunday, attendance in a moderate-size congregation would amount to about half of those on the active roll; the rule now is about one-third. Why the disparity in what people say they do and what they actually do? Simple -- we like to think well of ourselves, and we like to think we are doing what we know we should even when we do not do it.
Some folks were talking together. One of them said, "Our congregation is sometimes down to thirty or forty on a Sunday."
One from another church said, "That's nothing, sometimes our group is down to ten to twelve in the summer."
Not to be outdone, in a truly competitive spirit, another dear lady added, "It's so bad in our church on Sunday that when the minister says, 'Dearly beloved,' it makes me blush!"
If we need any motivation to improve, we have it in abundance in Paul's words in our text: "We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord" (v. 5). What we have to offer the world is the genuinely good news that God loves us, and the proof of that is in the life, death, and resurrection of this world's Savior, Jesus Christ. We welcome all who would become Jesus' disciples, who, by profession of faith, become a part of Christ's body, the church, and who acknowledge our responsibilities to share that good news by word and deed.
Sounds simple enough, but Paul lets us know that, in his life at least, it is not. What does he say his experience has been? Does he say hard pressed -- perplexed -- persecuted -- struck down? Yes, all of those. But he hangs in. "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (vv. 8-9). In other words, no call to give up!
Good old Paul. Sounds like the old farmer's ditty to the tune of "Turkey In The Straw":
Oh, the mule's gone lame and the hens won't lay,
Corn's way down, wheat don't pay.
Hogs no better. Steer's too cheep,
Cows quit milking and the meat won't keep.
Oats all heated, spuds all froze,
Wheat crop's busted, wind still blows,
Looks some gloomy, I'll admit,
but git up, Dobbin, we ain't down yet.2
Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up!
The message for the church is surely this: Despite all the things that might discourage us from our work, we cannot be turned aside. Our task is too important. And "earthen vessels" that we are, as the scripture says -- plain old jars of clay ... nothing special -- the treasure of the gospel that we contain can make an incredible difference in the world when we persevere.
No question, giving up is often a most attractive option. But we cannot. We have too important a job to do. And remember Paul: "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." And then hear Sir Winston one more time: "Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up."
____________
1. Winston Churchill's speech delivered June 4, 1940, to the House of Commons.
2. From a bulletin of the Farmer's Union Educational Service.
