Sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Millennium Church Service for England, St Paul’s Cathedral | Jan 2nd, 2000 | George Leonard Carey |

I can still recall, as a child, singing those words of
Bunyan’s great hymn at full volume and wondering all the time ‘What
is a Pilgrim?’ ‘What is it that you have to labour at to be a
Pilgrim?’

One dictionary defines a pilgrim simply as a traveller to sacred
places but there is more to it than that. Whether the destination be
Chaucer’s Canterbury or Bunyan’s celestial city, the pilgrim’s
journey is not just about getting there. The journey itself is imbued with
meaning. The signposts along the way measure more than mere miles.

Nations, at their best, are ‘pilgrims’ too. In this
service we have been celebrating our nation’s long journey from the
arrival of Christianity long ago to the present day. And what a remarkable
journey it has been – combining both glorious achievements and terrible
suffering, great heroism and moments of shame. Like many an English lane there
have been plenty of twists and turns along the way.

The start of the year 2000 provides us with a moment to pause on
that journey and to ask questions: Where we are going – both as
individuals and as a nation? And what are the values we share that can guide us
in the future?

Part of the answer to these questions was given in those timeless
words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of God,
Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted,
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the
earth…
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children
of God’

To our generation the phrases may be familiar but the values they
proclaim seem topsy-turvy. They challenge fundamentally so much of what we take
for granted.

Instead today we hear:
Blessed are the famous,
for they will enjoy the praise of men
Blessed are those who are
rich, because they will inherit the earth
Blessed are the mighty because
they will become more powerful yet.

But, no! Our Lord says, as pilgrims seeking to embrace his values
we need to follow a very different path.

And there are two values which seem to me to go to the heart of
this.

The first is love. That must be pre-eminent. We must seek to
reflect the love of God the Creator who has given us life and the love of God
the Father who cares for all his creatures. For if God is both the Creator and
Father of all humankind then that has implications for our relationships with
our fellow human beings because they, too, are made in his image.

We simply cannot under-estimate the social importance of this
affirmation. It means working towards a genuine pluralism which respects all
people and resists intolerance, racism and bigotry in any shape or form. It
relates to how we care for our children, respecting and cherishing them by
providing them with guidelines for conduct and citizenship that they will make
their own one day. It means caring for the marginalised and having compassion
on those who stray. Love, then, rather than being wishy washy and sentimental,
is down to earth; related to building community and to caring for one another.

And then there is Faith. Faith, first of all in God, the Source of
light and hope to guide the pilgrim on his way. And such faith not only
believes in the Living God but also trusts in his ability to change societies
and individuals. Like love it is never disconnected from the real world, nor
does it float in a nebulous ether remote from the pains and suffering of
humankind.

It is this faith that has encouraged many men and women down the
centuries to search the wonders of creation and to harness its God-given
potential for the good of others. It is this faith too, that has nurtured
values such as justice, kindness, generosity and tolerance that undergird so
much of the social fabric of our land. These are things to be proud of and to
cherish, and we must use them to strengthen our democracy, protect our
heritage, and sustain us in our lives.

And, as we do, so as pilgrims we will discover afresh the truths
underlined by Jesus in that Sermon on the Mount. For it is the peace-makers,
the humble of heart, the gentle, the pure in heart and those who hunger and
thirst for right to prevail, whom Jesus called ‘blessed’. Blessed,
because they reflect the character of God himself.

In just a moment I will invite you to join in an Act of
Commitment. It is something which I am sure all of us can identify with –
particularly the call to build a safer future for all children and to reverence
the gift of life. As we make this Act our own and look into the unknown future
we can do so confident in the God who sent Jesus Christ into the world and has
blessed our nation down the years. And it is in that confidence that we shall
find the courage to say with Bunyan:

No foes shall stay his might,
Though he with giants fight,

He will make good his right
To be a pilgrim.

Archbishop of Canterbury, George Leonard Carey
The Press
Office, Lambeth Palace
E-Mail:
neil.traynor@lampal.c-of-e.org.uk