AGE: Secondary and post-16 |
THEME: Saint David |
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| LEADER: Out of the 1,300 saints in the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, St David is one of the better known. He is the patron saint of Wales and his day is 1 March. There is a cathedral city named after him in the far west of Pembrokeshire in South Wales and he gives his name to one of the finest concert halls: St David's Concert Hall in Cardiff. However, when it comes to finding out any stories about his life, that is a rather more difficult matter. There is at least one famous story told about each of the patron saints of the other countries of the British Isles. St Patrick, it is said, cleared all the snakes out of Ireland. He also illustrated the nature of God by using a shamrock leaf. St Andrew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus and so is mentioned several times in the New Testament and died for his faith, according to later tradition, by being crucified on an X-shaped cross. St George, of course, fought the dragon. SECOND READER: No such well-known stories are attached to St David. We do, however, have some bits and pieces of tradition about his life and character. He was a sixth century monk and bishop who seems to have preached and taught mainly in south- west Wales, although he also has links with Glastonbury, Cornwall and Brittany. Some traditions maintain that he was also made a bishop in Jerusalem. He seems to have been very strict in his religious practices. Apparently he was nicknamed Aquaticus because the group of monks that he led drank neither beer nor wine but only water. The monks also followed a strict regime of heavy manual labour and study and ate mainly bread and vegetables. In addition to carrying out many acts of mercy and compassion, St David is also said to have immersed himself totally in water from time to time as part of his spiritual discipline. (Information from the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, David Farmer, OUP 4th edition 1997, ISBN 0 192 80058 2 paperback) Encarta encyclopedia tells us that he played an important part in two synods (councils of the church to discuss what the church should believe and practise): one at Brefi (about 560) and the other at Caerleon (about 569) both of which discussed how to suppress something called Pelagianism. LEADER: Now I think it's fairly likely that you don't know what Pelagianism is. The spellchecker on my computer certainly doesn't. If you look up the word Pelagianism in Encarta it comes up with this definition: (It may be appropriate to read this as quickly as possible to make it clear that you are not expecting your listeners to understand it in one hearing.) 'Pelagianism: a rationalistic and naturalistic heretical doctrine concerning grace and morals, which emphasizes human free will as the decisive element in human perfectibility and minimizes or denies the need for divine grace and redemption.' Got that? No? O.K. Well, here's a simple definition. It's the belief that human beings can be good if they really want to. All that's needed is enough willpower. Now although Pelagianism sounds as though it's a rather ancient, obscure and possibly irrelevant idea to be thinking about at this time in the morning, it is actually raising a very important and relevant question if you think about it. Let me show you what I mean. Ask for two volunteers to attempt to fly the paper plane so that it lands in the bin positioned a suitable distance away. Each person may have two attempts and can adjust the wings, flaps, etc. of the plane before a second attempt. Discuss why the plane does not fly straight. The conclusion is reached that it won't fly straight because there is a basic warp or twist in the way it is made. If you want it to fly straight it will need remaking completely. Now let's apply that to human nature. Pelagius reckoned that, although people could be affected by their upbringing and by bad influences and bad habits, human nature was not inevitably bad and it could with determination, discipline and willpower be controlled and possibly even perfected. The plane can, if you work at it, be made to land in the place you want it to. The Church, including (we suppose) St David, decided that Pelagius was wrong. Human nature needed remaking completely. The basic warp in human nature (caused, they said, not by God but by the sin of Adam and Eve) needed to be straightened out. Christians believe that this is where the power and grace of God come into it. It doesn't mean that there is no point in bothering to struggle to do what is right (remember St David's own lifestyle), but it does mean that you have to be humble enough to accept that you will never succeed unaided. What do you think? There isn't time to debate the question here and now but it is a fundamental question and perhaps the best way we can remember St David is for each of us to try to work out for ourselves what we think about it. |
READING: |
| No reading is really needed on this occasion. However, Psalm 51 and Romans 7 - 8 are rich in references to the human predicament and the need for God's help. |
MUSIC: |
| A recording of a Welsh choir singing could provide a suitable opening to the collective worship or listening to the words of the hymn 'Amazing Grace' (with a very brief explanation of how it came to be written). |
REFLECTION: |
| Following the challenge to us to think about the question for ourselves, there could be a short period of silent reflection. The paper plane and a fresh piece of blank paper placed on a table would provide a suitable focus. |
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES: |
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