On October 29, 1941 Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Harrow School to hear the traditional songs he had sung there as a youth, as well as to speak to the students.  This became one of his most quoted speeches, due primarily to myths that have surrounded the speech.

            He was reported to have stood before the students and said, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up.  Never give up. Never give up.  Never give up.  Then he sat down.   I have told this story to my son at an opportune moment, believing that Paul Harvey’s rendition was how it happened. I have since learned that it is neither how it happened, nor was it what he said. In fact, I just heard a recording of it this past week. 

            This was part of a longer speech (which still was very short, as speeches go).  While the words quoted were similar, they were not correctly quoted. Near the end of the speech he says: Never give in.  Never give in.  Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense.  Never yield to force.  Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.  Then he made some concluding remarks regarding their school song and sat down.  I must apologize to my son the next time I see him for passing on the myth of the shortest graduation speech on record.  I am sorry I found out differently for I loved the myth.  I am not sure if Churchill had read the apostle Paul at some point in his life for it sounds very much like a part of the passage we just read.  Paul says So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up (vs.9).  Paul, here, is urging the church in Galatia to live in the Spirit or in God-presence.  It isn’t as easy as living by a set of rules.  It takes more thought and some changing of old ways of doing things.  The Jewish Christians had been insisting on circumcision as a necessary rite to observe if one was to be a Christian.  But Paul maintained it was not necessary and that living in Spirit was demonstration enough of being in Christ. 

            The first reading from II Kings 5 about the healing of Naaman, the commander of the army, also speaks of the benefits of living in God-presence.  Naaman had a skin disease that was plaguing him.  We don’t know whether or not it was life threatening, but we do know he wanted desperately to be rid of it.  He finally goes to Elisha the prophet who sends out a messenger to tell him to bathe in the Jordan River seven times.  Naaman was insulted: first, that the prophet didn’t respect him enough to come out and tell him himself. And then that he was expected to simply take a bath must have been insulting, let alone to do it in the Jordan River.  He had much better rivers back home in his own country.  But his servants persuaded him not to give up and to listen to the man of God.  He does and is healed.  He then declares that there is no God like the God of Israel and wants to pay Elisha, who abruptly refuses.  Then Naaman is so impressed with this God that he asks for two mule-loads of dirt to take back home with him so that he might worship the God of Israel at home. 

Having received the Grace of God he was a changed man.  Life wasn’t the same for him again.

He could have given up with his illness.  He could have said, what’s the use, when hearing about the prophet in Israel. Or he could have let his pride override his desire for healing and refused to take a bath.  But he chose not to give up and in the process discovered a new way of being.   

            It is tempting to give up at times.  We can find many reasons not to keep on keeping on.  As we reflect on the actions or the failure to act at the General Assembly this past week, it may be tempting for some to give up.  How long do we have to wait?  How much more do we have to say or to demonstrate before justice and fairness will rule in the church?  Or we may simply be tired of the hassle.  Why not give up?  But Paul says we have a harvest to reap if we don’t give up.  Let us not grow weary of doing what is right. 

            There is much for us to do. Our world needs the justice and grace of God!   We need to continue our fight for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of the church.  There are many issues beyond the inclusive one that also need to be addressed. Rev. Katie Geneva Cannon is the first female African-American woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church.  She tells of an incident that took place shortly after her 1974 ordination…when she attended a conference of women of color at a hotel.  She said a hotel attendant “looked at my clerical collar, slammed me into a wall, and said, How dare you defy Jesus Christ?”

She gave this incident as an example of the African-American’s historic struggle for justice and civil rights.  She said that her African-American sisters and brothers have known from the get-go…how to stay the course.  She was encouraging commissioners at General Assembly not to quit.  Quitting is not an option, she said.  There is much to do yet in the fight for gender and racial justice.  Let us not be weary of doing what is right.

            Discrimination is not only racial.  Former President Carter is alleged to have said that the greatest discrimination in the world today is the discrimination of the rich against the poor.  Not that they go out to intentionally hurt or beat the poor, but because they don’t care enough for the plight of the poor.  Habitat for Humanity is building 5,000 new homes every year in the United States for the poor.  That is wonderful!  And according to Millard Fuller, the founder and director of Habitat for Humanity, the Presbyterian Church is one of the churches leading the way in this program.  But he also reported there are 15,000 new homes built each year costing more than one million dollars each.  THREE TIMES the number of those being built for the poor.  Let us not be weary in doing what is right.    

            We could go on to reflect on the challenge regarding health care in which forty-four million people in the U.S. have NO health care coverage in this the richest nation in history.  Let us not be weary in doing what is right. 

We could go on to mention the crisis in education, or continuing discrimination on  gender lines, or full acceptance and welcoming of the mentally ill.  Let us not be weary in doing what is right.  

No this is not a sermon to make you feel guilty that we haven’t done enough.  These are mentioned as examples where we have been at work, where we have made contributions.  We need to remind ourselves that THIS is living in the light of the Spirit or God-presence. I am becoming aware of the many quiet ways many of you are living in God-Presence.  You have taken someone under your wing, caring for him or her, going out of your way to help.  You respond when someone is hurting by being there for them.  You have given of yourself and of your money, often in ways that few others know about.  You are doing what is right for one another.  WHY NOT GIVE UP? BECAUSE THE more you discover where God is at work the more you can find your delight, your joy!  

            Paul says it isn’t a matter of circumcision or no circumcision, but a new creation is everything.    Any outward religious act is valid only to the extent it represents an inner transformation that represents a new creation.  Ask Naaman.  He trusted the gracious healing of God and was a new creation: his direction and focus in life were radically changed.  He was thankful that Elisha did not grow weary in doing well.  Who gives thanks to God for you today?