Strong Foundations - Luke 6:46-49
2022 Gilligan House Chapel Sermon
‘Start the way you aim to finish.’
When I was in school, this was the catchcry of my Headmaster at the start of every year. Invariably at the first assembly every year he’s remind us all of this phrase, urging us to the think about it for the coming year.
The idea being that if you aim to finish strongly, you should start strongly. If you’re planning on doing well in your final exams, you should work hard all year. If you’re hoping to have success in sport or music, you should practice throughout the whole year. He wanted to urge us to be focused right through the year, not be slow or timid as the year started.
This phrase came back to me this week as I reflected on this theme of Strong Foundations, how the way you start something can have a lasting impact on the way it operates for a long time to come. It reinforces the importance of starting well, of building a solid base upon which you can flourish and grow.
We’re at a fascinating point in our College’s history where we have eight new Houses starting afresh. There will only ever be one ‘first year’ and all of you have the privilege of being the first ever cohort of Gilligan House. It gives you a unique opportunity and privilege to establish something that will last for a long time.
The way something starts can have a lasting impact on the way that thing operates for a long time to come. Foundations are important.
Ms Christian and I are both History teachers, so you’ll forgive me for using a historical example to prove my point. In Ancient Rome, they had a deeply entrenched foundation narrative centred around the legendary story of the brothers Romulus and Remus. It was believed that they were the sons of the Roman god of war, Mars. After a difficult life they came to found the city of Rome, but only after violent disagreement that ended with Romulus killing his brother Remus.
And so right from its very foundations, Rome had a history of violence and war. This spirit of fighting came to be quintessential to the Roman identity, they were warriors, and their army was used to dominate the known world. This foundational myth centred on bloodshed came to deeply influence the way the society operated for centuries to come.
How you start matters.
Now I’m hoping that none of the boys in Gilligan House are hoping to establish their identity in a way that emulates Romulus and Remus! But I know you’re acutely aware of how you establish the traditions of this House. You’re thinking of what this House might stand for in generations to come. Perhaps, in order to shape the House of the present and the future you might look to the example of your namesake, Anne Gilligan.
Gilligan was part of the very foundation of the school, she was the first ever female member of staff and in charge of the care and administration of the school. She was known especially for her kindness and her caring nature. And I dare say she was a trailblazer as a woman taking leadership in a very different society.
Perhaps this foundation of kindness, that your namesake embodied, might be the foundation for this House. In fact, a foundation of kindness is, I think, an important foundation for us all to try and build our lives upon.
Kindness is, in many ways, such a simple thing, yet is so important for the flourishing and happiness of one another. It can be as simple as an encouraging word or a supportive act. It means being there to support you friend or colleague and just showing compassion to each other.
Stanley Hauerwas, a leading American theologian, talks about kindness not being transactional. Not doing an act of kindness to expect something in return. SLIDE But rather he says “kindness comes through a recognition that I have time in this world to love another in a manner that doesn’t try to control them. Kindness is the touch that otherwise wouldn’t be there”.
Wouldn’t that be a wonderful foundation to build this House on. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful foundation to build all of our lives on. SLIDE
The Bible reading we heard read talks about the importance of building on strong foundations. It’s a parable that Jesus told to teach his disciples about what it means to live a life of faith. Jesus used many parables, moral fables, to teach his followers.
In this story, two men build a house. One man builds a house on firm rock, on strong foundations. When rain and storms come the house remains secure because it is built on firm foundations. The second man builds his house on sand, on foundations that are imperfect and not secure. When the storms come to this man, his house is washed away because it doesn’t have the strong foundation it needs to keep it secure.
Now you’re not building a physical house but you are building a metaphorical house. You are all thinking about how you might build Gilligan House for the future. In doing so, you should strive to build it on strong foundations, one that will endure and stay strong, even when battered by the challenges of things to come.
Perhaps, the foundation that you boys can seek to build this house on can be a foundation of kindness, emulating the kindness of your namesake. Offering a kindness to each other that doesn’t expect anything in return but rather shows kindness because it is the right thing to do.
And for all of us, perhaps this can be the foundation that we build our lives on. A foundation that is strong and secure, able to withstand the troubles of life. Perhaps for all of us it can be a foundation of kindness. A sense of compassion that strives to support each other, to build one another up and asks nothing in return.
Because if that’s the kind of foundation that we build our lives on, then we may make the world just a better place to live in. Amen
