Trafalgar Day Sermon. On the 220th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Lord Nelson
KEEPING THE MAST UPRIGHT
What Nelson Can Teach Us About Faith and Duty
A sermon preached in All Saints, Burnham Thorpe, the birthplace of Lord Nelson
It is astonishing that there is a monument in the centre of a square that is known all around the world in the centre of London to a local boy born in Burnham Thorpe. And he would have spent more time than he probably would have wanted to in this building (where Nelson's father was the vicar)!
Isaiah 33:23 states,
“Your rigging hangs loose. It cannot hold the mast firm in its place, or keep the sail spread out”.
It is a great verse. Isaiah’s vision is of a secure city, a place of peace, of ‘broad rivers and streams’.
But, people thought, if it had broad rivers then enemy ships could sail up them and plunder.
‘No’, says God, ‘I will save you’.
And there is this picture of the ship of the enemy floundering because its rigging is loose.
Human power, however awesome, falters before the presence of God.
But rigging is rather important
Last year we were sailing our Twinkle, and there was a creaking and a crack. Fortunately it was a gentle wind. And when we got back we discovered that the front stay had almost pulled off the bow. If it had gone, the mast would have fallen down.
We need good rigging – and we need at least three stays and a base. Otherwise the mast can’t stand and the sail can’t fill.
The mast is a picture for each of our lives. If we are to stand straight; if we are to have the freedom to sail as we are made to sail, we need three stays secure and a solid base.
I just wonder whether for Nelson, his stays were his calling, gifting – his sense of duty – and his humanity.
1. He discovered the thing that he was really good at – his gifting, his calling.
He was a genius naval commander. He was pretty rubbish on land, but at sea he was outstanding.
He fought and won four critical naval battles, the last of which was Trafalgar. That was significant, because if the Royal Navy had lost it, then there was the potential of an imminent invasion.
And Nelson was a brilliant commander because he thought out of the box. He did things differently. It was very simple, but often devastatingly effective.
And when he did what he was gifted at, I think it was one of his stays.
2. He had a very strong sense of duty.
That may well have come from what he heard in this Church. Your duty to God and country was something that would have been hammered home at that time from pulpit and in the classroom.
It meant that he showed remarkable courage and resilience. He carried on even though he suffered from sea sickness. That is a slight glitch if you are a sailor.
He was badly affected because of malaria and dysentery which he caught quite early on and was often sick. He also suffered the results of the concussion he received at the Battle of the Nile.
He lost the use of his right eye in 1794, and his right arm in 1797.
Basically, I would have given up at the first hurdle with just the sea sickness!
He was driven by his sense of duty and destiny.
And of course, we know his famous statement, ‘England expects that every man will do his duty’.
3. We notice his humanity
At a time when officers talked down to their subordinates, Nelson treated his officers often as equals. He spoke of them as a band of brothers, working as a team. And his captains felt trusted and respected.
And then there are the lines in his prayer that he wrote in his journal on the morning of the battle of Trafalgar.
‘May no misconduct tarnish it’ (victory)
‘May humanity after Victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet’.
Maybe he was writing for posterity – but he did not need to pray that.
So three possible stays in Nelson’s life: his gifting and calling, his sense of duty and his humanity.
But we also need a base: which helps the mast to stand secure in one place.
For Nelson I wonder whether that base was his conviction in God.
On the morning of Trafalgar he wrote his prayer.
“May the Great God, whom I worship, grant to my Country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious Victory ..
For myself individually, I commit my life to Him who made me; and may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully.
To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend.
Amen. Amen. Amen.” (Yes! Yes! Yes!)
This faith did not make him perfect. But it anchored him. It gave shape to his gifting, his courage and his humanity
In our second reading (2 Timothy 1:3-7) we heard about a man called Timothy.
He was charged to be a courageous follower of Jesus, and to be a faithful pastor and preacher.
That involved huge risks. At any moment he could be arrested, publicly humiliated and executed for simply speaking of Jesus. Indeed, according to tradition, he was beaten to death by a mob when he was preaching in Ephesus.
And Timothy was called to pay attention to his three stays: Power, love and self-control – very similar to gifting, humanity and duty.
And at the base of it all: faith in the God who had made and called him.
Today, as we remember Nelson, this village’s most famous child, and those who fought and died at sea, we’re not just looking back. We’re looking at what holds us now — as individuals, as a community, and as a nation.
Perhaps, like Nelson, we might also say:
“I commit my life to Him who made me.
It is astonishing that there is a monument in the centre of a square that is known all around the world in the centre of London to a local boy born in Burnham Thorpe. And he would have spent more time than he probably would have wanted to in this building (where Nelson's father was the vicar)!
 |
| Admiral Horatio Nelson, Trafalgar Square |
Nelson was not perfect. Far from it. He made big mistakes. I’m listening to the podcast, ‘The Rest is History’ about his life. It is fantastic and I do recommend it. I’ve just heard about the session of the disaster at Naples, he was spectacularly unfaithful to Fanny and quite cruel to her, and he was not the humblest of people – he liked people to praise him. Having said that, there was quite a bit for people to praise!
Isaiah 33:23 states,
“Your rigging hangs loose. It cannot hold the mast firm in its place, or keep the sail spread out”.
It is a great verse. Isaiah’s vision is of a secure city, a place of peace, of ‘broad rivers and streams’.
But, people thought, if it had broad rivers then enemy ships could sail up them and plunder.
‘No’, says God, ‘I will save you’.
And there is this picture of the ship of the enemy floundering because its rigging is loose.
Human power, however awesome, falters before the presence of God.
But rigging is rather important
Last year we were sailing our Twinkle, and there was a creaking and a crack. Fortunately it was a gentle wind. And when we got back we discovered that the front stay had almost pulled off the bow. If it had gone, the mast would have fallen down.
We need good rigging – and we need at least three stays and a base. Otherwise the mast can’t stand and the sail can’t fill.
The mast is a picture for each of our lives. If we are to stand straight; if we are to have the freedom to sail as we are made to sail, we need three stays secure and a solid base.
I just wonder whether for Nelson, his stays were his calling, gifting – his sense of duty – and his humanity.
1. He discovered the thing that he was really good at – his gifting, his calling.
He was a genius naval commander. He was pretty rubbish on land, but at sea he was outstanding.
He fought and won four critical naval battles, the last of which was Trafalgar. That was significant, because if the Royal Navy had lost it, then there was the potential of an imminent invasion.
And Nelson was a brilliant commander because he thought out of the box. He did things differently. It was very simple, but often devastatingly effective.
And when he did what he was gifted at, I think it was one of his stays.
2. He had a very strong sense of duty.
That may well have come from what he heard in this Church. Your duty to God and country was something that would have been hammered home at that time from pulpit and in the classroom.
It meant that he showed remarkable courage and resilience. He carried on even though he suffered from sea sickness. That is a slight glitch if you are a sailor.
He was badly affected because of malaria and dysentery which he caught quite early on and was often sick. He also suffered the results of the concussion he received at the Battle of the Nile.
He lost the use of his right eye in 1794, and his right arm in 1797.
Basically, I would have given up at the first hurdle with just the sea sickness!
He was driven by his sense of duty and destiny.
And of course, we know his famous statement, ‘England expects that every man will do his duty’.
3. We notice his humanity
At a time when officers talked down to their subordinates, Nelson treated his officers often as equals. He spoke of them as a band of brothers, working as a team. And his captains felt trusted and respected.
And then there are the lines in his prayer that he wrote in his journal on the morning of the battle of Trafalgar.
‘May no misconduct tarnish it’ (victory)
‘May humanity after Victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet’.
Maybe he was writing for posterity – but he did not need to pray that.
So three possible stays in Nelson’s life: his gifting and calling, his sense of duty and his humanity.
But we also need a base: which helps the mast to stand secure in one place.
For Nelson I wonder whether that base was his conviction in God.
On the morning of Trafalgar he wrote his prayer.
“May the Great God, whom I worship, grant to my Country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious Victory ..
For myself individually, I commit my life to Him who made me; and may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully.
To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend.
Amen. Amen. Amen.” (Yes! Yes! Yes!)
This faith did not make him perfect. But it anchored him. It gave shape to his gifting, his courage and his humanity
In our second reading (2 Timothy 1:3-7) we heard about a man called Timothy.
He was charged to be a courageous follower of Jesus, and to be a faithful pastor and preacher.
That involved huge risks. At any moment he could be arrested, publicly humiliated and executed for simply speaking of Jesus. Indeed, according to tradition, he was beaten to death by a mob when he was preaching in Ephesus.
And Timothy was called to pay attention to his three stays: Power, love and self-control – very similar to gifting, humanity and duty.
And at the base of it all: faith in the God who had made and called him.
Today, as we remember Nelson, this village’s most famous child, and those who fought and died at sea, we’re not just looking back. We’re looking at what holds us now — as individuals, as a community, and as a nation.
Perhaps, like Nelson, we might also say:
“I commit my life to Him who made me.
To Him I resign myself.
Amen. Amen. Amen.”
Amen. Amen. Amen.”
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