Sunday Service - 14 May 1957

According to the Church calendar Deuteronomy is the book that is read as the Old Testament lesson in the morning and evening services during Easter onwards for several weeks. The text which comes from the second chapter has a special message for us at this time, and I thought I would pass on to you some of my thoughts on it.

The Book of Deuteronomy consists of a series of speeches delivered by Moses to the people of Israel before they crossed the river Jordan. In these speeches the Leader gives a review of all that happened from the time the people left Egypt till they came up to the banks of Jordan. The book gives an account of God’s dealings with his people and all his instructions to them. The second chapter marks an important stage of the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. They are still in the wilderness and they have spent about 40 years there. It is time they moved forward and took possession of the Promised Land. So God speaks to them now through His servant Moses. “You have been going about in this mountain country long enough: turn northwards.” Then He gives instructions as to how they should conduct themselves when they pass through the countries of the other tribes before they reach the banks of the Jordan. Then by way of encouragement and to assure them of His continued presence, He reminds them of His goodness in the past. “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands: he knows your going through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord your God has been with you: you have lacked nothing.”

After leaving Egypt they have spent 40 years in the wilderness. They must now venture out on a new stage in their journey. They must go to through new countries, meet new people, and perhaps meet opposition and hostility. They may even have to wage war with them. Settling in a new country inhabited by other people, was not going to be easy. They did not have the faintest idea as to what the future was going to do. Having spent 40 years in the wilderness they must have got used to that kind of life. Perhaps even in their wandering life some of them might have acquired wealth and become prosperous by trade, or by ordinary occupations. At that time, the order came: “You have been going about this mountain country long enough: turn northwards.” The Israelites would not have welcomed the orders to move on when they had settled down to the wilderness life. You need a great deal of courage to venture out into the unknown future. So God reminded them how He had blessed them in the past, and thus encouraged them for the new venture.

‘These forty years the Lord your God has been with you: you have lacked nothing.” “You have been going about the mountain country long enough: turn northwards.” These marching orders come to all of us sometime or other, and we are filled with misgivings, doubts and fears as we look into the unknown future. And we do need to be constantly reminded of God’s goodness to us in the years that have passed in order that we may face the future bravely. The words of the text which were meant to hearten the Israelites in the new stage of their journey, gives a message of hope and confidence to all people as they face their problems.

All of us receive the call, some time or other, in our lives to leave off familiar surroundings and friends and venture out along new paths. At various stages in our life’s journey we receive orders to move on. One such stage is when a man is told that for reasons of age he must leave off work he had become accustomed to, and learned to enjoy, and look for other avenues, for the exercise of his talents and the spending of his energy and time. I don’t like the word ‘retirement’. It is negative in meaning and does not give a person the right outlook on life. I like to think that at 60 a man receives afresh the marching orders: “You have been going about this mountain country long enough: turn northwards.” No one likes to be uprooted from familiar surroundings, and a congenial occupation – certainly not at 60! It calls for a great deal of courage and faith in God to be able to face the future. One has to be constantly reminded of God’s goodness in the past. One can face the unknown future only in the consciousness of all God’s blessings in the past.“These forty years the Lord your God has been with you! You have lacked nothing.”

The change of a School Head marks an important stage in the life of that school. With a new head the school starts on a new path – a fresh stage in the journey. No two men are alike in their gifts. With a new Principal with his special gifts and capabilities the school starts on a new course towards further development. It ventures out to conquer new territories – to set up higher standards, to establish new relationships, and to bring to bear a fresh outlook on problems old and new. Changes are necessary from time to time for the growth and development of any institution.

While we hopefully look forward to the years that are ahead of us, it is not without a certain amount of anxiety that we face the future. Usually when a new Principal takes charge of a school there is a certain amount of doubt and uncertainty about the future. For, the well being of a school depends largely on the way the new Head sets about his task. The Principal can make or mar a school. But I am happy to think that in the change that will take place today there is no cause for any anxiety. For he who has been called to this new responsibility is a well tried soldier in every field of educational activity. With him as the leader, I am confident that, St. John’s will move forwards towards its goal of perfection faster than ever before.

But there are some dark clouds in the political horizon which threaten to come down and wipe us out of existence. The move to bring all denominational schools under government control has not come all of a sudden. The Pension Scheme for Teachers introduced in 1928, the Free Education Scheme in 1945 and numerous other measures have all brought our schools under government control. Nor is this move to nationalise education confined to Ceylon. A few days ago I remember reading in the papers that a Member of Parliament in England had said that Eton and Harrow, two of the most famous Public Schools in England, should be nationalised; and the reason urged by the member for such a step, was that every boy in the country – rich or poor – should have the best education. But what is often not realised is that Eton and Harrow will cease to be what they are today if the administration of the institutions passes into the hands of the government.

With these threatening clouds hanging over us we go forward confident that He who has guided and blessed us so abundantly these 134 years of our history, will be with us to meet every situation. The Israelites went forward on the journey fully confident that God would go before them to fight their battles, and subdue all their enemies. That is our faith too, because we have seen in our own experience, how God has helped us all these years to meet every situation in very wonderful ways. The conversion of the Mahendra Theatre into Henry Peto Hostel, a recent event in our history, needs to be repeated over and over again. There, at any rate, those of us who were in the thick of the fight, were able to see the mighty arm of God wielding its power to put down what had been a menace to our progress. That is just one instance of the many ways in which God has made us aware of His concern for our well being and His activity on our behalf when we were helpless. I am sure that all who have worked in this place before us would have had the same experience of God’s goodness towards them.

If only we would be true to our calling, God will work our purposes out using us as his instruments. St. John’s was founded to let the light of Christ shine forth in this dark world of ours. If only we would endeavour to fulfill this aim in our work and in our lives, we shall receive His blessings in all our undertakings. At this time of changes, when our minds are filled with doubts and uncertainties, we can hear Him speak to us as the Israelites of old did: “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands: He knows your going through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”