23/04/2014

Good morning,

Stratford on Avon in Warwickshire and the Globe Theatre in London will each become a focus point today for the celebrations marking the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare. Widely regarded as Britain’s greatest playwright, Shakespeare’s beautiful poetry continues to capture the imagination, thought and language of English speaking people throughout the world.

Today we are also celebrating the feast of St. George, Patron Saint of England. The legends of bravery, chivalry and honour surrounding this Middle Eastern soldier have themselves added a great deal to the imagination too.

“Cry God for Harry, England and St. George” says King Hal addressing his troops. Shakespeare wrote those memorable words in his play Henry V almost 200 years after the Battle of Agincourt. We might use different words today to express the values conveyed in Shakespeare’s poetry or the ideals contained in the legend of St. George. But the need to choose our words carefully as never been greater. As the late United Nations General, secretary Dag Hammarskjold, once put it:

“Respect for the word is the first commandment by which a man can be educated to maturity-intellectual, emotional, and moral ….. To misuse words is to show contempt …. It undermines the bridges and poisons the wells”.

Lord,

We thank you for the gift of language.

The words we hear. The words we speak.

The words we read. The words we write.

We pray for writers and scholars

For preachers and publishers.

Open our ears to your word

Spoken through creation

and in Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh

Amen.