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Heavenly Father, we bow in your presence.
May your Word be our rule,
your Spirit our teacher,
and your greater glory our supreme concern,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  AMEN.

John Stott’s Prayer before Preaching.

Thank you, Friends, for your presence today in such great numbers, and for all that you do in support of this wonderful Cathedral Church.

It was Jane Austen, more about whom later, who said that ‘Business, you know, may bring you money, but friendship hardly ever does’ [see reference].  You, as friends, prove that sometimes it does just that, and the contribution that the Friends make to the maintenance and development of the life of the Cathedral and all those who are a part of it, is enormous.

Last month, over four days, around 2,400 Year 6 children from Church Schools across the Diocese came here for their Leavers’ Services, and had a wonderful day of activities, tours and worship.

Each of them had made a small clay figure representing themselves and the differences between them all, and the difference they can make in the world – the theme for this year was ‘Game-Changers’.  The figures were all on display in the North Transept.  They are based on Antony Gormley’s ‘Field’, and he was due to be here, but was prevented by an accident.

One, in particular, caught my eye.  There are so many different ways in which one could interpret this figure, but, as all of these children were there with their schoolfriends, at a time when many of them will be parting to go to different secondary schools in September, the love which is at the heart of friendship is wonderfully represented here.

Which reminded me of Charlotte Yonge, more about whom later, who wrote, ‘The mistake we make, is when we seek to be beloved, instead of loving’ [https://www.azquotes.com/author/25570-Charlotte_Mary_Yonge].

And that takes us back to our Readings this afternoon.  In I Chronicles 28, just before our Reading began, David has gathered together all the great and the good of Jerusalem, and begun to tell them of his plans for a Temple in Jerusalem.  He tells of how God had told him that he wouldn’t be building the House of the Lord, rather it would be his son, Solomon, who had been chosen to build the Sanctuary.  But David had all of the plans ready, so he gives them to Solomon – and you can look in I Chronicles 28 to see just how detailed and precise they were.

In the passage we heard, David tells the whole assembly of the gifts he has given for the Temple, and urges them to be equally generous – which they were.

But the crucial point comes towards the end of the Chapter, in words that we often use at the Offertory at Communion Services, ‘Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.  Riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all’ [I Ch. 29:11f.].

All that we have comes from God, and we are charged to use those gifts wisely and generously in all the different aspects of our lives, including our charitable giving, and our care of family and friends.  As Friends of the Cathedral, we are part of that long tradition of caring for and loving this ancient House of God, and, hopefully, caring for and loving all those who are part of it.

And then, Jesus, in John 15, having talked of himself as the True Vine, goes on to say, ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you’ [Jn 15:12-14].

There are lots of other things that Jesus could have called his Disciples – not all of them flattering – but he chose to call those who follow him, ‘My friends’.

There is something special about friendship in the Christian sense.  Friendship is about serving others, asking ourselves how God might use us in our friends’ lives, and how he might want to use them in our lives.  We serve others as more important than ourselves, believing Jesus’ words that it is more blessed to give than to receive.  Also, we read in I John [4:18] that, ‘Perfect love casts out fear’.

Which reminds me of Florence Nightingale, more about whom later, who wrote, ‘How very little can be done under the spirit of fear’ [https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/florence_nightingale_159063].

We have chosen to be Friends of the Cathedral, but are have also been chosen as Friends of Jesus, called to love and to serve him in all we do, and sometimes, not often, thankfully, ‘To lay down one’s life for one’s friends’.

And so I want to return to the three women whom I’ve quoted – Jane Austen, Charlotte Yonge and Florence Nightingale, all of whom have strong connections with Hampshire, and who are commemorated on the new Kneeler, ‘The Women’s Kneeler’, which was dedicated at the beginning of this Service.

You’ll probably know the story already.  Around a century ago, two women, Louise Pesel and Sybil Blunt, organised the production of hundreds of Kneelers for the Cathedral, developing a form of embroidery now known as ‘Winchester Style’.

But one kneeler didn’t get made – here’s the original watercolour design for it.

Partly, it seems, as a result of the author, Tracey Chevalier’s, interest in the kneelers, which led to her book, ‘A Single Thread’, which re-tells the story of their production, the ‘Women’s Kneeler’ was commissioned, and made to a new design by one of our wonderful Broderers, Margaret Bingham.

When I spoke with her recently, she explained how she wanted to remain faithful to the original style, but wanted to use a more modern form of lettering, very conscious of the history of the cushions, and the length of time they have been used in the Cathedral, and for how long into the future we expect them to be in use.  This is the first new kneeler since the 1930s, and it took her around two years to complete.  It’s an amazing piece of work, and one which will very rightfully and fittingly take its place in the Cathedral from today.

As well as the three names of these very different women, and the decorative designs around the outside, there is one other notable feature of the kneeler – the seventeen daisies embroidered around the names.

These are a reference to Charlotte Yonge’s novel, ‘The Daisy Chain’, a Victorian bestseller, a domestic story, a novel of female education, which tells the story of eleven children of a Dr May, who lose their mother in the first chapter.  Charlotte was dedicated to education, especially the education of girls, and in some ways it is education that is the Daisy Chain in her book.

However, as we think of ourselves, as Friends of the Cathedral, we might also reflect on how we are Friends of Jesus, and how our lives are part of the great Daisy Chain which is the life and ministry of this Cathedral and its predecessors on this site over the past 1,500 years or so.

The Daisy Chain is beautiful, but it is also fragile – it can easily be broken – and that is true of our own beautiful and fragile lives, and also of our contributions to the life of the Cathedral.

But, with God’s grace, and with the dedication of so many to the Friends, and to the life of the Cathedral, the Daisy Chain becomes strong, and the Cathedral will remain as a national treasure, a place for visitors and pilgrims from all around the world, a place where worship of the highest standards is offered, and a place where God reveals himself to so many, young and old.

As we were reminded in the anthem, in George Herbert’s wonderful words,

…The heavens are not too high,

His praise may thither fly:

The earth is not too low,

His praises there may grow…

…The Church with psalms must shout,

No door can keep them out;

But above all the heart

Must bear the longest part.

Let all the world in every corner sing,

My God and King!

[Antiphon]

AMEN.