I can still recall, as a child, singing those words of Bunyan’s great hymn at full volume and wondering all the time ‘What is a Pilgrim?’ ‘What is it that you have to labour at to be a Pilgrim?’

One dictionary defines a pilgrim simply as a traveller to sacred places but there is more to it than that. Whether the destination be Chaucer’s Canterbury or Bunyan’s celestial city, the pilgrim’s journey is not just about getting there. The journey itself is imbued with meaning. The signposts along the way measure more than mere miles.

Nations, at their best, are ‘pilgrims’ too. In this service we have been celebrating our nation’s long journey from the arrival of Christianity long ago to the present day. And what a remarkable journey it has been – combining both glorious achievements and terrible suffering, great heroism and moments of shame. Like many an English lane there have been plenty of twists and turns along the way.

The start of the year 2000 provides us with a moment to pause on that journey and to ask questions: Where we are going – both as individuals and as a nation? And what are the values we share that can guide us in the future?

Part of the answer to these questions was given in those timeless words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God,
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’

To our generation the phrases may be familiar but the values they proclaim seem topsy-turvy. They challenge fundamentally so much of what we take for granted.

Instead today we hear:
Blessed are the famous, for they will enjoy the praise of men
Blessed are those who are rich, because they will inherit the earth
Blessed are the mighty because they will become more powerful yet.

But, no! Our Lord says, as pilgrims seeking to embrace his values we need to follow a very different path.

And there are two values which seem to me to go to the heart of this.

The first is love. That must be pre-eminent. We must seek to reflect the love of God the Creator who has given us life and the love of God the Father who cares for all his creatures. For if God is both the Creator and Father of all humankind then that has implications for our relationships with our fellow human beings because they, too, are made in his image.

We simply cannot under-estimate the social importance of this affirmation. It means working towards a genuine pluralism which respects all people and resists intolerance, racism and bigotry in any shape or form. It relates to how we care for our children, respecting and cherishing them by providing them with guidelines for conduct and citizenship that they will make their own one day. It means caring for the marginalised and having compassion on those who stray. Love, then, rather than being wishy washy and sentimental, is down to earth; related to building community and to caring for one another.

And then there is Faith. Faith, first of all in God, the Source of light and hope to guide the pilgrim on his way. And such faith not only believes in the Living God but also trusts in his ability to change societies and individuals. Like love it is never disconnected from the real world, nor does it float in a nebulous ether remote from the pains and suffering of humankind.

It is this faith that has encouraged many men and women down the centuries to search the wonders of creation and to harness its God-given potential for the good of others. It is this faith too, that has nurtured values such as justice, kindness, generosity and tolerance that undergird so much of the social fabric of our land. These are things to be proud of and to cherish, and we must use them to strengthen our democracy, protect our heritage, and sustain us in our lives.

And, as we do, so as pilgrims we will discover afresh the truths underlined by Jesus in that Sermon on the Mount. For it is the peace-makers, the humble of heart, the gentle, the pure in heart and those who hunger and thirst for right to prevail, whom Jesus called ‘blessed’. Blessed, because they reflect the character of God himself.

In just a moment I will invite you to join in an Act of Commitment. It is something which I am sure all of us can identify with - particularly the call to build a safer future for all children and to reverence the gift of life. As we make this Act our own and look into the unknown future we can do so confident in the God who sent Jesus Christ into the world and has blessed our nation down the years. And it is in that confidence that we shall find the courage to say with Bunyan:

No foes shall stay his might,
Though he with giants fight,
He will make good his right
To be a pilgrim.

Archbishop of Canterbury, George Leonard Carey
The Press Office, Lambeth Palace
E-Mail: neil.traynor@lampal.c-of-e.org.uk