Baton Passers

Jesus.
Peter, John, Mary,
Stephen, Paul, Philip, Barnabas, Silas,
Eunice, Lois and Timothy,
Philemon and Onesimus, Lydia.
Desert mothers and fathers, like Anthony,
Theodora, Paula, Gregory.
Celtic evangelists and planters in these isles:
Aidan, Chad, Patrick, Columba,
Cuthbert, Oswald, Hilda.
Those from the Roman order too: Saint Alban, first martyr in our land,
Saint Augustine, first archbishop.
Founders of monastic orders,
visionaries, hermits, anchorites:
Mother Julian, Benedict, Francis, Margery Kempe.
John Wycliffe and the Lollards.
Jan Hus, the beginnings of the Moravians.
William Tyndale, translating the Bible for our tongue.
Reformer theologians: Luther. Calvin. Zwingli.
John Knox in Scotland.
Latimer, Ridley, Cranmer, martyrs burned for faith beliefs.
Puritans, pilgrims, dissenters.
Richard Sibbes, working from within, not separating.
Quakers, Baptists.
Count Zinzendorf, spreading community of prayer and mission.
John and Charles, the Wesley brothers,
with George Whitefield –
the holy club.
Handel and “The Messiah”.
Elizabeth Fry, reforming social institutions.
Robert Raikes, Lord Shaftesbury.
Wilberforce, standing against injustice.
William and Catherine Booth. Smith Wigglesworth.
Spurgeon. Hudson Taylor. Gladys Aylward. Amy Carmichael.
The Pentecostal movement, a great awakening,
Two sisters praying for revival in the Scottish islands.
Sankey and Moody.
Scripture Union, CSSM camps. The Keswick convention.
C. S. Lewis.
Twentieth century martyrs: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Jim Elliot.
Evangelists and teachers: Billy Graham.
John Stott. David Watson.
Mother Teresa, loving Calcutta’s poorest.
John Wimber, a fresh outpouring.
A worship renewal: Fisherfolk, Kendrick, Redman and the rest.
Alpha – Nicky Gumbel et al…
Jackie Pullinger. Brother Yun. Andrew White, the “Vicar of Baghdad”.
Modern martyrs in Syria, Sudan, Iraq, China, Pakistan and North Korea
and thousands, named and nameless, living by faith beneath oppression’s rod .
Faithful fellowships up and down this land
made up of ordinary saints.
And you.
And me.

(Francesca Proud)