I referenced C. S. Lewis so often in my sermons that one friend in my congregation claimed I had a man crush on Lewis. Austin Farrer (1904-1968) wasn’t a name I had associated with Lewis until recently. Austin was a chaplain at several colleges in England and a first-rate scholar. Respected newspaper columnist and author A.N. Wilson called him “the one true genius of the Church of England in the 20th century.” He shared with C. S. Lewis a mutual criticism of academia’s infatuation with modern ideas, which likely explains why neither reached the highest standing in academic circles. They were close friends and part of an extraordinary mid-twentieth-century group of “Oxford Christians” that included J.R.R. Tolkien, T.S. Eliot, Dorothy Sayers, and Charles Williams. They read and critiqued each other’s writing. C. S. asked Austin to review a series of talks he planned to give over the BBC, which eventually found its way into the opening chapters of Mere Christianity. C. S. dedicated his book, Reflections on the Psalms to Austin. Austin and his novelist wife Katherine attended C. S.’s wedding to Joy Davidman. Austin administered communion to Joy as she lay dying and presided over C.S.’s memorial service. He possessed the unusual ability to match his considerable academic prowess with a profound spirituality.
We join in praying with Farrer:
Austin Farrer
My God, I wish to give you the gift you so much desire;
I wish to submit myself to you once and for all,
so there shall be no taking back.
I cannot commit myself into your hands, O God,
I cannot do it;
but yet I can commit myself into your hands;
for though I cannot keep myself there,
your fingers can hold me there,
your strong, gentle fingers
always giving way and never letting go;
your wise subtle fingers,
wrestling so gently against my puny rebellions,
that I tire myself trying to climb out of your hands,
and come to rest at last in those wounded palms.
Joel Heck, “Austin Farrer: A Hawk Among Sparrows.”
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.