John Henry Fawcett

The church was filled to overflow an hour before the service. A 1911 headline in The New York Times announced his arrival, so the press was there, expecting to hear a sensational preacher deliver a dazzling oratory. John Henry Fawcett (1864-1923) had preached at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church twice in previous visits to America. After hearing him, the congregation immediately invited him to become their pastor. When his English church learned of it, they sent a petition with 1400 signatures requesting him to stay. He remained in England, but when the New York church asked him a second and third time, he determined it was God’s doing and accepted the offer. Those expecting someone charismatic at his inaugural sermon were surprised when a small, balding man with an unpretentious demeanor was introduced. He did not thunder from the pulpit but spoke in a quiet, sincere manner. What distinguished him was his steely resolve to preach grace, “I have but one passion and have lived for it—the absorbingly arduous yet glorious work of proclaiming the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He labored long and hard to find the right words to convey the truth of the gospel. Everything in his sermon was built around a single, clearly defined central theme. He would not commence working on a sermon until he could reduce the main idea to a single sentence. He said of prayer, “Prayer is not only a petition. Sometimes it is just communion. It is the exquisite ministry of friendship.” What an intriguing thought. Prayer as friendship with God. Each homily in his collection of sermons, The Armor of God, led with prayer. Here is the prayer that introduced his “Endure Hardship” sermon: