I have preached under trying circumstances, but nothing compared to William Laud’s (1573-1645) concluding sermon. It was preached at the scaffold on a cold day in January 1645 moments before his scheduled execution. William was an Anglican priest who became Archbishop of Canterbury (the leader of the Church of England). There was a vigorous debate in England in those days between traditional Anglicans and nonconformist Puritans. When William attempted to force full adherence to the Book of Common Prayer for worship, Puritans resisted. William, who had high church sympathies, was charged with trying to undo the work of the Reformers and return England to Catholicism. Let’s just say it’s a long and involved story of how tied the English monarchy was to prevailing religious preferences. William was arrested, imprisoned in a castle and brought to trial four years later. He began his final sermon with the memorable words, “Good, friends, this is an uncomfortable time to preach.” I should say so! He continued, “Yet I shall begin with a text of Scripture, ‘Let us run with perseverance the race that was set out for us looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.'” He reflected on how he had run his race and tried to look to Jesus. He admitted that he had ransacked every corner of his heart but couldn’t find anything worthy of death. He then concluded, “Though the weight of my sentence is heavy upon me, I am as quiet within as ever I was in my life.”
Knowing William’s story deepens the impact of his two prayers that follow here. I debated which prayer to choose, and settled on sharing both for prayer today: