Today we celebrate St David’s Day, the Patron Saint of Wales, and also the patronal festival here. A double celebration, which surely gives us permission for at least one joke. So, I’ll begin with the wellknown story of the referee who arrived in heaven.
He was met by the man in charge, who said, “Welcome. Before you enter Heaven, is there anything you’d like to confess?”
The referee shuffled awkwardly. “Well… yes. In an England–Wales international, I gave Wales a penalty that won them the match. I saw the replay afterwards and… it wasn’t a penalty. It’s been on my conscience ever since.”
“You don’t need to worry, my son,” said the gatekeeper. “You made the correct decision.”
“Oh, thank you, St Peter,” said the referee, relieved.
“Oh,” said the gatekeeper, “it’s St Peter’s day off. I’m St David.”
Moving swiftly on…
It feels particularly appropriate that this year St David’s Day falls in Lent, because David’s life was famously simple, disciplined, and—if we’re honest—probably rather more austere than most of us would choose. But Lent invites us to strip things back, to look honestly at our lives, and David’s example gives us a companion on that journey.
We don’t know a huge amount about David historically. We do know he lived in the 6th century, founded a monastery, and probably came from a noble family. But if he was brought up in comfort, he certainly didn’t stay there. His lifestyle was the opposite of luxury.
He believed the world was full of temptations that distracted from Jesus, so he kept life as simple as possible. His monks prayed while standing in cold water, ate food that would make even the most committed vegan hesitate, and lived with a discipline that would make Lent for most of us look like a spa break.
It’s not a lifestyle many of us would sign up for. But beneath the extremes is something important: a desire to draw closer to God. And that is the heart of Lent. Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.” David took that seriously.
Our readings today echo that same call.
In Ezekiel 2:1–7, God sends the prophet to speak to a stubborn people. “Do not be afraid,” God says, “whether they listen or refuse to listen.” Ezekiel’s task is not to be successful, but faithful.
In 1 Timothy 4:1–8, Paul warns that people will wander off after strange teachings, but Timothy must “train himself in godliness.” Not flashy spirituality, not impressive rituals, just steady, disciplined faithfulness.
And in Psalm 92, we hear the promise that the righteous will “flourish like a palm tree,” not because life is easy, but because they are rooted in God.
David’s life reflects all three readings: courage in the face of challenge, discipline in the face of distraction, and a deep rootedness in God.
Much of what we think we know about David comes from Rhigyfarch, writing 500 years after David died. He describes David as:
“the supreme overseer, the supreme protector, the supreme preacher… to all he was all things.”
It’s quite a tribute. But even if Rhigyfarch was exaggerating, the point is clear: David was remembered as someone who shaped others’ lives for the better.
But we don’t celebrate David because he was perfect. We celebrate him because his life points beyond himself - to Jesus. Saints are not the destination; they are signposts. David’s life says, “Look to Christ. Trust Christ. Follow Christ.”
David’s life also reminds us that we depend on God whether we admit it or not. Lent hopefully emphasises that… Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, tempted and tested. We all know what wilderness feels like - times when God seems distant, when prayer feels dry, when life feels really hard.
Lent gives us space to ask honest questions:
- What place does Jesus really have in my life?
- Is he just for Sundays?
- Is he just for emergencies?
- Or is he the one guiding my steps, shaping my choices, and giving me life?
Of course, St David’s Day also brings traditions. Some are beautiful. Some are… creative. There’s the tradition that we have leeks as a national symbol because David used them as weapons in battle. I’m not sure how effective a leek is as a weapon unless you’re trying to season the enemy, but who knows!
Tradition can be wonderful. It can provide a connection with great things of the past, but it can also restrict us. I’m pretty sure that David himself would have been the first to say that tradition must never get in the way of following Jesus.
As individuals and as a church, we must be asking: what helps us draw closer to God, and what gets in the way?
- Is it tradition?
- Is it busyness?
- Is it the belief that we can manage without God?
- Is it fear of change?
Someone once said, “The world at its worst needs the Church at its best.” That is surely as true now as it ever has been.
We are not a private club. We are a community shaped by Jesus, open to all. And if we want people to see Jesus in us, then our worship, our welcome, and our outreach must speak to today—not to 1950, not to 1850, and not to the 6th century either.
The Church in Wales is going through huge change. We might think that is good or might think it’s not so good, but it’s happening - and the reality is that it always has. The church that was disestablished in the 1920s is different from the one of the 1950s, the 1980s, or today. We can resist change or we can embrace it and move forwards with hope.
David put aside anything that separated him from God. We are called to do the same, not by living on bread and water, but by letting go of whatever stops us loving God and loving our neighbour.
And this change isn’t, as it’s sometimes portrayed, a negative thing. It is not something to fear, but something to welcome.
- Change helps us stay faithful to the gospel rather than simply faithful to habit. Ezekiel was told to speak God’s word “whether they listen or refuse to listen,” which means faithfulness has never been about keeping things the same, but about responding to what God is doing now.
- Change keeps the church spiritually healthy. Paul tells Timothy to “train yourself in godliness,” and training always involves movement, stretching, and growth. A church that never changes becomes stiff and tired; a church that is willing to grow becomes alive again.
- Change helps us welcome people. Most people aren’t rejecting Jesus -they’re rejecting a church that feels a little out of touch. When we adapt, when we speak in ways people understand, when our worship feels alive, we make space for people to belong.
- Change helps us serve the world we actually live in. The needs of Wales today are not the needs of the 1950s, and certainly not the 6th century. If the world is changing and the church isn’t, we slowly drift apart.
- And change creates space for the Holy Spirit to work. The Spirit rarely moves in places that refuse to move. When we let go of what no longer bears fruit, we discover new gifts, new callings, and new life.
As we celebrate the saints of the past, we remember that we are called to be the saints of today. Not perfect people. Not heroic monks standing in cold water. Just ordinary people who allow God to use them.
Those who wrote about the saints wrote about the best bits—the miracles, the holiness, the dramatic moments. But they were human. They had doubts, fears, frustrations, and failings. What made them saints was not perfection but willingness.
Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel… in the face of great opposition.” We may not face persecution, but we do face apathy and indifference. And that can be just as hard to overcome.
But God is still calling. God is still sending. God is still saying, as he said to Ezekiel, “Do not be afraid.”
So today, as we give thanks for St David, we pray that:
- we may have his courage to speak God’s truth,
- his discipline to stay rooted in Christ,
- his compassion for the vulnerable,
- his willingness to let God shape his life,
- and his joy in serving God’s people.
Because little things done with great love can change lives. They can change communities. They can change the church. And they can change the world.
May God give us the courage, the strength, and the joy to be the saints he calls us to be today. Amen
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