Norwich School Blog

Chorister Becomes Boy Bishop in Evensong Service

On Friday 6th December, pupil and Chorister, Daniel Neville became the Boy Bishop of Norwich 2019 after being selected by his fellow Choristers. The idea behind bringing back the custom of a child Bishop to Norwich Cathedral was to highlight the importance of young people, and the service is now planned to become an annual event. Daniel read words from the Book of Job and in his sermon he spoke of the importance of looking after our planet and of understanding truth. Below is his sermon:

As we heard in Psalm 8 a little earlier, humanity has been given the stewardship of the earth and its creatures. It is a big responsibility and it doesn’t mean that we have the right to do whatever we might want. We are given the chance to enjoy the resources of the earth, but we should do so in relationship with God, worshipping God and listening to what God has to say to us.

I wonder, is the current state of the earth with the changes in the climate, with species becoming extinct on a daily basis a sign that we are not listening to God or caring for the world as he intended?

The care of this planet falls upon all members of humanity – young and old; but not all of us have voices that are heard. For those of us who are young, it is very difficult to know who is telling us the truth, or whether our voice is heard.

At the beginning of the Bible, we are shown a picture of a beautiful earth that is brought into being bit by bit and we know that God was pleased with this creation. At the end of the Bible, we are given another picture, this time of a new heaven and a new earth.

Surely, as women, men and children made in God’s image, we should be seeking to build that new heaven and earth and not stealing life away from the earth that God was pleased with or depleting people and creatures of their habitats.

As Christmas draws nearer and with an election in sight, may we unwrap the present of truth that seems so hard to unwrap and when we have discovered it may we treasure it for the good of all.

Amen