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J. Stuart Holden
John Stuart Holden (1874–1934) was an English preacher and Anglican minister whose vibrant sermons and leadership in evangelical circles made him a prominent figure in the early 20th century. Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at Liverpool College and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, earning a BA in 1899 and an MA in 1902. Ordained in 1899 as curate of Walcot, he served as a mission preacher with the Parochial Missionary Society from 1901 to 1905 before becoming vicar of St. Paul’s, Portman Square, London, in 1905, a position he held for nearly 30 years until his death. Married to Georgina “Ina” Searle, Holden was a key figure at the Keswick Convention, chairing it from 1925 to 1929, and traveled to China in 1904 with the China Inland Mission, reflecting his missionary zeal. Holden’s preaching ministry was renowned for its imaginative power and spiritual depth, drawing comparisons to contemporaries like F.B. Meyer and G. Campbell Morgan, though he often surpassed them in popularity. His sermons, such as “But If Not…” preached in 1914 on Daniel 3:18, were prophetic and widely circulated, especially during World War I, and his creative sermon titles captivated North American audiences during frequent visits. Author of works like Redeeming Vision (1908) and The Preeminent Lord (1932), he narrowly escaped disaster when he and Ina canceled their booking on the Titanic’s 1912 maiden voyage due to her illness. Holden died on August 10, 1934, at Malvern, Worcestershire, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose Keswick-inspired messages and missionary advocacy inspired generations, commemorated by his surviving Titanic ticket, now a museum artifact.
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J. Stuart Holden emphasizes the importance of not allowing deterrent influences to hinder our Christian service and commitment. Just as a farmer must sow his seed regardless of unfavorable conditions, we are called to faithfully sow the seeds of God's love and truth in the world, trusting in God's providence and timing. Waiting for perfect circumstances before fulfilling our life-duty is futile; we must act with faith and courage even when conditions seem unpromising.
Don't Wait
"He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap" (Eccles. 11:4). There are deterrent influences which ceaselessly play upon Christian life to baffle and thwart its pledged purposes. Unfavourable winds and unseasonable clouds are apt to induce the thought that such unpropitious conditions call for prudence and justify cessation of field-service. How full of rebuke and how searchingly final is the prophet's comment: "He that observeth the wind shall not sow, and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." And this trite maxim, a summary of the imperative law of all husbandry, is not just a bit of mere moralizing. It is a positively protective counsel. For a farmer who knows his business does not wait until an ideal day encourages his sowing. Of course he cannot afford to. The proper season is at hand; he sows his seed; and trusts the disintegrating and reintegrating forces of Nature to keep that which he commits to them against the coming autumn. Deterrent prudence would simply be costly faithlessness. Indeed where God and man are in co-operation it always is. The fact is, every farmer is either a man of faith or a dead failure. So, too, our supreme life-duty must be carried on just as whole-heartedly, with just the same faith and courage, when conditions seem unpromising as when prospects flatter. If we wait for ideally favourable weather for the sowing of the good seed, for the investment of our lives in the field of human need and Divine fidelity we shall die waiting.
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John Stuart Holden (1874–1934) was an English preacher and Anglican minister whose vibrant sermons and leadership in evangelical circles made him a prominent figure in the early 20th century. Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at Liverpool College and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, earning a BA in 1899 and an MA in 1902. Ordained in 1899 as curate of Walcot, he served as a mission preacher with the Parochial Missionary Society from 1901 to 1905 before becoming vicar of St. Paul’s, Portman Square, London, in 1905, a position he held for nearly 30 years until his death. Married to Georgina “Ina” Searle, Holden was a key figure at the Keswick Convention, chairing it from 1925 to 1929, and traveled to China in 1904 with the China Inland Mission, reflecting his missionary zeal. Holden’s preaching ministry was renowned for its imaginative power and spiritual depth, drawing comparisons to contemporaries like F.B. Meyer and G. Campbell Morgan, though he often surpassed them in popularity. His sermons, such as “But If Not…” preached in 1914 on Daniel 3:18, were prophetic and widely circulated, especially during World War I, and his creative sermon titles captivated North American audiences during frequent visits. Author of works like Redeeming Vision (1908) and The Preeminent Lord (1932), he narrowly escaped disaster when he and Ina canceled their booking on the Titanic’s 1912 maiden voyage due to her illness. Holden died on August 10, 1934, at Malvern, Worcestershire, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose Keswick-inspired messages and missionary advocacy inspired generations, commemorated by his surviving Titanic ticket, now a museum artifact.