Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: December 2003

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

For a minority sport (as the Australians are now dismissively calling it) Rugby Union has had a remarkable impact in England since the English team won the World Cup on Saturday 22 November 2003 - beating Australia in Australia!

The streets of London will echo with the England team's theme song throughout their Victory Parade on Monday 8 December, as the supporters sing "Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home" over and over again. But the original words of the African American spiritual have nothing to do with rugby. They carry not to sing about winning a cup but rather about "A band of angels ..... comin' for to carry me home" - that is, to my heavenly home.

		Swing low sweet chariot,
		Comin' for to carry me home
		Swing low sweet chariot,
		Comin' for to carry me home
		I looked over Jordan and what did I see,
		Comin' for to carry me home
		A band of angels comin' after me,
		Comin' for to carry me home 

		If you get there before I do
		Comin' for to carry me home
		Tell all my friends I'm a coming too
		Comin' for to carry me home
		Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down
		Comin' for to carry me home
		But still my soul feels heavenly bound,
		Comin' for to carry me home

It seems an odd song for English rugby to have adopted, but perhaps the connection between the rugby supporters and the original singers is simple - we all long in our hearts to be free of the cares of this world - free from whatever enslaves us. We all long to be able to rise above those cares - we all long to be lifted by a gentle force greater than ourselves to a better world where there will be no cares, no pain and no suffering.

The difference is that for a rugby team and its supporters, the pain may not be followed by victory. And even if it is, the joy of victory - even in the World Cup - is of limited duration before the pain of playing and watching has to begin again. But for the Christian, by contrast, the victory has already been won - it is guaranteed. And whenever the band of angels releases them from the pain of this world, they will be taken in the Chariots of God (Psalm 68:17) to the heavenly places, where joy will be everlasting and pain will be at an end.

Sweet chariot indeed!

As Richard Littledale is on holiday, this month's article is by a guest columnist.
The lyrics and midi for "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" are public domain.