We Live by Grace, Not Status: Lessons from Leamington Hastings

Leamington Hastings is more than just a collection of stone, stained glass, and memorials. It is a place where history, human tension, and spiritual depth meet—and where grace has always had the final word.

A Church That Began as a Gift

All Saints Leamington Hastings began not as the domain of aristocrats, but as a gift. Humphrey Hastang, lord of Leamington Hastings, gave the church to the Augustinian Canons of St Oswald’s, Nostell. They accepted the gift and, in turn, gave themselves in service to the local community.

These canons were men of prayer, Scripture, and care. They lived among the people, not apart. Their lives were shaped by the Rule of St Augustine, which begins: “Before all else, dear brothers, love God and then your neighbour, because these are the chief commandments given to us.” Life was not a matter of status or entitlement, but a response to God’s grace—a grace to be received and shared.

The Blurred Lines of Privilege and Power

As the centuries passed, the clear pattern of service began to shift. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the lines between rectory and manor often blurred. Sometimes the rector was also the lord of the manor, owning land, employing villagers, and preaching sermons. This could bring stability and even generosity—but it also created tension. When spiritual leadership and social power rested in the same hands, authority risked becoming entitlement.

Even today, we sense echoes of this in memorials and architecture. Words like “held the living for 64 years” can impress—but they also make us wonder what kind of service, or calling, was really at work. Yet even amid these complexities, grace continued to work. Bread was broken, children baptized, and the gospel proclaimed. The Spirit did not wait for perfect conditions.

Grace in Action: Humility and Service in Wartime

The 20th century brought challenges that no amount of status could shield against. During the First World War, J.K. Sitwell—well-connected, from a family steeped in clerical service—felt called to serve as a chaplain. When he was not accepted for the front line, he willingly took up ministry in Dudley, leaving his parish behind. In his parish magazine letter, he wrote:

"I especially ask for your prayers in my work, that the Church may win to the knowledge of Christ’s love many who, perhaps, through circumstances have been ignorant of it."

Sitwell’s humility and willingness to set aside privilege reflect grace lived, not as entitlement, but as sacrificial love. Similar courage was seen in WWII, when leaders like Gerrard E. Wigram guided the parish through bombing and social upheaval, showing that grace operates even amid fragility, fear, and loss.

Grace vs. Status: Lessons from Scripture

Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14) captures this perfectly. The Pharisee trusts in status and achievement; the tax collector knows he is utterly dependent on God’s mercy. Ju—grace often lifts up the humble and the desperate, not the proud and entitled.

Living by Grace Today

What does this mean for us today?

1. Own your need for grace. Be honest about where pride or self-reliance creeps in.

2. Stop relying on performance or privilege. Your role, history, or achievements cannot earn God’s favour.

3. Embrace humility and dependence on God. Let your life be a response to God’s undeserved love.

4. Serve others with grace. Extend mercy and generosity, remembering we are all under the same gift of God’s mercy.

Leamington Hastings reminds us: the true measure of life, faith, and service is not status. It’s grace. Quiet, resilient, undeserved grace that transforms communities and calls each of us to live humbly, faithfully, and generously.