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Eternity
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‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;…’
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)—
He has put eternity in their hearts
Photograph by Ramon Williams
of Worldwide Photos Ltd
Amid the noise and the fanfare of Sydney’s millennium celebrations, there was one word that stood out above all others. Eternity. Emblazoned in huge letters across Sydney’s harbour bridge, the word ‘eternity’ shone in tribute to one man; Arthur Stace.
Arthur Stace was born in 1884. His parents were alcoholics and he was raised in poverty. As a result many of his childhood years were spent stealing bread and milk, searching bins for food and missing school.
During his teenage years he became a heavy drinker and when he was fifteen years old he was sent to jail. His criminal life continued on into his twenties, but when he was 46 years old, on the 6th August 1930, God used a sermon by Reverend R. B. S. Hammond, to save him and transform his life forever.
Very soon after becoming a Christian he became enamored with the thought of eternity, and was transfixed on the 14th November 1932 when listening to John Ridley preaching on the subject. John Ridley’s words echoed in his soul:
“Eternity, Eternity, I wish that I could sound or shout that word to everyone in the streets of Sydney. You’ve got to meet it, where will you spend Eternity?”
He couldn’t get the word out of his mind and felt compelled to challenge the people of Sydney.
- Where will you spend eternity?
And so for the next 35 years, almost every morning Arthur Stace would leave his house at 5am and walk the streets of Sydney. And on pavements and footpaths and railway entrances, he would chalk just one word again and again and again; ‘eternity’.
This meant that every morning as the city came to life it was greeted again and again by the challenge; ‘eternity’.
- Where will you spend eternity?
For years no one knew who was adorning the city with this word. The mystery inscriber become known in the papers as ‘Mr Eternity’ until eventually Arthur was spotted. It is estimated that Arthur inscribed the word eternity around 500,000 in the streets of Sydney and it leaves us with the question;
- Where will you spend eternity?
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