Sunday by Sunday clergy of all denominations get up
into pulpits like this one, the length and breadth of this island, and deliver
a message or a reflection that hopefully resonates with their congregation -
something to takeaway - something to mull over - something perhaps to disagree
with - but hopefully something for the week ahead or perhaps something that
speaks to the experience of the week just past.
The reality is that despite these efforts less and
less people see the importance of coming to our church buildings to participate
in the liturgy or to listen to whoever it is that is nominated to preach and
reflect on the scriptures.
There are other voices however that they do listen to
and engage with and this weekend the nation mourns in Marian Finucane one who
had become not just a voice
but the voice of the weekend
- her influence every bit as great as the combined outpourings of hundreds and
even thousands of preachers across the various churches. That is the reality -
One voice did that - and yes she had
the advantage of broadcasting on the National radio service and therefore the
potential to be heard by every soul on this island. But there is more to it
than that - In a world of huge choice where live media is under threat she
managed to achieve the highest figure for an individual broadcaster with a
listenership of 374 thousand people on a regular basis.
Why and how? - Those are questions I have been
puzzling over the last 48 hours and in listening to the extensive commentary on
her legacy I think I know the answer.
She had huge empathy (having lost her daughter of
eight years old) she knew what suffering was, she had an interest in people and
didn't just look for the facts when she was interviewing someone but also a sense
of the person - who they were and what motivated them - she also had no time
for spin or waffle - she valued the truth and integrity in others.
And she walked the talk - I had no idea of the huge
amount of voluntary work she did on the ground in Africa
and how she was loved there by locals who had no knowledge of the other Marian
we all thought we knew.
And she
was a true friend to those who needed her - so many having come forward in the
last few days. I was particularly moved by Fr Brian Darcy's account of how
Marian had reached out to him after an interview she had done with him at a
time when he was going through his own dark night of the soul - she was so
worried about him when he left the studio that she got hold of his mobile
number and left a text message to ring her without disclosing her name - when
he did she counselled him to get help and not try to cope on his own - no doubt
speaking from her own personal experience - he said that nobody had ever done
something like it for him before and was obviously hugely grateful. He the
priest had been ministered to by the radio personality - no reason why not but
it is still hugely significant and I think marks a very important moment of
both crisis and opportunity.
All of
that and more besides is I think why her death has left such a void - For
people who had no other Church Marian created a community around her founded on
empathy, interest and compassion in and for the other and she motivated people
to be kind to each other.
I think
her death can be a teaching moment for those of use who used to think of
ourselves as the voice of the weekend (or at least Sunday) - We are not as
important as we think!
This is a wake up call for churches across this
island. I'm not suggesting that we are so arrogant as to think we can fill the
void left by Marian - there may well be another voice waiting in the wings to
carry the baton and that would not be a bad thing but we can still learn
something by observing what it is that connects with the people of today.
This is the Eve of the Epiphany - the manifestation of
Jesus the Christ to the wider world - How are we to share the Good News and
connect with people in a world where so many churches are inclined to withdraw
and isolate themselves from a world in which there are no longer the 'voice of
the weekend'? There is an increasing tendency to keep Jesus safe from all that
would taint and disturb.
Within our own Anglican Communion we see a move
towards a New Puritanism which narrows and chokes the path of God's Grace in
the Church and the World and finds comfort in the tidiness and security of
absolute unity in doctrine within communities where diversity is aggressively
discouraged.
That to me is not a viable way for the Church to be in
the World - so what is the alternative?
It seems to me that its a case of back to basics and
that means back to life and earthly ministry of Jesus Christ which was far more
radical than the Gospel we are inclined to preach and live and one which no
church on this planet could hope to control or circumscribe.
So unpredictable and even dangerous as this may be we
do need to set this Jesus free.
The famous classic 'The Brothers Karamazov' by
Dostoyevsky contains a poem within the book called the Grand Inquisitor - In it Christ comes back to Earth in Seville
Everything is under control and the people have been
made compliant and do not need the messiness of Free Will or any of Jesus'
other radical ideas to make things untidy.
If Jesus is released he will as Archbishop Michael
Curry of the American Episcopal Church commenting on the same poem says "mess things up". Curry also
observes the irony that "there
stands Jesus of Nazareth whose life and teachings are a threat not only to the
surrounding society but, sadly, to a church that professes his name but tries everything
possible to keep him and his message hidden away from view......it has been so
easy for the church in various generations, including our own, to disregard,
disarm and domesticate Jesus to the point that he may not even resemble the
Jesus of the New Testament.....Whenever Jesus of Nazareth - his actual
teachings, his lived example, and his loving, liberating and life-giving way -
takes centre stage, a revolution of love, a reformation of life and a renewal
of our relationship with God, each other and all of Creation is at hand"
And so what is a daunting challenge can also become an
opportunity - we in this parish cannot change the world but we can make a big
difference in our little corner of it. And I'm not just talking in the abstract
here - this is something that must come to more than words if we are to play an
effective role in working for the Kingdom
of God
So where do we start - I think it must be again with
the basics:
Scripture and Prayer
Could I suggest that we consider that portion of
Matthew Chapter 5 containing the Beatitudes and the passage on Salt and
Light which I think point to the radical
roots of Jesus teaching - I have printed them out for everyone along with a
prayer (see below) that we might say together in the weeks and months ahead as
we try to discern how we can together as Church in this parish more fully
present and reflect the person and love of Jesus Christ in all our
relationships and encounters. I have some ideas but the Church is not me - it
is all of us and following a time of reflection and prayer I would love that we
could share our thoughts and ideas together.
To conclude with the words of Archbishop Michael
Curry:
'This crisis may
be a genuine opportunity to reclaim our roots, our origins, our true identity
as Christians, by reclaiming Jesus of Nazareth and his way of love'.
Amen.
Matthew
5
The
Beatitudes
5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain;
and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them,
saying:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted.
5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit
the earth.
6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will
receive mercy.
8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will
see God.
9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be
called children of God.
10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great
in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.
Salt
and Light
13 ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt
has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for
anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 ‘You are the light of the world. A city built
on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the
bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the
house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in
heaven.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus
who taught us to pray 'Thy Kingdom Come', give us we pray a fresh vision of
your Kingdom in this place and a sense of our shared and individual callings to
discipleship. Give us courage to let you into our lives, and faith to follow
you wherever you lead us. Forgive us for those times we have not responded to
your calling and those occasions we have been obstacles to your loving
purposes. You have called us to be Salt and Light - Renew us in this calling
and where we have lost our saltiness and light restore us so that we may commit
ourselves afresh to serving you. We wait on you Lord - Lord Hear our Prayer.
Amen.
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