Sermon by Fr Peter Wolton, St Georges Church Campden Hill on Sunday 26th June
Sermon by Fr Peter Wolton, St Georges Church Campden Hill on Sunday 26th June
On Wednesday morning I wrote for our service sheets/weekly bulletin about today’s Epistle:
“For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” This Sunday's epistle comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, an area of northern Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). He needs to be at his most persuasive as he has learnt that the seed of the Gospel planted on a previous visit is being undermined by teachers who are encouraging Christian converts to return to Judaism. How timely are Paul’s words! When we meet for worship on Sunday we will know the result of the EU referendum. Whatever the result, there will be a requirement for reconciliation within the UK and engagement with our European neighbours. The potential for recrimination and for fractured relations is enormous. We must constantly remind ourselves of this single commandment, that we love our neighbours as ourselves, as we engage with those around us. We also pray for leaders across the EU as they address the concerns of many brought to light in recent months and elections.”
I had little conception of the seismic events that were to come, how the vote would make manifest the divisions within the country and between generations.
However we voted, we all acknowledge that we have now entered a period of great uncertainty.
What, I am asking myself, does God say to us in an age of deep uncertainty. How can our Christian faith make a real difference in uncertain times, to those around us and to ourselves?
So this morning I want us to ask ourselves to ask two questions:
What should we be doing?
Where do we find inspiration?
Tonight at our sister church we will celebrate the Feast of Dedication to St. John the Baptist. Saints can be inspirational and help us to keep God flowing into us.
Rowan Williams, writing about Saints says “When we celebrate the Saints, we celebrate those who have given evidence, who have made God believable by how they have lived and how they have died. The saints are the people who recognise that arguments will finally not win the day.”
As a nation, we have had our fill of arguments in recent weeks. We must now redouble efforts to live out our faith, to listen to God and to others. The lives of Saints make Christ tangible and we need Christ to be tangible at this time of uncertainty. The saints also lived in very uncertain times
I commend to you this book: “Celebrating the Saints” (Canterbury Press) which on a daily basis gives a brief biography of the Saints and a related text.
Tomorrow is the Feast day of Cyril of Alexandria, defender of the doctrine of the Trinity and of the Incarnate Christ. On Tuesday it is St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Bishop of Lyons and teacher of the faith. St Irenaeus who wrote. "The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation already brings life to all living beings on the earth, how much more will the manifestation of the Father by the Word bring life to those who see God.”
And on Wednesday it is St. Peter and St. Paul.
Which brings us back to St. Paul and his epistle to the Galatians. And how we respond to this uncertainty. We can make the country more fractious or we can follow Christ by living out the first commandment, to love our neighbour as ourself, and look after God in this situation, and make Christ tangible.
At the highest level, I am reminded of the words of Etty Hillesum, the young Jewish writer who wrote in the Second World War at the time of deportations:
'Someone [she said] has to take responsibility for God in this situation. That is, someone has to behave as if God were real. Someone has to make God credible.”
She also wrote in a diary that she discovered God looking deep within her: “There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again” (Diaries, 97)
Let us pray that we keep the well within us clear of stones and grit, so that the love of God flows in our lives that the fruits of the Spirit are made manifest, Love, peace, joy , patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Last week we read from St. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians:
“This is no longer Jew or Greek, no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Let us live our lives so that we can say:
“This is no longer Leave or Remain, no longer refugee or long term resident, there is longer EU member or independent nation; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
And let us keep at the forefront of our minds the examples of the Saints:
I conclude with the words of some unknown person about the example of the saints which I suggest could be a blue print for us at this time:
Why were the saints, saints Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful, patient when it was difficult to be patient and because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, and kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be.
Fr. Peter Wolton
25 June 2016
On Wednesday morning I wrote for our service sheets/weekly bulletin about today’s Epistle:
“For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” This Sunday's epistle comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, an area of northern Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). He needs to be at his most persuasive as he has learnt that the seed of the Gospel planted on a previous visit is being undermined by teachers who are encouraging Christian converts to return to Judaism. How timely are Paul’s words! When we meet for worship on Sunday we will know the result of the EU referendum. Whatever the result, there will be a requirement for reconciliation within the UK and engagement with our European neighbours. The potential for recrimination and for fractured relations is enormous. We must constantly remind ourselves of this single commandment, that we love our neighbours as ourselves, as we engage with those around us. We also pray for leaders across the EU as they address the concerns of many brought to light in recent months and elections.”
I had little conception of the seismic events that were to come, how the vote would make manifest the divisions within the country and between generations.
However we voted, we all acknowledge that we have now entered a period of great uncertainty.
What, I am asking myself, does God say to us in an age of deep uncertainty. How can our Christian faith make a real difference in uncertain times, to those around us and to ourselves?
So this morning I want us to ask ourselves to ask two questions:
What should we be doing?
Where do we find inspiration?
Tonight at our sister church we will celebrate the Feast of Dedication to St. John the Baptist. Saints can be inspirational and help us to keep God flowing into us.
Rowan Williams, writing about Saints says “When we celebrate the Saints, we celebrate those who have given evidence, who have made God believable by how they have lived and how they have died. The saints are the people who recognise that arguments will finally not win the day.”
As a nation, we have had our fill of arguments in recent weeks. We must now redouble efforts to live out our faith, to listen to God and to others. The lives of Saints make Christ tangible and we need Christ to be tangible at this time of uncertainty. The saints also lived in very uncertain times
I commend to you this book: “Celebrating the Saints” (Canterbury Press) which on a daily basis gives a brief biography of the Saints and a related text.
Tomorrow is the Feast day of Cyril of Alexandria, defender of the doctrine of the Trinity and of the Incarnate Christ. On Tuesday it is St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Bishop of Lyons and teacher of the faith. St Irenaeus who wrote. "The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation already brings life to all living beings on the earth, how much more will the manifestation of the Father by the Word bring life to those who see God.”
And on Wednesday it is St. Peter and St. Paul.
Which brings us back to St. Paul and his epistle to the Galatians. And how we respond to this uncertainty. We can make the country more fractious or we can follow Christ by living out the first commandment, to love our neighbour as ourself, and look after God in this situation, and make Christ tangible.
At the highest level, I am reminded of the words of Etty Hillesum, the young Jewish writer who wrote in the Second World War at the time of deportations:
'Someone [she said] has to take responsibility for God in this situation. That is, someone has to behave as if God were real. Someone has to make God credible.”
She also wrote in a diary that she discovered God looking deep within her: “There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again” (Diaries, 97)
Let us pray that we keep the well within us clear of stones and grit, so that the love of God flows in our lives that the fruits of the Spirit are made manifest, Love, peace, joy , patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Last week we read from St. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians:
“This is no longer Jew or Greek, no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Let us live our lives so that we can say:
“This is no longer Leave or Remain, no longer refugee or long term resident, there is longer EU member or independent nation; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
And let us keep at the forefront of our minds the examples of the Saints:
I conclude with the words of some unknown person about the example of the saints which I suggest could be a blue print for us at this time:
Why were the saints, saints Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful, patient when it was difficult to be patient and because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, and kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be.
Fr. Peter Wolton
25 June 2016