Trinity 1 (10th of Year) 8am 7th June 2015

We’re thinking later on this morning with our Deacon designate about his ministry to come and how it links to ours and doing so in connection with the scripture for Trinity 1 that is from Genesis, 2 Corinthians and Mark.

We’ll start this conversation with the first reading, a few words of exposition and then some thoughts about the teaching ministry.

We have the story from Genesis Chapter 3 of the garden of Eden - where we see Adam and Eve trying to hide from God - trying to hide their sin and shame behind the trees and bushes - hoping God won’t notice them. A lot of people do not believe in this story, either because they think it’s meant to be seen as history, or because they don’t believe what it teaches about the power of evil, nor what it has to say about pain and suffering being the result of sin.

As one to be ordained David is coming among us to teach the faith. He will carry the Gospel Book down Church, proclaim the words of Jesus and with me explain the scriptures through his preaching. This passage reminds us at different levels of the challenge we have in teaching Christianity today. As Bishop John said when he started me off here as parish priest my calling and that of any priest or deacon is to hand on the Catholic Faith, that is the Christian faith in its fullness and not just run a debate on what may or may not be true.

We’ll move our conversation on to our second reading from 2 Corinthians 4. In it we have a strong affirmation of things which are unseen - the things that are eternal. Paul writes of how when we come to believe in Jesus Christ and in his message an awesome thing happens - we are remade as new creatures - day by day, bit by bit, so that we share more and more in the victory of Christ over sin, death and the devil inheriting an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure. Look not simply at the things that are seen, he says, but look at the things which are unseen - the things that are eternal and give your heart to the Lord of both realms.

As one ordained David comes to lead us in worship. He will prepare the altar of God, help God’s people prepare their hearts to offer themselves more fully in union with Jesus Christ to God the Father and as a deacon he will distribute the Blessed Sacrament. This passage reminds us in one aspect of the awesome yet accessible business of the eucharist in which the Lord’s people gather on the Lord’s day in the Lord’s house around the Lord’s table. This has been at the centre of his Christian life up to now and now he himself is to lead worship with me, in Paul’s words, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.  

It will be for him to answer later on how he sees his forthcoming role among us in worship. For me it is the greatest, most awesome privilege to be the hands of Jesus taking, blessing, breaking and sharing as we do day by day at the eucharist he commanded. We are to be conformed to Jesus not just in the action of the eucharist but in who we are, just as every believer is called to be what they are in Jesus Christ.

Now the third reading and our conversation will move on. Today's Gospel reading from Mark Chapter 3 touches to a degree on the pastoral ministry of Jesus. It’s something rather different from how we often do things pastorally. Far too much so called pastoral ministry is affirmative of folk where they are without the invitation to move towards where God wants them to be. The beauty of the church's ministry of healing is the way it leads to change in individuals and through them whole communities. It's part of what Paul describes in Romans 1v16 as 'the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith'. When Jesus talks about ‘tying up the strong man’ he’s speaking about salvation as something transformative. As someone said God loves us where we are but loves us too much to want us to stay there!

David will come among us as pastor so it’s natural to ask him how he sees that ministry which is of transformation as well as affirmation. We are mindful this morning of the Diocesan Director of Ordinands Lu Gales’s words written up by my wife Anne in this month’s P&P. She talked of how our deacon to be will be coming ready to minister to us, with service, prayer, and with his own calling, and how she encouraged us to expect that he will enhance our faith and give us a great deal.  But, she said, we as a congregation are not to be passive receivers only, we have a part in enabling him in his diaconal role, with our gifts, ministry and experience – which might entail smiles when things are hard, encouragement and thanks. 

We are to see our deacon’s arrival, she wrote, as an invitation to get more involved in what God is waiting to create here in this place. 

Like a piece of fruit, we must be broken and what is inside us shared, not least the seed, to produce a harvest.  God will allow us to flourish and see much fruit if we break and share what is inside us with others.

In teaching, worship and pastoral ministries may he bless David and through David each of us and through us all many in this community.