The purpose of the Church is
not to accommodate the demands of secular society; its duty is to a higher
power. Nor were those who opposed the measure the zealots or dinosaurs of
caricature. The debate was anguished, compassionate and reasoned. Those who
voted no knew that they were going against the grain of modernity, and the
exhortation of their leaders. But they had scrutinised conscience and
Scripture, and could not bring themselves to vote otherwise.
I’m
not speaking for myself but reading you the leader many of you’ll have read in
Thursday’s Daily Telegraph on General Synod’s rejection of the women bishops’
legislation.
The
sentiment fits this feast of Christ the King. I repeat: The purpose of the Church is not to accommodate the demands of secular
society; its duty is to a higher power.
The
debate on women bishops came right down to our Parochial Church Council. All
three views – for, against and undecided – are represented there. As one against relief the measure fell on
Tuesday is tempered by sympathy for those I now know will be hurt by that, and
regard for those who lament synod’s failure to protect deeply held beliefs,
such as my own, through a rather ill thought out and mean-spirited provision.
Over
the last year the Parochial Church Council has had a very full agenda. Our
wardens James and Jan, secretary Rhoda, treasurer David Colville, Mark
Berryman, Marion, Chris, David Lamb, Heidi and Lisa have worked hard with me month
by month for us all. Without the PCC there’d have been no prayer ministry
training, July vision day, Martindale refurbishment, electrical inspection,
stewardship renewal or addressing of our budget deficit let alone the
consideration of issues like women bishops required of us by the diocese.
The
PCC works hard for us – and they might earn a round of applause!
Since
July the PCC’s been looking at our thinking on the vision day and we’ve
produced a new mission action plan. You can read it on the notice board and its
one line header in the news sheet: St Giles Church has a mission to grow in faith,
love and numbers.
As the old church year ends today with a
flourish to Christ our King we’re asking him to stir up grace for a coming year
of growth which is why I’ll be speaking on the three aspects of the MAP over
the next month, starting today with action to grow in faith.
Our putting mission on the MAP has the same
three dimensions we rehearsed two years back – the ABC of attending to God,
building Christian community and commending God’s love for the world.
Now the order is different. Before it was looking to God,
the church, the world. Now it’s growing
in faith towards God, growing in the
expression of love to the world and
growing the numbers of our Christian
fellowship here at St Giles.
So! What action has the PCC got planned, or
raised up, to help us grow in faith over the next church year that starts
on Advent Sunday?
If you look on the porch flow chart we’ve got
various opportunities for you to act. These include
Signing up, as a dozen folk so far have signed
up to, the electronic discipleship
resource on the church website to obtain bible study, meditation,
self-examination and Christian literature resources. These you can follow on
the hoof on your iPhone or Blackberry or whatever. We’d like you to sign up and
receive a two monthly e news letter from St Giles which has electronic
resources useful to the building of faith among church members. I have some
parents working with me to identify and commend websites useful to building
faith in our children. Do give that site a click, if that’s your gift, and tell
me sites you’d like commending in the January edition of electronic discipleship.
Action listed on the MAP that help build our
faith at St Giles include: Sunday
and weekday Eucharists, Sunday Club and All-Age Eucharist with prayer listening
ministry, Westall monthly Eucharists and evening prayer twice monthly, monthly
Sunday evening services, Wednesday evening prayer, Thursday life and faith
group, Friday School assembly, Saturday prayer group, ministry of healing first
Wednesday of each month and confessions before great feasts
Near at hand is next Sunday afternoon’s healing
service with Fr Keith McRae. Why not begin the new church year on Advent Sunday
by asking for a new beginning spiritually? If your faith feels sickly, let
alone your body or your mind, come and welcome prayer for wholeness of body,
mind and spirit. This service of evening prayer, sermon and laying on of hands
by priests and lay prayer ministers is action to serve spiritual and other needs. There’ll also be a
number of events that will serve to build faith as we take Advent out into 24
venues in the parish this year and I’d like to underline the three meditation
sessions at Jamie Large’s, the Rectory and the Miles’ when people of any faith
or none will be able to share a 25 minute meditation on one of three themes:
breath, light and word.
On the growing faith MAP for January there’s Unbelievable? As you’ve seen in P&P
with flying pigs, this is a module on the Apostles’ Creed running the first
four Thursday evenings in January. It’ll also serve as first part of
confirmation training, as well as being part of the Bishop’s Certificate course
that’ll draw a few from outside the village. The PCC is commending this action
geared to help people build Christian faith more as the Creed expresses it.
In all of these ways we can take action to grow
in our faith which is a key part of our purpose here at St Giles.
My former bishop Richard Chartres, Bishop of
London, once issued a clarion call to his growing diocese: are you consumers or citizens?
Are you in church to consume word and sacrament
for spiritual solace or are you here to grow as responsible citizens of
Christ’s kingdom?
I’d re-iterate that challenge on the Feast of
Christ the King. I realise it’s both/and not either/or but preaching uses
phrases to waken us up by their directness.
Are you here to build God’s kingdom, to work for world transformation
through the spread of faith beyond these walls, or are you settled in something
of a consumerist mentality whereby going to St Giles fits alongside going to
Sainsbury’s or to the Theatre?
The PCC of St Giles are lead citizens working
for the kingdom here. They head up and bless others in work for the school, the
hall renovation, the churchyard, the Sunday Club and Toddler Plus, the
optimising of our finances, fabric and churchyard with the Friends, the music,
the welcoming ministry, the serving and so on. They’re lead citizens and there
are people here we need to take a place on this continually refreshed body when
PCC elections occur in April.
Your kingdom come, your will be done is the motto for
Christ the King, and for St Giles, as we seek to grow in faith, love and
numbers in service of the kingdom without walls not
accommodated to the demands of secular society but with duty towards a higher
power.
May
that power, the power of Christ the King, with the Father and the Spirit be made present among us at this
eucharist. Amen
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