Sermon for the 19th of Janurary - Epiphany 2
In the late 1850s, John Henry Newman, who had already been received into the roman Catholic Church in 1845, was the editor of a Roman Catholic magazine called the Rambler, much favoured by liberal converts. It was opposed to the extreme ultramontanism espoused by church leaders such as Henry (later Cardinal) Manning.
You will of course not need me to explain what ultramontanism is or was, but I will confide in you that I had to look up its meaning. I could have asked Father James, for the answer, but was reluctant to expose my ignorance to my most learned colleague.
Ultramontanism: Advocating supreme papal authority in matters of faith and discipline.
And if you see the wonderful film Conclave you may think the battle against the forces of ultramontanism is still being fought.
Back to Newman. In the valedictory issue as editor, he encouraged the Roman Catholic hierarchy to undertake serious thought about modern science and scholarship and also more controversially, the proper and dignified place of the laity in the Church.
This did not go down well with the church hierarchy. Newman was called in for a meeting with his Bishop who asked him “Who are the laity?”
Newman replied “The Church would look foolish without them.”
The role of laity in the Church is something I would like us to think about this morning:
• This is a time when the Anglican Communion awaits the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury. I suggest that the new Archbishop needs to engage more with laity, especially those in rural churches who are battling against rising costs of maintenance of their ancient churches and where their vicars find they are being given more and more parishes to administer.
• This is a time when we have just heard an epistle from Paul to the Corinthians about gifts of the spirit, celebrating the diversity of gifts. The Church leaders and clergy must foster the diversity of gifts among the laity – the lay members of our churches
I always think of you beloved laity, but especially so when we say the words:
“Go in peace to love and serve the Lord”
I and my clergy colleagues receive great encouragement from the knowledge that you all, in so many ways, do exactly this, serving the Lord, whether it is living out your Christian faith in the workplace or in the home or quietly among your circle of friends. Many of you undertake voluntary work, not necessarily linked to our benefice, but always seeking to help others.
• This is a time when the Church is supposed to be on the back foot, yet this Christmas, more people in our Benefice attended Christmas services than before COVID.
• This is a time when we will be moving towards reviewing our Mission Action Plan. Acronym MAP (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bbf59a14d546e4a141fcc3e/t/660298f3c136ea290550ddbc/1711446262877/Mission+Action+Plan+2022-2025+Final.pdf)
• This is a time when you as our laity are more important than ever – as I will explain.
Paul in his letter to the Corinthians writes:
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord
and there are varieties of activities,
but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
Note the Trinitarian construction.
The linkage between “the same Spirit”, the “same Lord” and the “same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
When we arrive in church we hear the words Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and when we leave here to live out our faith, we should recognise that God is with us.
It is the Spirit that activates us as we seek the common good.
St. Paul lists these activities of the Spirit.
Consider whether these gifts are to be found in you.
The utterance of wisdom and knowledge – is this you?
Faith – is this you?
Gifts of healing
Working of miracles
Prophecy
Discernment of spirits
Tongues
Interpretation of tongues.
You may think some of these activities of the Spirit don’t apply to our church.
But in this week of Prayer for Christian unity, it is worth remembering that many of these activities of the Spirit do take place in other churches, and many of them in Church of England churches.
I suggest a number of these activities of the Spirit are to be found in the United Benefice.
For a start, after receiving Communion, you are invited to receive the Sacrament of Healing.
We have the sharing of wisdom and knowledge through our bible Study and Lent Courses. The “Why me?” talks in Lent, the eleventh season of talks is due soon. These talks at St. John’s are when members of our laity share their journeys of faith and also wisdom and knowledge.
We rely on wisdom and knowledge of members of our Parochial Church Councils to help us take good decisions on the way our churches are run.
St. Paul writes of how the Same Spirit allots to each of us individually, not just PCC members, gifts.
This brings me to our current Mission Action Plan. If you need to be reminded of it, or haven’t seen it, there are copies on the table in the Community Space for you to take away.
We highlight four areas:
1. To grow in spiritual depth
2. Grow in service
3. Grow younger
4. Grow in resources
We ask for the gifts of the Spirit to make our churches known for being:
• Non-judgemental • Welcoming • Exploring • a Sanctuary • Connecting to God • Gentle • Community/ hospitality • Generous
To echo Cardinal Newman, we as a church would look pretty foolish if we hoped to do this without our laity.
The last decade has seen growth of numbers attending our two churches. The Clergy team has grown, (James is a terrific leader to work with), and you the congregation are so supportive and give us much encouragement. WE really notice this.
The feedback is that the Benefice is indeed becoming what we hope to be: Places of worship, grounded in the love of God, where all can find sanctuary, hope and the freedom to encounter God.
We sense that there is a real need for the light of the Gospel to be known more widely in the broader community.
We have several opportunities, but the clergy team are at capacity so we need your help.
Here are just a few examples:
There are older members in the area who used to come to church but now need a lift. If you drive to church and could give others a lift, please let us know.
We also have people who are housebound and would like to receive home communion.
Laity can undertake this task. If you would be interested in learning more, please speak to the Clergy.
Growing younger: We have pupils from Holland Park School coming to the Church on Friday afternoon. The demand is such that we need more helpers – otherwise we will have to turn pupils away.
We also need more help at Sunday school.
Finally, being a place of welcome. When we meet for coffee after church in the Community Space, if you see someone new or who is not being spoken to, please break the ice and go up and introduce yourself. You could even say something along the lines of:
Father Peter told me, and as I always do as he requests, that I should introduce myself.
But perhaps it’s not Father Peter telling you about these opportunities
Perhaps it is the Same Spirit that Paul writes of, calling you to exercise your gifts.
You will understand that we don’t do ultramontanism in this church.
And that we really value and love our laity.
The harvest is plentiful. Beloved laity – let us work together to gather it in.