Sermon for the 18th of May - Fifth Sunday of Easter

Since we were last together, I’ve experienced something rather special.

A group of us gathered on Zoom for three sessions. They were unlike any gathering that I have attended. About 15 of us. Some in the States (East coast from Maryland to Florida), the rest of us from the UK- amongst them priests in Norfolk and Oxfordshire and other Christians involved in their churches.

At the start we were asked a question:
What has been the heart of your week?
Everyone must answer it. One answer was:
My home’s plumbing has needed sorting for a while and we’ve sorted it.
Another: I went sailing on Norfolk’s waterways
My son’s wedding last Saturday .
The structure of the evening was that we should not comment on other’s answers. The host thanked the responder by simply acknowledging what they had said with: Thank you, followed by their name.

We were then asked to comment on four of what are called Wonderings:

On the first evening, the first wondering was:
•    I wonder if you've known what it feels like to be set free

Unlike the heart of the week question, it is completely voluntary whether you choose to offer up your thoughts.

Again, the host will respond by saying thank you.

Unlike questions which create a hierarchy of knowledge, wonderings are about sharing experience and imagination.

Responses can be hugely varied. It might be someone remembering their childhood ,how in the school playground everyone was asked to stand still with their legs apart until another child crawled between them. Waiting for a long time and then being able to run.

Someone else might reply:
It took me five years to escape from an abusive marriage, Having gone from the frying pan of a miserable childhood to the fire of a violent marriage. At 37, for the first time in my life I was free.

And some participants may not reply at all.

The evening leads to what I might call Holy Listening. Participants are asked not to  comment on one another's wonderings or say “a similar thing happened to me.” But to  simply cherish what the person has said and honour their trust in sharing it.

So, you might reasonably ask, Why were you attending these three sessions? And what has this to do with today’s readings.

Last week James mentioned that we are due to review our Five Year Mission Action Plan and that all of you are invited as part of this to gather on the Saturday June 28th at St. George’s to share thoughts.

One area we would like to develop is our Exploring the Christian Faith and to nurture those who seek to enquire further.

Together with Clare Heard, I have been receiving training on how to host the “Being With” course which has been developed by St. Martin in the Fields.

It’s a ten evening course with two elements in addition to the Welcome (heart of your week) and Wonderings questions:
A 5-10 minute talk about Christianity
And then 30 minutes where participants leave aside the practice of wondering and the discipline of listening , to be able to offer a reflection or ask a question.

We plan to run a Being With course in person in September

My experience of the three Host training sessions is that we gain a deeper understanding of the gift and work of the Holy Spirit and by following the techniques put forward by Being With, we gain true experience of the Kingdom.

We get a sense of not just what it is to love our neighbours, but to love one another and in a very particular way, the way in which Jesus loved his disciples.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another by this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

The Being With course deepens our ability to recognise the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“It perceives the work of the Holy Spirit as no more active in the believer than in the seeker, the lapsed, those of no professed faith, those of another faith or even the hostile.

Our reading from Acts is all about the workings of the Holy Spirit, how Peter was shown by God that salvation was for all, how the gift of Christ, his teachings on how to live this life, and everlasting life, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

The reading opens with Peter arriving in Jerusalem from Caesarea. In Caesarea Peter had entered Cornelius’s house – Cornelius was a Roman centurion, with the words:

You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a gentile, but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.

There he was entertained to a meal and stayed for several days.

Rumour of this breach of the Levitical law had reached Jerusalem where Peter now is, and he has some explaining to do. The criticism of Peter's activities in Caesarea comes from those of the circumcision.

I love the description of Peter’s handling of a sceptical, perhaps even hostile audience:

“Peter began to explain to them, step by step….”

At the end there is recognition of the divine warrant to put aside the Levitical notions of table fellowship. And a general reaction of “so that’s all right then.”

Our reading ends:
“And they praised God, saying, then God has given even to the gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

At the United Benefice we seek follow through on the reaction of those in Jerusalem, who had initially confronted Peter – that is:
 to be an inclusive church, a place of welcome, sanctuary, hope and gentle exploration. A generous place, a community that radiates the light of the gospel in service.

The “Being With” course will enable us to grow in depth and to be a place of gentle exploration. I hope that just as the “Why me?” talks have allowed the two churches in our benefice to become more united, so the “Being With” course, which will run from September, should assist us in the growth of community and love.

Finally, perhaps when you gather after today’s service, you might ask each other: What has been the heart of your week?