It was a very great pleasure to join Fr Richard Lamey, his colleagues and members of the parish, for Evensong at St Paul's Wokingham on Sunday evening. They are in the midst of a series of Evensong sermons on 'My prayer one for the Church of England'.
It was a delight and challenge to
respond to Richard's refreshingly honest and thought provoking question: given
that the Church of England has, as he diplomatically put it, quite a few things
not entirely perfect, what do we hope for, pray for, need to let go of or
indeed do more of?
My reply 'untidy holiness' might sound like a curious prayer for the CofE: but it is rooted in the same honesty and hope as
Richard's question. It is honest about
our untidiness, our differences and our disagreements; it places hope in the
nature of God and indeed God's capacity to transform us. To seek to embody a holy grace in an untidy
church is demanding; but we need such a vision more than ever.
Catherine Clancy - All Hearts To Love Will Come (2015)
Over recent days the national
press has been full of headlines about the Anglican Communion: Archbishop
Justin's invitation to the Primates was seen by some as a 'last throw of the
dice to avert a split; a way of loosening ties or occupying separate bedrooms.
Giles Fraser and others have offered a commentary on why the world wide
communion is under strain - narratives of growth or decline, different
theologies, proclaiming the gospel in different cultures.
The important thing is that where
Archbishop Justin has extended an invitation, rooted in a relational
authority. He spent two years, visiting
every Primate; praying with them, listening to them, building bonds of
affection. He has now invited them to pray together; to shape an agenda around
their concerns; to talk about health, education and yes, sexuality; to build
bonds of affection. Is this not, perhaps, an exercise in holy living in an
untidy church?
Our Archbishop spoke to General
Synod in 2014 about the need for a massive cultural change within the CofE - so
that people could flourish together despite deeply held differences. It was he
who coined the phrase about learning to live as an untidy church, learning to
love those whom we disagree and seeking mutual flourishing. All this is rooted
in holy grace.
I would commend
Archbishop Justin's address to you for the way in which he talks about love
being demonstrated and received; his expression of how trust is earned and
reciprocated.[1] CofE isn't out there it's us. We
often pray that we may love others as Christ love us. That sounds so simple;
yet in reality accepting those who've wounded us or with whom we disagree is
tremendously hard and often painful.
Yet, accepting
that they, like us, are deeply love by Christ, means that we must love them deeply
too. For that love is a gift given in order to be passed on. That love is born
by Jesus on the cross - with open arms and pieced side. That is love we encounter in our worship.
That is holiness. Untidy holiness or holiness in untidiness is my prayer precisely
because it is hopeful and challenging. It reminds us that we need to put God's
holiness at the centre of our lives: a refining fire - bringing healing and forming
our character, enabling us to love, serve and witness.
This evening's
readings draw us both into the awesome mystery of that holiness and into its
relational outworking. Holiness of God converts us, transforms us and motivates
us to be a holy people; a movement of hope in the world: that is compelling!
In Isaiah, we
are caught up into an extraordinary vision of the holiness of God's presence.
It is described in terms which exceeds our imagination - enthroned, high and
lofty; so all-consuming that the hem of the Lord's robe fills the temple. There
is smoke and the threshold shakes. Heavenly beings sing a a hymn of praise
which we echo in our worship - holy, holy, holy is the Lord. The whole earth if
full of his glory.
No wonder the
prophet feels disorientated, overwhelmed and inadequate. The fragility of his
humanity is laid bare - he and those amongst whom he lives have unclean lips.
This captures something of our untidiness - what we say so often contradicts
what we believe. We are eminently capable of excelling ourselves in criticism,
gossip and corrosive speech. And yet. And yet our eyes too have seen the Lord.
How do we live
with this contradiction? The starting point is, perhaps, that we are invited to be. We’re invited to stand still on holy
ground - in our worship and in those moments when we glimpse God's grace and
mercy at work in our world. If we can abide in God, it is God who reaches out
to us. His holiness cleanses and refines us. In Isaiah's case, it is as if a
burning coal touches his lips. Freed from guilt, sins forgiven, he can hear and
respond to God's call. Holiness is
attractive. God's holiness moves and calls us. It is beautiful, humbling,
fearful and liberating.
As we like
Isaiah face the holiness of God in worship, all aspects of our life are raised
up to God: the contradictions and inconsistencies, the hopes and
aspirations. Worship acts like a
crucible - burning away our frailties and enabling us to respond to God's call
on our lives. We are, in the words of Paul to the fractious Christian community
in Rome, to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God. Such spiritual worship is offered with hearts and voices in praise and
prayer, in silence and music; in word and sacrament. It is also offered in our
lives.
Paul speaks of
the renewal of our minds; of a transformation flowing from the way we pay
attention to God in worship. He speaks
of being able to discern the will of God, rather than being conformed to the
world. In a society where disagreement is rarely handled well, within families
and institutions, part of our witness might be to living in an untidy
holiness. To live in this way is about
inviting the Holy Spirit to cultivate in us the fruit of holiness: in patience,
gentleness, compassion and joy. What is good, acceptable and perfect in our
lives are those moments when God's holiness breaks in amidst of our untidiness;
when we commit to those tiny yet decisive acts which create trust.
Sometimes that
is frustrating, when we fail to do the good we long to; sometimes it is
painful, when our gesture of love is brushed off. And yet, this is the way we
are called to walk in. To do what we do out of a holy love is difficult and
risky. Paul invites us to be humble when we look at ourselves, but to be generous
in our delight in the diversity of the body of Christ. Some of those gifts are to specific forms of
ministry exercised within the church; but some of them are patterns of
compassion, cheerfulness, generosity and diligence in whatever is entrusted to
us in the places we live and work. The
habit of worshipping and walking together is important, 'the hour in Church on
Sunday is the hour that makes sense of the rest of the week', as Richard puts
it in his September letter.
You are already
living out that holy grace in the inevitable untidiness that you confront in
Wokingham. In the churches of this benefice, as well as this Deanery, your
worship reflects both catholic tradition and informality; you work with
ecumenical partners to offer a welcome that is inclusive; you do not attach
conditions to being part of the life of worship, save that of a desire to be
open to the love of God. All of that is to pay attention to the holiness of
God.
Encounter with
God's holiness shapes your lives as you deepen your faith in learning together
in discussion groups; you find refreshment in holiness in the oasis you offer
of midweek worship; the witness of MU to families. You
grapple with how to respond to the untidiness of our world out of the holy
grace at work in you - in practical support of refugees and in seeking to
understand and shape the debate about how we live and die well.
In seeking to
be the church you are called to be, you are listening to each other as well as
to God. In hearing the stories of this place and your community, you will
discern how to welcome in worship and serve in community. Holiness is encounter
with God. Holiness is a way of being in relationship. Holiness counteracts fear
and cultivates love. Holiness is less a list of dos and don'ts it is about
character in Paul. Living in holiness
gives us assurance; it enables us to take risks with patience and generosity.
If our attention is focused on the light and glory of God, filling the temple,
then the potential of our human lives is opened up. Holy grace enables us to
radiate the light of God in an untidy world.
In the power
of the Spirit, we are called to witness to the love of God made manifest in
Jesus Christ. Paul's words serve as an encouragement: let love be genuine. Hate
what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Love with mutual affection. Rejoice in
hope. Be patient in suffering. Persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of
your brothers and sisters. Extend hospitality to the stranger.
Rooted in
prayer, that sounds like a pretty pragmatic and ambitious plan for living with
a holy grace in an untidy church. Holiness is a closer walk with God.
© Julie Gittoes
[1]
http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/5251/archbishop-justins-presidential-address-to-general-synod
