As shoes for your feet

A sermon preached at the Cathedral Eucharist 26th on Sunday 26 August 2018 - and the first time since I've been ordained that I've preached on shoes! Members of my various congregations have become particularly observant about my footwear; friends joke about the disproportionate number of shoes I bring to conferences... however, shoes have all sorts of practical and personal connotations about purpose and identity for example. The texts were : Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18; Ephesians 6: 10-20; John 6:56-69

As an aside, tracing the Gittoes family tree back through a plumber and publican, millers, servants and tenant farmers, it is satisfying to know that one ancestor was a "cordwainer".  In seventeenth century Wales, a certain John Gittoes (1643-1688) was plying the same trade as the creator the Saalburg shoe, crafting footwear from leather.

As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

This month, a 2000 year old shoe went on display at the Saalburg in Germany. It had been found in a well - a practical, recognisable and intimate artefact; a point of human connection to those inhabiting the fort between the Roman Empire and Germanic tribes. 

Image from open culture website

With a hobnailed sole and leather upper, modelled on a military boot, this shoe offers warmth and protection. It also reveals both the craft of the maker and the wealth of the wearer. Holes punched into the soft leather created an intricate design.  This shoe wouldn’t look out of place on today’s high streets; taking retro fashion statements to another level. 

What would the roman shoemaker think of my own collection of footwear: from my faithful DMs, and liturgically coloured heels, to my trainers, converse and floral flats to umpteen pairs of clerical black slip ons, lace-ups, loafers and boots.  

A Canon's shoes!

As shoes for your feet.

When we look at the stories of Joshua, Peter or Paul; the witness of Ruth, Mary or Phoebe, it can feel as if we have big shoes to fill. As we walk in the steps of Jesus, we can sense the weight of responsibility, challenge, expectation and opportunity. 

Stepping into such shoes can feel overwhelming and precarious; but also exciting and rewarding. Eventually, we grow into them - or break them in - knowing we are where we are meant to be; we can be rooted, take risks and flourish.

Without over stretching the analogy it feels immediate and accessible to hear that when Paul talks to the Ephesians about clothing themselves with the armour of God, he also concerned with their feet.  The shoes we are to put on will make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 

Like our physical shoes,  this ‘spiritual footwear’ is practical and intimate, bringing warmth and protection; equipping us for the all-weather terrain of God’s Kingdom.

The steps we take in following Christ are steps towards peace. As Archbishop Justin’s priorities reminds us, this begins with prayer. It continues in the work of reconciliation, transforming conflict in the light of the cross. It involves witnessing in the power of the Spirit to the love of God revealed in Christ.  

Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral by Josefina de Vasconcellos 

Being made ready to proclaim peace demands commitment in the face of struggle. It means choosing life. Today’s readings explore these steps being taken: in gathered community, in communion with Christ, in walking in the world.

In Joshua, steps are taken in gathering together as community and renewing their commitment to serve the Lord.

Joshua was commissioned to lead the nation after Moses’ death. As his life and work draws to an end, he sets before them a choice: between the local gods of their ancestors and the God of the whole universe. 

In the verses omitted today, before he invites them to echo his own declaration, he confesses the story of faith of their community.

He retells God’s call to Abraham; of a promise of blessing which extends to the whole of humanity. He recalls the experience of slavery, the journey through the wilderness towards freedom; he speaks of human bravery in battle and of the nearness of God’s presence in rescuing them.

They are worship and serve the Lord, walk in God’s ways with sincerity and faithfulness. Choose. Life. Today.

His personal commitment is echoed by the voice of the people: ‘we too shall serve the Lord: he is our God’. Today, our footsteps have brought us from our homes to this place, as we too gather to affirm our faith; to recommit ourselves to serve God.

Steps taken

In Jesus’ words, steps are taken in response to an invitation to be in communion; to choose life.

In the beginning, the Word was with God; abiding in the intimacy of perfect communion. That very Word became flesh, entering the complexity human history and taking on the frailty of human a human body.  

That Word came to invite us to abide in him; to lead us to dwell in communion, sharing the very life of God. Jesus dwells with us at wedding feasts and gravesides; he taught on hillsides and sat at table with his friends.  In him, we see love poured out on the cross as God reconciled the world to Godself.

He has broken bread to feed a multitude; he has kindled in them the longing for living bread. The bread from heaven, given by God, is his flesh.  We are hunger for this bread - the presence of God’s love in our hearts.

This invitation to eat and abide demands a decisive response.  Some turn away, refusing the gift and demands of that love. Jesus asks, with openness and vulnerability, ‘Do you also wish to go away’. It is Peter who articulates the hope and courage of this choice. To whom can we go? In Jesus, we chose life; life in all its fullness. 

We hear and respond to that call each time we celebrate the Eucharist together. In broken bread, we are sustained and shaped by Jesus Christ. Our feet are drawn near in faith; our hands reach out to receive; we taste and see how marvellous the Lord is; our hearts are warmed by his love.

And we rise. Our feet walking onwards: clad in leather, heels clicking, laces tied. Our feet walk beyond the threshold of this place into a world. A world where, strengthened by the God’s Spirit, we serve as a pilgrim people; a people called to make peace.

Walking onwards

The Eucharist reveals to us the marks of God’s peaceable Kingdom. And in a messy and complicated world, our lives are to take the shape of the Eucharist as we too are taken, blessed and given for others. 

We are to bring communion to others, in places of beauty and brokenness: as we feed the hungry and struggle for justice; as we take time to be with the lonely and break the bread of hospitality together; as we seek to liberate the oppressed and listen to the anxious; as we share the intimacy and tenderness of care for others; to as we offer the gift of friendship which reveals to others the good news that they are loved by God.

As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

We walk with Jesus today, nourished by his body and empowered by the Spirit; we walk alert to what God is doing in the world; alert to where we need to offer support or challenge. 

Archbishop Justin says: ‘Reconciliation is one of our greatest needs and toughest challenges as human beings. In a world plagued by conflict, division and indifference, the Church has a crucial role to play as a community of reconcilers. Jesus calls every one of us to love God, our neighbours, ourselves and our enemies – a challenging command, with nobody left out.’

As Paul reminds the Ephesians, to do this we need walk in truth and faith, in righteousness and peace. We walk prayerfully, hopefully and courageously; bringing people together - taking small and risky steps of generosity and healing; making cups of tea, creating space to meet or facilitating a difficult meeting. We need to listen carefully and speak wisely; turning suspicion to trust.  We walk the way of reconciliation - transforming strangers into friends, friends into members of God’s household.

Walking this way is difficult: we need ‘spiritual shoes’ for our feet: shoes which are warm, practical and protective; shoes of humility, time and patience.  May we who have gathered to share our faith in God and been nourished in communion with the living bread, be equipped by the Spirit to walk in the world in the ways of peace.

© Julie Gittoes 2018

Let freedom ring

This is the text of a sermon preached at Guildford Cathedral at Evensong on 19 August. The texts were Exodus 2:23-3:10 and Hebrews 13:1-15 - both readings speak of the faithfulness of God and the call to liberation. 

Today, the American city of Detroit will be full of song and celebration as people gather to honour the Queen of Soul in her home town. It was here, in the church her father led, that Ree Ree as she was known locally began her singing career and her spiritual life. 

Aretha Franklin: 2009 inauguration - Ron Edmonds/AP

On a crisp, bright day, almost a decade ago, Aretha Franklin stood on the steps of the Capitol. Wrapped in a thick grey coat, paired with a striking hat, her gloved hands held the microphone, and she sang. 

She sang: ‘Let freedom ring’. 

Let it ring, ring ring… let freedom ring.

President Obama closed his eyes; and a vast audience was moved to tears. This was an historic moment but also a prophetic one.  Her voice expressed the hopes and heartbreak of many; it distilled the struggle against segregation and the legacy of slavery.  

Over recent days, tributes have woven together her life story with the impact she had on others. It has been said that she was the voice of America: she toured with Martin Luther King and at his funeral, her rendition of "Precious Lord" gave voice to the bewilderment and resilience of grief. 

Let freedom ring.

Pain and trauma were re-voiced in blues and soul; jazz and gospel expressed out a vision which defied abuse and turned heartbreak into strength.  Hers was the voice which spelt out R-E-S-P-E-C-T, enabling generations to voice their own cry for equality regardless of race or gender.  This voice was gift, crafted by skill and underpinned by character; flawed and flawless, hopeful and human. 

Respect!

In the words of Barak and Michelle Obama’s tribute: Every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine… In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade - our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-one respect.

Let it ring… let freedom ring.

This cry is voiced in the scriptures which shaped Aretha’s life and shapes ours. The journey towards freedom is fraught with struggle - with power and pain, the darkness and light. The book of Exodus names the groaning and cries of a people who are enslaved.  The misery and suffering of the Israelites is observed by God; by a God who seeks to deliver them.  

How is that redemption song voiced? How does freedom ring? God works through flawed humanity to restore hope. A flawless glimpse of the divine is made real in human lives. Aretha embodied that in song. Moses embodied it in a call to lead.

The Jewish poet Yakov Azriel retells the family story of Exodus; inviting us to stand with Moses as something mysterious breaks into the mundane; as human curiosity meets divine holiness. He writes:

In the shadow of a burning bush, and in

Its light, we gaze beyond the desert dune.

Moses at the Burning Bush Rembrandt (1606 – 1669)

Moses' story is as complex as that of the Queen of Soul. A Hebrew by birth, given up for his own safety and raised in Pharaoh's palace; living in privilege yet aware of the injustice of the regime. His intolerance for abuse and exploitation leads to an act of violence. He's a man fearing for his own life yet his own people mistrust him.  The Moses we encounter tonight is a shepherd fugitive.  

Now he looks and turns aside: a bush ablaze yet not consumed. In Azriel’s words:

In the bush's shadow, and its light a thin

Unbroken thread of grace is seen...

There in the burning bush we see a flame of freedom.  God does not coerce Moses; rather he ignites his curiosity.  This isn't a dazzling display of power and glory. In shadow and light of an intriguing phenomenon, there's a thin line of grace which enables Moses to gaze beyond the desert dunes. In the darkness of exile there are glimmers of light and new purpose.

He hears his name.

The soles of his feet touch the heat of holy ground.

He hides his face.

His words: Here I am.

A voice: God’s ‘I am’.

The Burning Bush Dali (1904- 1989)

God chooses to act through one who already burns with a passion for justice. Moses will cry out for freedom in the face of systemic oppression.  The voice from this blazing bush is an invitation to us to; a call to courageously enact the possibilities of God’s goodness. This voice is, in the words of one Walter Brueggemann, ‘a flaming warrant for truth to power’. 

Moses goes on to express a number of objections to this challenging call. His reluctance is met by the assurance of support from his brother - and by God’s very self. God’s faithfulness as expressed in ‘I am’; the one who was and is and ever will be.  

God works through our passions and our voices can be threads of grace. Exodus tells one story of slaves and fugitives whose lives are marked by hope and blessing. Yet cry for freedom to ring out has not ceased. 

It’s no less daunting for us than it was for Moses to both stand on holy ground and respond to this call of radical transformation: of relationships, structures, priorities and communities. Our second lesson reminds us that this is about the whole of our life; but it also reminds us that we depend on the love of God.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us of God’s love in words which echo the voice from the flaming bush: Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and for ever. Jesus is ‘I am’, God with us.

For in him, God makes new his covenant and takes notice of human suffering. In Jesus Christ, God’s love reaches out to the vulnerable and marginalised. His teaching challenges the false assurance possessions, status and independence. His love meets us in the depths of despair and humiliation; and heals when we are wounded and fearful.  He bears the agony of the cross and the coldness of the tomb. And freedom rings out in resurrection life.

The writer of Hebrews also reminds us of the very practical demands of letting freedom ring out. Mutual love is revealed in friendship and support; our bodies can communicate tenderness, creativity, compassion and support.  We are to imitate those whose lives have revealed God’s love to us. 

 

Angel Unawares - Kimberly Ramey *

Hospitality is not confined to those we know - but to those with whom our lives intersect in fleeting ways. Those who are imprisoned or on probation, those who seek refuge or who become invisible in residential care aren’t kept at arms length as ‘other’. They are part of us.  We are to be content with what we have - a prophetic message in a world of zero hour contracts and executive pay increases, where human beings are still enslaved and trafficked.

Collectively and individually, we are to let freedom ring out: confronting the power of inequality, abuse, illness and discrimination. In our lives, that thread of grace, the glimpse of the divine, can run on.  It runs on in what ignites our passion for justice; in what kindles our compassion.  

Each of us can take a lead - in acts of service, influencing others, finding allies in campaigning and seeking the welfare of society; in living out R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

May we walk in the light of Christ, by the power of the Spirit at work in us, revealing something of God's love: Let freedom ring out. 

© Julie Gittoes 2018

 

*This painting created by Kimberley Ramey and the narrative accompanying it speaks movingly and honestly of the challenge of Hebrews and moments of hospitality which can be glimpsed or lost; sharing the image and the link to her work to read more about this.