|
|
Past Messages
Easter Can Be Hard Work
Rowan
Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Every Easter brings its share of stories about people no
longer knowing
what Easter is about. It is not simply a matter of uniform ignorance of
the Bible. The truth is that Easter is awkward.
The stories themselves are angular and strange - a tormented saga about
a judicial murder and a horrific public execution is followed by a
series of events that challenge not only our assumptions about how the
natural world works but also our desire to read a story with a good
strong ending. Jesus returns from death but he is not a ghost or a
resuscitated corpse - so what is it we are talking about? He meets his
closest friends and they don’t at first recognise him.
In the earliest gospel, St Mark, there aren’t even any
meetings - only
a visit to Jesus’ grave by some women disciples. The grave is
empty and
the women run off in panic.
Even in John’s gospel, the end is a sort of fading rather
than a
climax: a meeting on the lake shore between Jesus and his friends, a
couple of enigmatic prophecies, and then the author saying: “I could
tell you much more but I’d never finish.”
Hardly surprising that the Easter stories drop readily into the “too
difficult” file as far as our society in general is concerned. They
seem at first to operate too far outside any frame of reference we can
cope with. But perhaps it is just the awkwardness of the stories that
ought to persuade us to look again. The fact that these are not tidy
might be a reason for wondering about them.
The feel of these texts is that of people struggling to make sense of
something that has happened outside their heads, not inside, wrestling
with an intractable set of experiences and meetings, not finding a
helpful metaphor for their emotions. The untidy character of the
stories leaves the reader or listener with work to do.
The resurrection isn’t a happy ending to a sad story. It is
the
beginning of a new story, a new phase in the life of the disciples -
potentially a new phase for the reader, too.
If Easter is awkward, it is because it is always a shock to be told who
we really are and what we really might be.
From the Vicar
Five Words
The
first time travelled overseas was to India. I visited the parish
priest at a massive and beautiful white church located near the beach
in Chennai (Madras). His name was Fr. Raj. Near the end of the visit,
I asked to have his card. He replied with a smile, “I have
two to
give you: an earthly one and a heavenly one.” Of course, I
was
interested to see what the heavenly one looked like!
It
was laminated, and looked like a Visa card. On the Visa icon were the
letters: SCBC. It stood for Santhome Cathedral Basilica Chennai. It
was the St. Thomas Cathedral, which along with St. Peter’s
Basilica
in Rome, are the only two churches in the world believed to be built
above the tomb of an apostle.
The
back of the card says: “Traditionally it is believed that St.
Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ came to India in
52 A.D. to proclaim God’s message of love and forgiveness. He
died
as a martyr and was buried at Santhome, Chennai, India.” So
the
“credit card” number on the front begins with these
digits: “0052
0072”—signifying the year of his arrival in India
and the year of
his death.
There
is little or no doubt among Indian Christians that this is so.
References to the historical accuracy of this claim date back to
about the third century. A large orthodox church based in the
south-western state of Kerala (where Thomas is thought to have done
much mission work) is named “Mar Thoma,” or Holy
Thomas.
There
are legends that have surrounded the life of St. Thomas. One is that
a log jammed a flooded river, a log stuck so tightly between the
river’s banks that even a local king’s royal
elephant could not
remove it. Thomas, so the story goes, removed his
“girdle,” gave
it to a bystander to attach to the log, and with little effort, the
log was yanked away. The grateful and astonished king gave that log
to Thomas to build a church near the ocean’s shores. From
that log
came a pole, which it is popularly believed, Thomas thrust into the
ground, saying the waters of the ocean would not reach the church.
When
the tsunami struck Asia in December 2004, the waves came close
according to some published reports, but did not reach the church!
That same published report a quote from Fr. Raj saying “We
believe
the miraculous post of St Thomas prevented the sea waters from
entering the church.” When I was there I asked him about this
legend, and he said to me that it was just “fertile
imagination.”
But the post still stands about 30 feet tall at the rear of the
Basilica, overlooking the Indian Ocean.
The
Day of St. Thomas, observed on December 21, is also the day of the
winter solstice, the year’s longest night and shortest day in
the
Northern hemisphere. It is said that St. Thomas is commemorated on
this day because he was the last of the apostles to become convinced
of Jesus’ resurrection – he was the one who for the
longest
time
remained in the "night of unbelief and doubt."
And
the five words printed on the front of the “credit
card?” The
words are not words of doubt! They do not begin with the words:
“Unless I touch….” These are the words:
“My Lord and my God!”
A heavenly card, with five words of conviction! “My Lord and
my
God!”
Easter 7
28th
May, 2006
Jesus’ Ascension is both an ending and
beginning. The
physical appearances of Jesus are at an end. His revelation of
the
“good news” is complete. The promise of the Messiah
is fulfilled. Now
begins the work of the disciples to teach what they have learned and to
share what they have witnessed. It is not a very promising start.
Like
any beginning or transition in life, it is a moment of great
uncertainty, confusion and apprehension. Christ places His
Church in
the care of a rag-tag collection of fishermen, tax collector and
peasants. And yet, what began with those eleven has grown and
flourished through the centuries to the very walls of St.
John's. The
Church Jesus leaves to them is rooted not in buildings or wealth or
formulas of prayer or systems of theology, but in faith nourished in
the human heart. It is a faith centered in a joy and
understanding that
is both empowering and liberating. It is faith that gives us
the
strength and freedom to be authentic and effective witnesses of the
Risen One, who is present among us always.
John Baldock
Easter 6
21st
May 2006
In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents the
commandment to
love one
another - a love that is like God’s love.
“As the Father
loves
me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.”
The
gospels
remind us that this love is a love that goes beyond an affection for
family and friends - a love that goes beyond romantic love or sexual
passion - a love that is more than a nice sentiment - a love that is
concerned in a very concrete way with men and women - a love that
involves respect for and learning from other people who might be
different than ourselves - a love that is concerned with justice and
peace for all God’s people.
John Baldock
Saint Matthias and
Dedication of new stained glass window
26th
February, 2006
Today
at this combined 8.00am-9.30am Eucharistic celebration we receive and
dedicate the stained glass windows given by the Garing Family in
memory of Simon Edwin Garing. On behalf of the Wardens, Vestry and
parishioners I welcome the Garing Family – Ed and Margaret,
Virginia and Patrick Walsh and their children Aidan, Charlie and
Anna; Margaret’s mother Norma Turner who is grandmother to
Simon and Virginia and also great grandmother to Virginia and
Patrick’s children, and their friends, to this exciting and
solemn occasion. It is my pleasure also to welcome Glenn Mack who
made and installed the windows. He is one of Australia’s
foremost stained glass artists and we are very fortunate to have
secured his talent for our parish church. On behalf of the Parish
and the diocese, and on your behalf I thank the Garings for this
wonderful gift.
We
begin Lent this week. You will by now have received the booklet with
the Lent Program for St. John’s and I commend it to you for
your most serious consideration. The season of Lent is a God-given
opportunity for us to reflect on our commitment to Christ and his
Church and to renew our Faith. Lenten devotions include two exciting
Bible Studies, one on Wednesday nights and the other on Thursday
mornings following the Eucharist at 10.00am. Lent is also a time
for us to reconsider ways by means of which our own spiritual life is
enhanced. {Keep the printed Lent Program on your fridge.}
We will
commence our Lenten exercises on Wednesday night at 7.30pm with a
Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes. If you still have the Palm
Cross you received last year, would you kindly return it to St John’s
parish Office on Tuesday or arrange for me to receive it. Along with
all other Palm Crosses it will be burned on Tuesday evening and
reduced to ashes for the Ash Wednesday Liturgy.
Keep the
Lenten Faith, yours in the communion of saints,
+John
Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
From
Bishop John
19th
February, 2006
My
dear Friends,
I
have not as yet seen them but I believe that the great fish,
representing the number of countries coming to play in the
Commonwealth Games, anchored in the Yarra Yarra River are quite
marvelous. Of what is the fish a symbol? Do the organizers of
the Games realize that the fish is the earliest symbol of
Christianity ? The Greek word for fish  Ichthus -! And that the
initial letters of that word spell out the first Christian Creed –
“Jesus Christ Son of God (is) Saviour”. “follow me
and I will make you ‘fishers of men (sic)” said the Lord.
His first disciples were drawn from the ranks of Galilean fishermen
–Andrew, Peter, James, John, and they came from the village of
Beth-Saida which means ‘The House of the Fishermen”.
Early
Bishops of Rome wore on their ring- finger the “Seal of the
Fisherman”.
Quite
often you may see on the back window of a motor vehicle the symbol of
the fish as two broken arcs of a circle entwined. You will know that
the owner of that car is a ‘christian’. The same sign
was the early symbol of Inter Church Trade and Industry Mission
–ITIM.
Next
Sunday by God’s Providence we will dedicate two new Stained
Glass panels forming the window of Christ calling Simon Peter. In
the trefoil above these panels you will see depicted the basket of
loaves and fishes (about which I hope to preach next Sunday). This
beautiful window is the gift in memory of Simon Garing
given by his family. Vestry the other night decided to integrate
the two weekly eucharists – 8.00am and 9.30am and to celebrate
the one eucharist – at 9.30am. I am sure Vestry would be
grateful to you if you could “publish this abroad” I
will be around in any case.
I
heard Rex Hunt the fishers’ guru say some time ago that “Every
fish caught in Australia by amateur fishermen costs over two hundred
dollars.” - rods, reels, lines bait, boats, and so on. I
guess that’s true for most recreations and sports. I look at
what my grand-childrens’ sporting activities cost their parents
in fees for swimming, athletics, soccer, hockey, cricket,
basketball, soccer, AFL, athletics, cross-country, ski-ing and
fly-fishing (thank goodness they tie their own flies), to say nothing
of all the costs of equipment, clothing and footwear and I wonder how
on earth we, a couple of generations ago ever managed financially or
how we survived to this day as fit as we are.
I
understand the next edition of “the Eagle” is to be about
“The Games People Play” and that net is cast wider than
the net of Jesus’ fishermen; much wider than the ambit of the
Commonwealth Games.
Yours
in the communion of saints
+john.
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
From Bishop John
12th February, 2006
My dear Friends,
Recent Cartoons in Danish and Swedish
newspapers depicting The Prophet Mahomet have been cause of serious
reaction all over the world. Islam, like Judaism has strict
religious laws relating to ‘imagery’. Particularly in
Islam the depiction of The Prophet is regarded as blasphemous.
Whether we in the West – Christians or unbelievers or agnostic
or atheist – take this seriously or not, is not the point. In
contemporary Islam to draw The Prophet in any form is regarded as
contrary to the will of Allah and therefore forbidden. It is not
simply that Moslems “have a lot to learn about freedom of
speech” (as I read last week). It was not always so. I have a
reproduction of a portrait of Mahomet stressing Mahomet’s
lineage back through Noah to Adam’s son Seth. The Prophet is
shown surrounded by the first four caliphs, Umar, Abu Bakr, Ali and
Uthman.
[‘Early Islam’ pub Time-Life 1967].
That
is not the point either. Everything, even religion evolves. We
simply must respect other people’s religion.
More
to the point we must respect the sanctity of our own religion. There
are limits to what we as Christians may speak about our God and his
Christ. There are lines to be drawn. I well remember the outcry
over a “work of art’ - ‘Piss Christ’,
a three dimensional image hung in the national Gallery of Victoria
several years ago. At that time I found myself debating with myself
about whether this was ‘blasphemous’ or simply ‘bad
taste’. Blasphemy is not a ‘big’ word in the
lexicon of Christian literature.
I also remember the
public outcry when Prime Minister bob Hawke used the Sacred name of
Jesus Christ as an expletive when an electric light bulb burst
nearby.
Islam regards the
Qu-ran (Koran) in the same way as we Christians regard
Christ.
I also find myself, when in the presence of
someone who uses the Lord’s name in vain, saying quietly but
quite distinctly, “God is not mocked”.
In
the ‘Age’ last week I read where Monty Python’s
“Life of Brian” is regarded as the funniest motion
picture of all time. Some regard it as ‘blasphemous’.
What do you think?
What the current debate about Danish
and Swedish cartoons is really about is a very serious matter.
Perhaps we Christians are too lax about sacred images. In the
history of the Church there was serious debate over the whole issue
of Iconography and for centuries the Iconoclastic controversy raged
in the Orthodox East. In the long run the Iconodules (lovers of
icons ) won out over the iconoclasts (breakers of icons) and sacred
images were restored to the churches.
Keep the Faith.
Yours
+john
Presentation
of Christ in the Temple
5th
February, 2006
My
dear Friends,
New
Testament Scripture is fairly precise about dates. For example
Christmas Day is exactly nine months after the Annunciation.
December 25th and Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Eight days
later he is circumcised and Named. One month later he is presented
in the Temple. Add all these dates and you arrive at 2nd
February the day when Mary is purified in the miqveh (ritual
bath) that still exists at the top of the steps of the Southern Wall
of the Old City.
The
Law required a five shekel fee for Jesus Presentation and two young
pigeons for Mary’s purification.
It
is important that we know about Jewish religious customs if we are
ever to understand the context of Jesus ministry. Yet however
important these things are we are also to interrogate the Scriptures
as they relate to us and as we need to live them out in our own
lives. Mary is always presented as one who is totally open to God.
She treasures mysteries beyond human understanding. She “ponders
them in her heart”. She knows that a sword of grief will
pierce her own soul and thus becomes the model of Christian
discipleship for all ages. At the deepest spiritual lives we ought
also to expect that a sword will pierce our own soul also. Mary does
not reject the incomprehensible but takes what she cannot understand
logically into ‘another place’ deep within her own soul
(psyche).
She
knows that her Son is not only the Messiah, he is also the Son of
God.
Christ’s
Visitation (to the Temple) was at a time of deep national crisis.
Israel was under the oppressive yoke of Rome. Jesus Presentation
was at a time in history when the social disturbances were at their
worst. Yet he took these things as God-given opportunities to preach
love not hatred, reconciliation not revenge, compassion not glee at
the plight of others.
So
for today. Every national crisis should be regarded as God’s
moment. This is true for Israel-Palestine and it is true for
Australia. Christ calls into discipleship all sorts of people –
Matthew the Government servant, Nathanael the scholar, Peter the
fisherman, Simon the ‘terrorist’ (zealot, a revolutionary
sworn to overthrow the Romans and “drive them into the sea”
[if you get my drift!]). And he called them all presumably without
requiring them to change their political views.
He
was also leading the people of his day to think more deeply about
national greed and about measuring progress by the yardstick of
material possessions. What Jesus healing ministry was saying and is
still saying today is that the only true measure of progress for
humanity is the care the community shows for the handicapped.
Jesus’
presentation in the Temple was long prophesied “the Lord whom
you seek will suddenly come to his Temple”. In today’s
liturgy comes in innocence, helpless. The next time we read of his
visitation to the Temple he comes to sit at the feet of the priests
and rabbis to ask them questions. When he comes again it will be
with such zeal to purify his Father’s House that it will lead
him to the Cross.
It’s
all there. Read it for yourself.
Yours +john
The Conversion of St. Paul
29th January, 2006
My dear Friends,
An exciting week in so many ways. We recall into today’s liturgy
the conversion of Saint Paul. On Thursday we remembered (albeit
with bread and circuses) the day when a British Naval Fleet with its
human cargo of felons, convicts and rapscallions usurped the rights
of the indigenous people of Terra Australia del Espirito Santo and
without so much as a ‘Oh by the way His Majesty has sent us to
take you over’, hoisted the Union Jack and began the process of
occupation we drank about.
Great cricket, great tennis, great barbies (b+c as I said). The
Palestinian elections with their promise of yet more vitriol and
‘told you so’ and ‘eye for eye, tooth for tooth’
and ‘Get out of my back yard or Ill push you into the Sea’
and the U.S. Secretary for State saying along with the Acting Prime
Minister of Israel, “We are not going to talk to you, you bunch
of terrorists”. I seem to remember hearing the same sort of
thing when in the infancy of Israel the powers-that-used-to be (in
those days) were saying to the Israelis who blew up the King David
Hotel killing so many British soldiers and defenceless civilians, and
who massacred all the people of the village of Deir Yassin, “We
don’t talk to terrorists”. Or when Maj-Gen Sharon
conspired with the so called ‘Christians’ of Lebanon to
massacre yet another village full of people.
Let common sense prevail! Let people grow. Let democratic principles
evolve. Who says western democracy is the best form of government
anyway? Reflect and respond instead of reacting Ms Rice, Mr Ohlmert.
Who says the world does not need Christ? Only those who are afraid
of Him, I suggest.
How did the world allow Hamas to grow to the point where it is now the
legitimate government of a Stateless people? The question itself
provides its own answer, simply by not allowing the Palestinian
people to develop a State of their own! By the powers-that-be of
today turning a blind eye to the occupation and oppression of the
people who live in what the United Nations still declares to be “The
Unlawfully Occupied Territories”. QED.
Saint Paul? Ill preach about him today but my own personal view of the
Apostle is that he is one of the great minds of history, one who
shaped the history of the world, who actually ‘invented’
Christianity, the one who gave to the world the concept of Christian
love about which the present Pope Benedict has written so eloquently
this past week.
Who does not thrill to 1 Corinthians 13. I have no doubt that were
he alive today he would be as savagely anti dogma (such as is
preached by so many churches) as he was when he condemned the
cultists of his own day.
Anyway! Welcome back all those who have been on holidays. As you prepare to
receive a new priest in due course please remember the wider issues
of the Church and world and the “little people” who have no power of
themselves to help themselves (as the old BCP puts it).
Yours in the communion of saints
+john
p.s. Why do people write ‘things are “under way” when
they really mean “Under weigh”.
The Third Sunday after Epiphany
22nd
January, 2006
My dear Friends,
When
the first railroads were introduced the Middle East, after the
Ottomans had put a tax on trees and the people unwilling to pay that
tax simply cut them down, the enterprising locals used Egyptian
mummies as fuel for the railway engines.
In order to overcome the
problem of malaria of the Eastern Mediterranean coastal areas of
Palestine at the turn of the 20th century. Australian gum trees
were imported (at no cost) by the Kubitzniks to drain the swamps.
The trees flourished. Other
indigenous Australian flora was imported. This is the reason so much
of Galilee looks like outback Australia. The Mount of Beatitudes
overlooking the Lake of Galilee resembles semi-tropical Queensland
with its Moreton Bay fig trees, Bouganvillea, Jacarandas and
Banksias. The banks of the upper Jordan River are rather like the
banks of the Murray. Enterprising people! But it all worked. In
fact it worked so successfully that Israel now exports the same
species of trees to other M-E countries.
In
a recent edition of The guardian Weekly (Dec 23 2005) author
Karen Armstrong has written a powerful article about the need to
conserve the natural environment. She is saying that what we need
today is a modern version of religion’s respect for the earth.
As I read this article I could not but reflect on the Victorian
Government’s decision to re-order our National attitude to
grazing in the ‘High Country’. It may not be
altogether popular, but it is a vitally necessary step to avoid an
environmental disaster. We remember farming in the Mallee and the
Wimmera and the salting up of many of our inland streams and the near
death of the Snowy River.
In her article Dr Armstrong
relates the story of how in the eighth century BC the Chinese,
concerned about a disturbing change in their environment due to
aggressive deforestation of the lands around the Yang-Tse River made
a radical decision to ban forestry and hunting. The implementation
of a religious discipline transformed their mentality.
She writes –
“Religious reformers – Confucius and Lao-Tse called upon
their rulers to conform to the basic laws of existence, to the way
(dao) things ought to be done”. She goes on to say,
“Environmental catastrophe has replaced the apocalypse
predicted by the prophets of the past and many now watch for signs of
approaching cataclysm….”
Today’s
(January 22, 2006) temperature has been forecast (not ‘predicted’,
not ‘prophesied’ – forecast – [why can’t
people use good English when writing news bulletins?] ) to be
41 degrees. Global warming? Russia’s temperature 36 degrees
below! Global freezing !! And our Government removes the subsidies
on solar heating-cooling.
Environmental vandalism is
not a new phenomenon but I am sure we should expect better than
fuelling the boilers of our metaphorical railway engines with the
mummies of our ancestors.
God bless you,
+john
The Second Sunday after Epiphany
15th
January, 2006
My
dear Friends,
Michael
Leunig’s cartoon in ‘The Age’ last Wednesday has
certainly caused a kerfullfe particularly in the context of the
‘right’ of a cartoonist to make savage political comment.
I
have placed a copy of that cartoon on the Notice Board together with
a copy of a poem I wrote at the time Israel assassinated the
wheel-chaired Arab Sheik. The same criticism of Leunig could of
course be leveled at any bishop who makes political comment about the
Arab-Israeli conflict.
But
let me put that conflict into another cast by asking a question, “To
which party does the West Bank of the Jordan River belong”. I
say ‘party’ because, as yet there does not exist a
Palestinian State. What justification is there for the separation
“Wall”. There is none. It is simply building an apartheid
State. What justification is there for self-immolation? There is no
one. There are no rewards in this world or the next for
self-inflicted martyrdom.
On
June 5th 1967 (the eve of the war) the Israeli government
was undecided about whether to capture Jerusalem. Foreign Minister
Abba Eban was concerned about the security of the sacred sites. Two
other ministers – Moshe Haim Shapira and Zalman Aranne foresaw
international complications should Israel take over the Holy City.
Later that evening Prime Minister Levi Eshkol noted, “Even if
we capture the Old City and the West Bank. We will ultimately be
compelled to leave them.”
The
Internationalization of the Old City of Jerusalem lies at the heart
of the conflict. Who ‘owns’ the Holy City, Old
Jerusalem ?
Sharon
claims it as Israel’s ‘capital’. Palestine’s
Yasher Arafat claimed it as his capital. What does the U.N.
say ? Nothing. What does the U.S say ? What does Australia say ?
Equivocation continues to result in bloodshed while all the while
more and more land of the West Bank is ‘appropriated’ in
the name of security.
To
demonize either Israel or Palestine is sinful and counter-productive
to peace. There is no point in appealing to the past either, for the
past is history and history is always written by the victors.
The
great and terrible problems that beset Israel and Palestine are
theological problems, therefore the people who ought to be most
seriously involved in peace initiatives are the leaders of the three
Abrahamic Faiths – Israel, Christianity and Islam. The awful
problem here is that all three Faiths are so divided among themselves
there is little that can be done. Theology has given way to
ideology based on the interpretation of words. The sacred
scriptures of all three faiths have become weapons in the hands of
insecure men. There can be no way forward UNLESS there is
compromise. As an artifice of ethics, ‘compromise’ is
not a dirty word. In fact compromise is the only way forward. Any
appeal to the past ought rightly to be to our Forefather Abraham.
Who will take the initiative in calling the leaders of Judaism,
Christianity and Islam together? He would be a brave person indeed.
Meantime we agonize over the future for peace even though we are
bound to pray daily for it. And we are also bound to fruitful
dialog, and we need to be released from the doctrine of “eye
for eye, tooth for tooth”. Ghandi told the world years ago that
the doctrine of “eye for eye” leads to a world full of
blind men.
Go
well,
yrs
+john
The Baptism of our Lord
Sunday
8th January, 2006
My dear friends,
Unlike the cricket,
the Christian life is not a test. It is not a ‘preparation’
for the ‘next life’ (whatever that might be). The
Christian life is not me, as an individual, or me as part of a
community of Faith struggling to obey the commandments, keep the
rules and finally, after death coming before the keeper of the
score-book who says “Sorry old chap, ‘caught out at
slips’, or ‘clean bowled’, or ‘leg before
wicked’. Life is not cricket. Specially not the kind of
professional cricket played these days with its $10 million dollar
pay outs for indiscretion, or $5 million dollar sponsorships. St
Peter does not keep the score book. Jesus is not the umpire who
raises his finger when we are caught out fumbling the ball. In
cricket, as in all sports there is only one winner, as St Paul
reminds us in his metaphor of athletics. There is a sense in which
we must ‘run the race that is set before us’ but we do
not run in order to beat others - literally, metaphorically,
allegorically or spiritually. We run the race that is set before us
looking to Jesus the pioneer -  - [l
let me tell you about that some time], the author of our Faith.
We are not saved by
our good works. It is only the unrepentant life that judges itself,
the life that is lived in contradiction to that which we know to be
loving, just and compassionate. We are not expected to live with
doubt, nor are we expected to live in fear of ending up either
winning or losing the ‘ashes’. . Life is not cricket.
The task of our
religion (as you have heard me say) is not to make us ‘good’.
There is no good but God. The task of our religion is to integrate
the darkness of our own lives with the light of Christ who dwells
within us, that life given to us in our Baptism.
We celebrate our
Baptized life today as we interrogate the text of Jesus own Baptism
in the River Jordan.
Yours in the
communion of saints,
+john
The Vicar's Message for
Advent 2 St Nicholas
4th December 2005
My dear friends,
We come to the Sung
Eucharist today in the spirit of Saint Nicholas to honor the children
of the parish. Herman Rockefeller II who has been chosen as “Boy
Bishop” for the day will symbolize the authority of all of our
children as he quite properly exercises his liturgy. He will be
joined by many other children who will read the lections, act as
ushers, bear the elements at the Offertory, serve at the altar and
pray the intercessions.
In fact, they will exercise
their ministry as “Children of God” within the laos of the
Church. We honor them and pray, that in the words of Jesus, we
ourselves might become as little children and thus inherit the
kingdom of heaven. The children will escort their Boy Bishop from
the West Door where he will call for his authority as a child to be
recognized by the adult membership of the parish, to the sanctuary.
Each child will receive a gift from ‘The Boy Bishop’ thus
recognizing the age long tradition of giving gifts at Christmas. For
his part, Herman will receive a gift of a pectoral cross and a mitre
to remember the occasion.
A special form of the great
Thanksgiving prayer has been written for today.
The adult, civilized world,
this week-end is diminished by the ritual murder of a miscreant who,
according the laws of a foreign country is denied the right of
rehabilitation. John Donne, onetime Dean of St Paul’s, London
once wrote, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”
However ‘proper’ it is for sovereign nations to write and
exercise their own laws, we are, nevertheless, in a post-modern
world, living in a global society. That society, whilst recognizing
the multi-cultural nature of the civilized world, expects that
no-one, no government, no society has the right to take away life.
Amnesty International has got it right. Their stand against capital
punishment is the one which most closely approximates the Christian
Gospel. Capital punishment in every circumstance is contrary to the
law of Christ. How do we relate this to “God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son…”(Jn 3.16)? The answer of
course lies in the fact that it is God Himself who offers Himself on
the Cross in the Person of the divine Word as the expiation for the
sin of the world. [“It’s God they ought to crucify instead of
you and me; I said it to the carpenter a-hanging on the Tree”]
The crime, and yes the ‘sin’ of drug trafficking is
heinous, but the execution of a ‘carrier’ does not get anywhere
near to those who ought to bear the real brunt of the Law.
Like many of you, I have
seen many people die, some violently. Deep down I still bear the
scars of such deaths. The outpouring of grief, terror and deep
sadness must be taken up in the Cross if the hope of Resurrection is
to be realized.
Ritual murder has no place
in a world struggling for its own survival in the face of many
natural disasters and equally as many man-made obscenities – over
population, poverty, profligacy.
“Unless you become as
little children you shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven”.
Today we take Jesus words
seriously and with profound theology. We do not view the
‘installation of a Boy Bishop’ simply as some kind of ‘play
acting’.
Yours in the spirit of Saint
Nicholas,
+john
Christ the King
20th November, 2005
My dear Friends,
If we are to comprehend the mystery and the majesty of ‘King’ and “Kingship”
then we must interrogate the life of Jesus on Nazareth, not the life of any
of the kings of the earth.
Jesus said this about the Kingdom of Heaven, “My kingdom is not of this
world”. Christ’s kingdom is the rule of God over the hearts and minds of
ordinary people, a rule forged out of Jesus own personal relationship with
the one he called ‘Father’. He chose to empty Himself of his former glory
to take upon himself our human nature in order to show us how we ought to
live in relationship with one another. If this world with all its beauty
and all its ugliness was good enough for the Son of God it must have meaning
for me. The old law ‘eye for eye, tooth for tooth’ is finished. Jesus’ way
was the way of acceptance – “Nevertheless, not my will but yours”. He
accepted and lived with the limitations of our human nature and on the Cross
he redeemed that human nature. The conclusion I draw from that is that
human nature is GOOD. Every single person is capable of redemption. Every
human life therefore is sacred. Ritual murder (such as hanging or death by
lethal injection, or by firing squad) is anathema in a post-modern world
whether that be in Singapore, the United States of America or Indonesia.
That is what the death penalty is – ritual murder.
For that reason I am personally totally opposed to capital punishment in any
form. The recently imposed death sentence upon a fellow Australian in a
foreign country is in total opposition to Jesus last will and testament
irrespective of his crime. The idea of “the punishment must fit the crime”
overlooks, even denies many matters. No one deserves to die. No matter for
what reason. The Gospel is “Forgive and you shall be forgiven”. “In the
same way as you judge, so will you be judged.”. Saint Paul says, “Do not
repay evil with evil”. “Be reconciled to one another”. “Even in the Old
Testament we read, “Vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will repay.”
In the face of such an obscenity as a ritual hanging we must all bow our
heads in shame. Such things belong to an older paradigm and do not belong
in the kingdom of heaven, no matter how heinous the crime.
+john
|
