Seventh Sunday of Easter - Evenson Sermon On God's Gifts - Kitty Price, Cathedral Reader
Psalm 68:1-20, Isaiah 44:1-8, Ephesians 4:7-16
In the name of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
In today’s society, it is easy to get into the habit of only relying on ourselves; we become more introspective, forgetting the interconnectedness of the world. This habit can be formed for us, but also as a community and the wider Church. What this evening’s readings do is both pull us up and put us in our places. When we reach burnout / meltdown, if we are frozen into activity or feel lost, these readings are useful for having a reset, a strategy chat.
The passage from Isaiah has such a lot to say to us. We hear that God both forms and fills us, that we are precious to God and we are his. As frequently happens in Isaiah and other books of Hebrew Scriptures, we hear a common device known as the messenger-formula. It is a phrase that announces something, showing how important it is to listen. ‘Thus says the Lord’, and we are told that God formed us, he chose us. It is reminiscent of Psalm 139 “You knit me together in my mother’s womb”. He also says not to fear; in fact, we are told not to be afraid three times in this passage alone. This is also reminiscent of angelic appearances in the Birth Narratives, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ That we have to be told not to fear shows an understanding of the human propensity for fear and worry.
We are also reminded that he is the King of Israel, the Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, the first and the last, there is no one like him, he cannot be compared to anything, so don’t! He’s announced himself and set parameters and expectations. Now he will say what he will do for us.
What does he promise to do? Pour out his spirit upon our descendants and bless them. He will pour water on the thirsty land. When we are in drought, we need to look to him. Freedom and blessing come from him. This reminds me of the freedom and blessing that came to the Israelites as they were escaping slavery in Egypt, and for Christians the freedom from sin in the waters of baptism. We need this water and freedom to live, and, more importantly, to flourish. Imagine if we had to rely on ourselves all of the time, and just ourselves. We would be in a mess. We just need to look at the world around us. If we ground all of our existence and actions in God and in what is Christ like, and not necessarily what is biblical, maybe we would do a better job?
Our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians explores the gifts given us by Christ, the gifts of jobs in his Church. First though, we are told we are given Grace the limitless love of God even though we are und deserving. Our response to that gift of Grace is, ‘Hooray! Three cheers, and what can I do for you?’ Paul tells us about the different roles we have to play in God’s Church, some would be apostles – the word means to be sent off – like Paul and his journey around the Mediterranean; others prophets – those with unique skills to communicate God’s messages and warn of the future; others evangelists – sharing the good news; and finally, pastors and teachers - I like that he joins those two together as both skills are needed in a teaching context; children who are not cared for are not good learners, and if you don’t do enough learning, if there isn’t enough stimulation or challenge, they cannot grow. It is the same for us. We are, after all, children of God.
What is important to state is that no one is expected to be all of these in equal measure, all of the time, in the same way that baptism allows us to receive the different gifts of the spirit, but we might have to work at some more than others!
There seems to be a trend in the Church of England that we need to be all things to all people, or that we are expected to be the same. Paul, the first Christians and the Early Church focus on the importance of different skills. I think maybe that message gets forgotten sometimes, especially in moments of perceived crisis, such as numbers of bums on seats.
We have different gifts but together we make for the flourishing of ourselves and the community. I am a pastor and teacher by nature and experience, and I can evangelise through this, but I am not a natural evangelist.
Another important point is that we cannot fulfil any of these roles in our own strength. We need the strength and support of others and most importantly, the one from whom these gifts come, God. Paul also tells us that we are equipped by God, so that we can equip others to live out their faith and vocation. God equips us. If we don’t charge our devices, they run out of battery. If we don’t ground ourselves in God, and update our operating systems, then we are going to run out of steam at some point.
I wonder if you’ve ever participated in psychometric testing such as Myers Briggs, I am an INFJ, Enneagram - I’m a Two, a helper - or my new favourite from the book Surrounded by Idiots, where I am a mix of green and yellow. These processes, if used properly, help us to understand why there are people and personalities we do not get along with very well perhaps in a professional and or personal context, and why we struggle with certain tasks. I have far too much empathy, and I am self-critical; I prefer to start things with drive and enthusiasm, but struggle to see some things through to the end. I also tend to avoid confrontation because I don’t like upsetting people, so when I do it comes out as far more emotive and angrier than it should. Sorry if you have been the recipient of such an experience.
They also teach us that the most effective teams have a mixture of these types, and that some are more suited to leadership than others. These systems help us to understand and appreciate difference. Difference is good. If they are not used properly, though, they can be a self-justification and a ‘what you see is what you get, and I’m not prepared to change or compromise.’ That is unhelpful.
One of the problems is that we say that we strive for unity in the Church, but unity is about bringing people together, which is not the same as uniformity which is being the same. Uniformity keeps things the same. You can get stuck. Unity is exciting, it is challenging, frustrating, and requires constant working. It is organic it is living it is dynamic - dunamis is the Greek word for power, ability, seen as the strength and gift of the Holy Spirit - so unity needs to be spirit-filled. Why should we want everybody to be the same and to worship in the same way?
The 2nd Century bishop of Lyon, St Irenaeus was made the 27th doctor of the Catholic Church by Pope Francis in 2022. He called him Doctor Unitatis, Doctor of Unity. Born in the East, he wrote only in Greek, but his ministry was in the West, which used Latin. He is often regarded as a bridge between the two worlds. He put Pope Victor the first in his place when he wanted to excommunicate Christians in Asia Minor because they did not celebrate Easter on a Sunday but on a certain day in the Hebrew calendar. Irenaeus kicked his papal behind and won! He said there was still unity but not uniformity. It was a challenge to keep unity in diversity. The significance of celebrating Easter is more important than when it takes place.
In 17th century during the 30 years’ war, Rupert Meldenius wrote, “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” Of course, the problem is that what are the essentials and what are the non-essentials? What might be an issue for me may not be an issue for you. During the Reformation people were burnt for being a Protestant or a Catholic depending on who the monarch was. Whilst I’m not likely to get burnt at the stake, I might cause some consternation with some of my more liberal theology.
Do the voices that shout loudest get to pick what is an essential and what is non-essential? Are these the people who decide whether the church should go? How are we to behave when it gets messy?
Paul also talks about speaking the truth in love, and how difficult that can be, but how important it is. Our worth comes from us being made in the image of God, not what we achieve. If we align our worth to our actions, then we fail as a person if things are not going well rather than holding onto the fact that we are children of God with a special vocation in this together.
I don’t have an answer. I have lots of questions, but if you take away one thing from this sermon, is that uniformity threatens to undermine one of the most valuable gifts of the Church of England, its breadth of tradition, and the holding together diverse traditions within the whole. It is hard to maintain as it takes work and the willingness to listen, but it is even more essential – I use Meldenius’ choice of words deliberately here – in an increasingly polarised world where one ideology seeks dominance over the other. Mutual flourishing does not mean us all agreeing. And we can speak the truth in love as long as we are loving. Amen.