But you, gird up your loins.
31 January 2010
To be different, to stand out from the crowd, is something of which I am sure that all of us here today are guilty of. For how could we not be? We are not run of the mill because we profess to be Christians. That statement sounds somewhat bizarre, yet we increasingly live in a world, and especially in a country in which the forces of secularism seem to be gaining ground. Whether it is the re-branding of Christmas to be a ‘Happy Holiday or Winter Wonderland’ to countless laws being passed in parliament which strike at the very heart of what our moral values are or at least should be, as Christians we are increasingly becoming the loners, the odd ones out in the public square.
But as if that were not enough we stand out in this great and noble University because we are Puseyites. For how could we not? From our Temple Moore buildings to our Comper interior, our mid-Lent pink vestments to the culinary delights of the state lunch, Pusey House stands out from the crowd of churches which clutter this place we call Oxford.
But I would like to argue that there is something even more than being a Christian, a Puseyite, which marks one out to be different: to be Welsh. When I was an undergraduate rarely did a week go by at the breakfast table without banter, jokes and rude remarks being passed about the Principality and its inhabitants. From Fr Barry reminiscing about his time as a curate in the Church in Wales, to the Principal’s claim he understood the Welsh as he had once been on holiday there, to Fr Davage’s convincing impression of a pit pony , to be Welsh was certainly to be abnormal, even in a place like Pusey House.
But to be different, to challenge the established norms is exactly what Christ did in this morning’s Gospel, actions which led him not to be accepted by his own people. It is important to note that St Luke begins his account of Jesus’ ministry with rejection. Here, after all the great infancy narratives, the recognition by Simeon, John the Baptist and others that he was the Christ, the Saviour of the people of Israel he is rejected by those he came to save. Jesus was offering his people, those with whom he lived and worked a message of salvation and they ignored him. Then Jesus makes the point in the form of a proverb which is well known to many:
‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country.’
Jesus recognises that his work, his ministry, his mission to the world will not be accepted easily, indeed even in the time in which St Luke was writing his Gospel, the Christian faith had no sure foundation in Israel or anywhere else. But what Christ is pointing out here is that his work will require him to challenge the norms of the day. The people of Israel expected that salvation will only be offered to the Jews, but Jesus points out that like the prophets of old, he too will reach outside of the boundaries of Israel, will reach out to all, including the Gentiles. Even though he will face hostility and opposition, Christ faces this because he is about establishing a new Israel, a new people of God. But to do that will require sacrifice, it will require endurance of hardship, suffering and pain, but ultimately it will lead to triumph over death on the cross, the triumph of love over sin.
Today you and I are called to continue the mission of Jesus Christ, the mission which will lead us to become prophets to the nations. We are people who don’t fit in with the social norms, who stand out from the crowd, because there is something different about us, because we believe in something different. There is nothing new in this work, the prophet Jeremiah faced the same problems. He was a prophet at one of the most difficult periods in the history of God’s people. Judah had fallen to the Babylonian Empire, and even Jerusalem with its palaces, its temple and inhabitants had been largely destroyed. The people of Israel lacked hope, they lacked faith in God, they lacked trust in the promise of his word. Yet God called Jeremiah to be the link between God and his people:
‘I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
Today you and I are called to be prophets to the nations, to be that link between God and a people who seem to have forgotten him. We have been called, like Jeremiah, even from before our birth to undertake this role, but it is daunting, it is challenging.
So where do we look for hope, for strength and inspiration as we consider our calling? Well might I suggest that we look towards an individual who long before St Augustine landed at Ebbsfleet, proclaimed the Gospel in a dark and murky corner of west Wales: Dewi Sant. Saint David who established his monastery during the 6th century, lived an austere life. But throughout his life he bore witness to the message of salvation which Christ came to bring, and through his discipleship and teaching he brought others to that message too. But it is his final words to his followers, as he lay on his death bed which should provide us with hope and encouragement:
‘Byddwch lawen, cadwch y ffydd a gwnewch y pethau bychain.’ For those not fluent in the language of heaven I offer a translation: ‘Be joyful, keep the faith and do the little things.’
To be joyful is something which we often forget. Our Christian lives are so often dominated by politics and disagreements that we forget that our calling is to proclaim a message of love. That is clear from our second reading from the 1st letter to the Corinthians. St Paul rightly points out that everything we do must be motivated by love. That is the new commandment which Christ came to bring, to love one another. For whatever gifts we may possess, whatever our academic achievements, they are of no worth, if they are not grounded in the love of God. For everything we have, even the gifts of the Spirit are but temporary, whereas love is eternal. We should rejoice in that, because what defines us as Christians from the secular world is that we have a message to proclaim which does not rest on material possessions or values, but is centred wholly on the eternal love of God. We should be joyful as we proclaim that message to the world.
To keep the faith at a time when our society is increasingly telling us that our values and beliefs are wrong and outdated is not easy. It even feels at times that our own Church does not value our opinions, but you and I are called to keep that witness to the faith of the Gospel alive. We are challenged by Christ to maintain a principled and firm stance, because the faith of the Gospel cannot be watered down to meet the every whim of contemporary society, a Gospel which cannot be watered down to meet the every whim of the ‘modern’ Church.
To do the little things however can seem a bit pointless. What difference can our contribution as a few individuals amongst billions, really make? But little things form the bedrock of our discipleship, and our discipleship matters to God. The little things play a part in the body of Christ, in the furthering of God’s kingdom, and what great opportunity we have to do those little things at this time through this house. For Pusey House provides each and everyone of us with the opportunity to ground ourselves in the Catholic faith, to lay the foundations of discipleship which will carry us forward into our lives outside this great city, that we might become prophets to the nations. But we can only fulfil our calling if we do the little things. Doing the little things is about considering our commitment to the Mass, both on a Sunday and in the week. Its about our commitment to prayer both through the Office and private devotion. It is about challenging the way in which we live our lives and offering our faults and failures before God in the sacrament of confession. It is about learning from priests and friends about the love of God and the teachings of the Church. Doing the little things, the things that challenge our pattern of life and our commitment to God, do make a difference to the bigger picture. Because through our commitment, our love of God, we can hopefully bring others to him, bring others over the threshold of this house and let them experience something of the mystery and wonder of God.
Today you and I are called to be different, to be prophets to the nations. We are challenged by God to exercise a ministry which will not always be easy, where what we have to say will be uncomfortable for others, a ministry in which we will face adversity for the sake of the Gospel, where others may mock us for what we believe. But in the midst of those difficult times in the life of our nation and our church we must not take the easy option out. That was not the spirit which led John Keble to preach his sermon in the University Church. That was not the spirit which led Fr Hope Patten to restore the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, to re-build England’s Nazareth. That was not the spirit which led to the foundation of this House of piety and learning over 125 years ago. We are called to face adversity, to gird up our loins and face the challenges which lie ahead of us, so that through doing the little things in our lives we may be joyful as we keep the faith of the Gospel, as we continue to proclaim the love for which Christ died upon the cross. By doing this, by fulfilling our mission, our calling to be prophets to the nations we will be:
‘Changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place
till we cast our crowns before him
lost in wonder love and praise.’
Mr Harri Williams Ordinand, St Michael’s College, Llandaff