Great to be here as Bishop and acting rector.
A time of review and recommitment for the people of St Mary’s
A vacancy now that Cliff Stratton moved on after a time of change.
Opportunity and challenge for you, for us.
Challenges and opportunities. Him? Us? and What?
1. Him? A new rector. A pastor, priest, leader and teacher for this people?
What kind of man?
Where will we find such a man?
2. Us? What kind of church do we want the archbishop to invite the new rector to?
What are we at St Mary the Virgin Waverley?
What kind of church are we, really? What kind of church should we be?
What does God want us to be?
Do we even really want to be the church of Jesus Christ? (I will come back to that audacious question in a moment)
3. What should we do now? What is God’s purpose now for us?
This is the question for us. I want to say something important to you this morning.
But before we can answer any of these questions we need a place to start to understand God’s plan?
Turn to today’s epistle Ephesians 1
The great blessings you have in Christ— in you are in Christ by faith.
“Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” as Eph. 1 puts it.
4 He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.
First Loved before time
5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Second Adopted as child of God
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.
Third Forgiveness
But today focus on the fourth blessing—knowledge. Knowledge of the great deep purpose of God for his creation.
81/2 With all wisdom and insight he [God] has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
What does that mean?
[God] has made known to us “The mystery of his will”.
A “mystery” = something unknown..
“The mystery of God’s will” “a plan for the fullness of time” = the deep purpose God has for his
creation.
But unknown. God knows! (True.)
“God has made known to us the mystery of his will”
= It has been revealed. Unknown no longer!
“made known to us” means first the apostles like Paul.
This revelation of the deep mystery of God purpose was revealed “according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ” that is, not slipped out but his plan.
And what is this deep mystery, now revealed? This “plan for the fullness of time…”? Da! da!
“to gather up all things in him [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth”
“to gather up” Greek avnakefalaiw,sasqai re-head-up = to sum up; to summarise
“all things” = all things. ta. pa,nta “the lot”. The universe. “things in heaven and things on
earth” spiritual beings and material beings. Things visible and invisible.
“In Christ” = !
a. The universe dislocated, “subjected to futility,” not complete, yet to be summed
up.
b. To be fulfilled in Christ,
united in unity, in him the new creation which redeems the old, the meaning and goal of the universe is the Lord Jesus Christ!
c. Not just Christ as himself but through his death and resurrection.
Already made through him. More importantly the death and resurrection the turning point of all time.
d. This means the Christian faith is not just about my life now, or “going to heaven
when you die”
about the future of the whole universe. Jesus has not come to take you away from all this. But to take this all over.
e. What actual shape does this future purpose of God have? What does it look like?
I cannot say, except the fulfilment of the liberating lordship of Christ begun when God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things. This we know! (Do you grasp the enormity of this?)
That is the context for St Mary’s Waverley and our future.
Three Questions
1. (Remember I asked) Do we even really want to be the church of Jesus Christ?
A real question. Can become a religious club. Hobby group. (I am not against clubs, just
false advertising)
Do we want a future on these terms.?
All churches face this question regularly. Almost every time they meet. Pay the minister to get God off our backs, or lead us to a meeting with him.
Really share the heart of Jesus Christ, or is it “my church”?
This question is a call to repentance and change.
2. What kind of Church of Jesus Christ will St Mary’s Waverley be?
What churchmanship and style? My suggested future for St Mary’s Waverley is a vision of classic
Anglican, high church, not fussy anglo-catholic .... modern not stuck in past.
There are two problems for churches not in the mainstream style in the diocese.
(1) To define selves by what you are not, rather than have a positive sense of who you are.
(2) To try to ape the two city flagship anglo-catholic churches St James King Street or Christ Church St Lawrence. But suburban high churches need to be less formal, more child friendly and relaxed than a city church. Plus they have less resources and can never pull it off.
But a modern classic high church with warmth, welcome and a great kids program is a good thing to aim for.
(You may notice that as Acting Rector I have made some small changes in the chancel of the church along these lines. Please feel free to contact me if you have problems with them, but they cannot be changed back other than on my authority.)
What kind of community?
A really important and valuable aspect in St Mary’s past (which has a number of very
ambiguous elements also I am afraid) is connectedness with community, welcome.
And a welcome to Christ.
3. Do you have enough to move forward?
You have all that you need. I have looked at summary of your financial resources and pleased that
this church does have what you need. To repair the rectory to house your new minister.
What other option? We must get on with it now!
God has given St Mary’s what it needs. Some is already in the budget and the churchwarden’s accounts. Some is still in the pockets of the church members.
A call to generosity and trust.
God has been gracious. The provision of Michael and Beth Spence, and John Sanderson.
Unexpected and a sign that God has plans for you.
Will you be part of them?