Wednesday, 1 June 2016

SERMON 79 - SUNDAY 28 MAY 2016

Homily – Sunday 29 May 2016 – West Dean Parish Church –
Team Service to Celebrate 150 Years of Reader Ministry


My colleague Debbie has already spoken to you about the history of Reader ministry, how it started, how it developed and how it impacts on church life today.  I would like to continue that theme with saying just a little about other areas of ministry and in particular those outside of the parish church environment – and in particular pastoral work and chaplaincy.

As well as being licensed as a Lay Minister in the Salisbury Diocese, I have also put my skills to use as an employment lawyer for that wonderful Christian charity, Alabare Christian Care and Support, by serving on one of their management committees.  Having been so impressed by the work of the charity at the top level I felt a call to become more involved at the “coal face” using the skills and training received as a lay minister and so offered myself as a chaplain at Alabare Place in the centre of Salisbury, which houses some 33 homeless people and runs a drop-in centre for those still on the streets or those who have moved on but still need the love and support of a community.  It is immensely rewarding and has made me realise that many who become homeless very often find themselves in difficulty through circumstances which are not necessarily of their own making. Addiction and mental illness, for example, can devastate people and their families.

Jesus said that he had come for the poor and sick (Mark 2:17); that the healthy do not need a physician. We read in the New Testament how he healed many both physically and spiritually and gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples (which includes us) to carry on this work after his Ascension.  It is my strong belief that the church has an immense role to play in the community at large and it is so pleasing to see that places such as here in West Dean, are engaging so well with the community.  The role of ministers of all types, not only ordained, and I include all lay workers, lay pastoral assistants and lay worship leaders, is to spread the gospel of our Lord by being as much like Jesus as our gifts can support.  James said But someone will say ‘You have faith and I have works’. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Chaplaincy is one of the richest of ministries.  It doesn’t require ordination or lengthy theological training but it does require people who are steeped in their Faith and who are good listeners.  In a recent survey conducted by Alabare amongst its service users one of the most popular answers to the question “What makes for a fulfilling life” was “To be listened to and respected”.  It wasn’t about having lots of material things, although a few said it might help! It was simply to be treated as though the person mattered, important enough to be listened to and given an opportunity to be understood. 

I chose to be a chaplain amongst the homeless and the veterans – working within a charity local to us here in Salisbury and which I admire greatly and for whom I already worked. But there are many further opportunities to provide pastoral care within our communities. Chaplains will be found in schools, factories, prisons, hospitals, hospices, courts, football clubs and many other places associated beyond church. As Christians we are all called upon to minister to the people.  The church (with a small “c” – not the building but the community of Christian believers) can be a place where transformation can begin.  Lay pastoral assistants, for example, are to be greatly admired.  They quietly go around the community doing God’s work by helping, supporting and sometimes just listening to others in need or lonely.  In this busy world, made even busier by lots of new technology, it cannot be denied that there are vast numbers of people, especially the elderly who are very lonely.  A visit, a chat, can make an immense difference to their lives.

A great example of chaplaincy within the community is an organisation called Anna Chaplaincy for Older People providing pastoral care to the elderly.

An Anna Chaplain to Older People offers hope of transformation through a blend of friendship and intensive listening, and by sharing the gospel when appropriate. By hearing and reflecting back to people the stories of their life, and their memories, individuals can be helped to make sense of their identity - past, present and future.
A bereavement counsellor has said :
“It is such a privilege to be trusted, and you are trusted. People will tell you things, trust you with things; pearls of wisdom which stay with you, and you think about them. You get so much love from people. You get so much love back. So it's not all altruistic. Not by any means.”

This statement can be replicated for all forms of lay ministry – whether it’s preaching as a Reader or welcoming people at the door of the church or serving coffee on Sunday mornings. 

St. Francis of Assisi is credited as having said

“Preach the gospel always and only if necessary use words”. 

As Christians we are called upon to love our neighbours as ourselves – the Second Great Commandment left to us by Jesus.  We can do this no better than by serving others, listening to others, supporting others and preaching the gospel by the way we live our lives and show our love for those around us in our community.  Then our church will become the great transforming body God wants it to be.

Amen


MFB/79/26052016

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