Sermons
from St Faith's
Christian
Unity
The Revd Martyn Newman,
Methodist Minister
Ecumenical
Development Officer, Churches Together in the Merseyside Region
1998-2007
Christian Unity Sunday, January 20th, 2008
This year is being celebrated as the 100th Anniversary of the Week of
Prayer for it was in 1908 that Fr Paul Wattson, an American
Episcopalian minister, began the tradition of praying for Christian
Unity over the course of the 8 days from the 18th to 25th January –
from the Feast Day of the Confession of St Peter to that of the
Conversion of St Paul.
So here we are in 2008 – 100 years on – and many are now asking “How
far along the ecumenical road have we travelled?” “Have our prayers
been answered?” “Have we prayed sufficiently widely, deeply, seriously?”
I want to reflect upon these matters with you over these next few
minutes. Methodist sermons traditionally have 3 points and are based on
a scriptural text. This sermon has 5 points and is based on a picture.
There’s ecumenism for you!
The picture which is the basis for this reflection is the traditional
ecumenical logo. The stole which I’m wearing was very generously given
to me at my retirement by the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the
King. They wanted me to have a stole which reflected the ecumenical
vision – and the ecumenical logo is set in parallel with the Methodist
logo.
For those who cannot see it very clearly, here’s one I made earlier:
What do you see there?
The first thing some people see is a boat adrift on the open sea – the
Marie Celeste, perhaps. No sign of life, no activity, no sense of
purpose. And, say some, that’s a good image for ecumenism today! It’s
true that, outwardly, some of the steam has gone out of the ecumenical
movement and that the ecumaniacs are not so vocal as once they were.
But we have moved beyond making a fuss about ecumenical partnership –
it is taken increasingly for granted, especially at local level, that
we are partners in discipleship. Perhaps Marie Celeste is the right
ecumenical image for us – heavenly Mary. A couple of years ago the
statement Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ was published by the
Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. I have a sneaking
suspicion that this could turn out to be a significant document in
ecumenical relations – I think it scratches where not only Anglicans,
but many free churches, are beginning to itch – the understanding that
Mary, the mother of our Lord, can help us to focus more clearly upon
her son. And if anything comes of it, wouldn’t it be marvellous for any
of us when we get to the gate of heaven and are asked by the Lord why
we think we should be allowed in, if we come up with the clinching
argument: “But Jesus, I’m a friend of your mother.” Marie Celeste!
Some people will look at this logo and say: How do expect this ship to
get anywhere? – it’s got no power – it’s lost its sails – no wonder
it’s becalmed. Certainly the, at times frantic, ecumenical activity of
the last third of the last century has diminished. The burgeoning of
Local Ecumenical Partnerships and Churches Together groups has given
way to a less frenetic kind of partnership working. But that doesn’t
mean that it’s all over – perhaps it means that we’ve come to the end
of the honeymoon period. Perhaps the passion has given way to quiet
contemplation and the joy of working quietly to build up the
relationship. For you notice that, although there are no sails, the
mast is the Cross – and that is the motive power; that is the driving
force of ecumenical partnership – the shared silence of a vulnerable
love, not the noise of a lot of hot air. At Golgotha, after the
hammering of the nails, there was a stillness as the disciples, and a
group of women, and the gawpers from the town, contemplated the mystery
of the Lord opening up the new world. If the ecumenical ship ever
ceases to have the Cross as its driving force, it will simply go round
in ever-decreasing circles until it is lost without trace.
But then some will look at this logo and point to the choppy seas and
say: Yes – now the ecumenical movement is going through turbulent times
- it’s rough weather out there. And for sure, some of us have felt a
bit sea-sick at times over these last years. It’s not all been plain
sailing! No wonder that many of the denominations, not only in this
country but in many parts of the world, appear to have gone back to
their home ports to explore their roots. After all, journeying through
the gales in the ecumenical ocean can be a titanic struggle – and we
all know what happened to the Titanic! Yes, choppy waters there are,
storms there will be, gales come upon us. But they are there to be
faced up to, not hidden from. But just remember this - that the
scriptures remind us that our calling is not to build a bridge over
troubled waters, but to have enough faith to walk on the waters – we
shall only sink if our faith fails.
Others will look at this logo and will simply see a ship on a journey –
it’s at sea so it must be going somewhere. But where? There is no land
in sight. But this is a positive angle on our ecumenical journey. We
know where we start from – but we don’t know where we shall end up. The
ecumenical journey is an exploration in faith. I’m delighted that the
Liverpool Catholic Archdiocese, as it looks to shape the church to meet
the challenges of the next decade, has taken its cue from St Paul’s
final journey and is engaged in a project called “Leaving Safe
Harbours”. Any journey of faith is a risky journey, but unless you’re
prepared to make yourself, your church, your denomination, vulnerable
you’ll not discover the joy of the grace which comes from above,
opening up new worlds beyond our imagining. Perhaps the patron saint of
the ecumenical movement should be Abraham, who “left his own country
without knowing where he was going” (Heb 11.8) because God had made him
a promise. He left the security of the past for the uncertainty of the
future because he had faith in God and obeyed his call.
But then there will be those who look at this logo and point to the
shell which forms the frame. For the scallop shell is the symbol of the
pilgrim. Our ecumenical partnership is not merely a voyage – more
importantly it is a pilgrimage. And the purpose of a pilgrimage is not
merely to reach a destination and to engage in various acts of devotion
there. The value of a pilgrimage lies as much in the nature of the
journey itself as in the destination. Pilgrims walk and talk together.
Chaucer’s Canterbury pilgrims told each other stories, all, in
differing ways, illuminating the human condition. Our ecumenical
pilgrimage changes us as we journey – in walking and talking together,
we learn more about each other, our traditions, our hopes and fears, we
learn more about ourselves, we learn more about our God. Not everyone’s
ecumenical pilgrim journey will be the same. Some will be centred on
mission and action; others will focus on prayer and spirituality; yet
others will be shaped by a theological exploration. But if we have not
been changed on our journey together, then it has not been a true
pilgrimage. If opening ourselves up to one another has not enlarged our
vision and enriched our faith and enhanced our hope, then it has not
been a genuine ecumenical journey. Pilgrimages are not to be undertaken
lightly, for they are journeys when God is working miracles of grace.
In my nine years as Merseyside’s Ecumenical Officer, I was frequently
frustrated – but I do not despair. For beyond the present reality,
there is the vision of the future. Beyond the failure of our own
efforts there is the dream of what God will do. And I pray that none of
us will let go of the dream and that we will continue to pray for
Christian Unity. For Christian Unity is not just about uniting churches
– it is about being a sign and symbol of the reconciliation which is
the will of God for his world.
The readings which we heard this morning spoke about the people of God
taking on the role of the servant of God, following in the footsteps of
him who was so filled with the Spirit of God that the new world broke
in to this one.
That is essence of what praying for Christian Unity is about - that
together we may be faithful in that gospel calling as followers of
Christ. We’ve only been praying for Christian Unity for 100 years – our
task is to carry on praying - till kingdom come.
Pilgrim prayer
Lord God, we thank you for calling us into the company
of those who trust in Christ and seek to obey his will.
May your Spirit guide and strengthen us
in mission and service in your world;
for we are strangers no longer
but pilgrims together on the way to your Kingdom.
Amen.
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