DECEMBER 8TH AT 7.30 PM

Readings: Isaiah 2 : 1-5
Luke 12 : 35-40

‘Be dressed for action’ – those words from the beginning of tonight’s gospel reading always remind me of one of the meetings of the Hampshire Church Leaders that took place a few years ago, with Bishop Crispian and Bishop Michael and others.  We know each other well, and enjoy each other’s company, and sharing in a private atmosphere some of the ups and downs  in our various responsibilities.  At one point, our Baptist colleague surprised us all by saying that a recurring difficulty in his job was about what he should wear in the different churches in his area where he preached on Sundays. This was a bit of a surprise to the rest of us, since Baptist clergy don’t usually wear robes.  He didn’t know whether he was supposed to wear a suit, or a blazer and flannel trousers, open-necked shirt and chinos, jeans and a T-shirt and all stations between them?  And he wasn’t joking – that was obvious!  But you can probably imagine the amusement it caused to the rest of us.  But just in case there are any radical clergy here tonight hoping that I will ‘follow suit’ (so to speak), and take off all my liturgical clothes let me disappoint you! 

Well, tonight we’re “dressed for action” for the formal reception of Charles Sugden as your new Vicar.  And the service will provide some symbolic hints as to what sort of action Charles will have to be ready for in his new post.  For example, in the ‘walk about’ that will follow in a few minutes, he’ll be taken to four places: the font as a focus for the ministry of baptism and Christian nurture; to this lectern here as a focus for preaching of the Word, and conversation with his new flock about the things of God; then down into the nave,  as a sign of the importance of prayer in his and your life together; and finally  the altar-table, where the Lord’s Supper is celebrated.  The robes and the movement indicate not only that they’re special, different from day to day washing, and speaking, and thinking, and feeling, but also that they’re only the starting point  of many other things that he’ll have to do in the course of his ministry, for which he – and you – will need to be ready.  Being ‘dressed for action’ means being ready to take God into some of   the joyous as well as the darker corners of this world, and to find him there, ahead of us, and preparing the ground for us. 

All this  inevitably involves a mixture – of Charles’ aptitudes (what he’s naturally good at) and formation (what he’s been trained for).  But it also embraces the many, different expectations  within this community  about what they should be doing, or not doing, in the years ahead.  Over forty years ago, the Vicar of Locksheath described his patch as ‘a funny kind of parish, surrounded by gypsies and strawberry growers!’  That just shows what a different place it is now.  People come to this church for all sorts of reasons, and with varying degrees of frequency and commitment.  One of the greatest challenges facing a church of this kind is the different ways in which people belong to it.  Convinced and articulate Christians who will come by Sunday by Sunday, regardless of the vicar,  mix with more enquiring, tentative people, who may probably have lots of questions about their lives today but who may remain not entirely convinced that the Christian interpretation of why we’re on this planet holds much water.  It’s all too easy for the articulate and convinced to take over the church from the tentative and the questioning.  Each group needs to be able to make an impact on the other – not an easy or straight forward task to be ready for.

Charles will no doubt want to be ‘dressed for action’ in these and many other kinds of ways, to meet at least some of these expectations, especially after the long gap in time since Peter Ingrams’ departure.  But you and he would be well advised to pause for thought, and even allow this evening’s service to help that process along, rather than simply serve as a springboard for our sometimes over-activistic and over-talkative church to move on to its next phase. Resist the temptation to ‘hit the ground running’.  It is, after all, about you and he – which is why this evening’s first lesson, from the very beginning of the prophet Isaiah, comes to our aid.  God’s mountain, his strength, his realness, is higher than any other, precisely because the ways of this world are judged by his standards.  Put down your weapons, and turn them into ploughs, in order to make the surrounding terrain fertile.  And put down your spears, and turn them into pruning hooks, so that the seed God helps us sow will  be fruitful.  That way, we might become a less edgy and angst-ridden Church, and instead become more prayerful, and more faithful in  witness  to a confused world, which has many questions that I sometimes think we haven’t begun to listen to, questions about meaning, values, brokenness, fear and doubt.  To meet that world of the gospel-reading and its surrounding teaching is about being ready, watchful and vigilant.  Charles, may your ministry here be one of observation, as well as action.  As for the rest of you, (whether you are convinced and articulate, or enquiring and tentative) don’t expect to find Charles in action at any and every moment of the day.  He may be spending his time thinking, reading, praying, or even just resting, so that when action is called for, he’ll be properly dressed, in the gifts of the Spirit, those gifts of love and joy and peace which both the Church and the world so desperately need.

+Kenneth
Portsmouth