Hollowed out for glory
From Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
Ordination sermon: Hollowed out for Glory
The Revd Anne Chrisp
Today is a wonderful day for the church. Today we celebrate. Today we are proud to belong to the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Wellington.
Just look around you – what do you see? We see a wonderful gathering of people from near and far - the clergy robed in their best outfits – friends and family - and of course the new shining ordinands.
We hear the tremendous stirring sounds of the organ - the voices of the choir. The words of the hymns. We see the soaring splendour of this cathedral – its magnificent stained glass – the beautiful dossal – the grand sanctuary. The occasion captures us. All this we do, because we believe in a majestic and glorious God. We seek to honour our God. We seek to reflect his glory.
But tomorrow or next week or next year, the church we are in might not be like this. We all know of cold churches with 6 brave souls and an organist who might turn up – or not – and the choir sings out of tune. What is it like then? It is plain disheartening then when the glory and the grandeur of today fades away; and when meetings and completing schedules feel like hard work. What is it like as a parish when you find that the person you have called as a priest or a deacon is not all that you expected? They are after all human, and they won’t be the answer to all your problems as a congregation. For family and friends, it can be downright painful to find that the one you support in ministry gets so caught up in the busyness of parish life that they have less time for you.
As the newly ordained, too, it may be hard to hold on to the glorious promise of today. Ordination is not the ticket to a new comfortable life. Ordination is not arrival, but the surrender to a whole new beginning. In your new ordained life, I wonder what will you do when your pat answers do not meet the need in front of you. Will you have the humility to give up your certainties for the greater compassion of God? Will you empty yourself to bring others life? I hope that you are willing to be so battered by God and the events of life that you will die to yourself. We are all human. We make mistakes, at times we disagree and we are disappointed. However we are not just human. We carry a treasure within. Whoever we are, wherever we are, we are walking containers of God’s love and grace. The glory of God is man fully alive.
Ordination is the beginning of a new life. That new life comes slowly - like planting a seed. We don’t know exactly what these seeds will sprout to be. Some will bring a flowering of social justice, and compassion, others will bring fresh air into prisons; still others to music and poetry, or theological exploration and pastoral sensitivity, to preaching and liturgy.
That glory is not just seen in deacons and priests – but in all of us. We all have seeds of greatness within. All of us are made in the image of God. As priests we foster the fullness of life in others – we nurture, enable and empower them through Word and Sacrament. As Deacons we send that glory out beyond the walls of the church in loving service. As laity, we bring God to the world, carrying God in to our places of life and work. Together we bring God to the world.
That glory becomes visible as we clear out a bigger space for God within. The space is created through suffering and struggle - as we are steeped in prayer – as we die to our human wants and need for approval or success, or pride and position. Those painful places become a new meeting ground with God.
Hollowed out like the vast open space of this cathedral, we have more room to carry the glory of God within us. As we go back in to the world from today, let us remember the splendour of this place. Let us take the hope of glory in our hearts. Today is a wonderful day for the church. The church is glorious in us. The divine Spirit dwells in us. Thanks be to God. Amen.
