The Gray Monk

Tewkesbury Abbey
Trinity 3 Sung Eucharist

+ O Lord, open to us thy word,
and give us grace to know thee better and love thee more;
for thy mercy and thy truth’s sake.
Amen

“All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

Our Collect this morning asks that we, who have a “hearty desire to pray”, may also enjoy our Lord’s assistance in all dangers and adversities. I think I can say that, in the last few days of the week just gone, I have needed plenty of that! St Peter’s epistle speaks of the need for all Christians to be vigilant, to be strong, to be firm in our faith in God and to beware of the temptations and provocations that come at us from every side.

I arrived home from a really enjoyable and welcome break with some very dear friends in Germany last weekend to the headlines in several papers that the crucifix and other Christian symbols had been removed from a hospital chapel in London “because it caused offence” to other users of the “prayer room”. It seemed that the chapel had suddenly been deconsecrated by the hospital’s board and changed from a place of worship and converted to a “space for all faith use”. On being challenged, the management rather huffily replied that “if anyone really wanted them, the ‘decorations’ could be obtained from a cupboard”. In the meantime the floor has been covered by prayer mats and bowls and utensils for washing of hands and feet placed at the door instead of the prayer books and other items normally associated with Christian observance.

In other words, it is no longer a space exclusively for Christian worship. Even in our own hospital in Tewkesbury the wall on which the crucifix is mounted is fitted with curtains – which may be drawn to hide the cross in case it offends someone using the chapel.

Has it come to this; that Christian worship is no longer to be tolerated? That Christian’s must hide the symbols of their faith lest it offend some non-Christian? That it is now up to bureaucrats and politicians to dictate who may display their faith and who may not?

The symbols of our faith are important to us. They sometimes inspire us and sometimes they can actually be a hindrance, distracting us from the real focus of worship or prayer – God. That said, for those who seek comfort in a Chapel, these things may be important to them as they seek to allay their fears, to find answers to difficult questions – or simply ask God for help as they deal with bereavement, impending death or perhaps the diagnosis of some potentially fatal illness. That is why our hospitals have provided chapels. Nor must we overlook the need for the place to have a clear use as a place of worship – something I was reminded of in visiting the former monastery at Eberbach – the great church feels totally lifeless!

Such a space serves a dual purpose. It is a retreat from the world, it is a place to offer thanks and to offer praise. Many find comfort there, and some even find faith there, so it is very sad to have such a space turned into something almost “New Age” in it’s absence of focus. For those already feeling vulnerable, it is something that can cause – and has caused – great distress. It also speaks volumes about the lack of understanding about some of the fundamental differences between faiths!

Do not misunderstand me! As Father Peter reminded me recently, calling on people to “stand up and be counted” is often the call of the bigot. I do not say that provision should not be made for people of other faiths in our consideration of accommodating their needs for prayer, I do say that these should be properly addressed, with full understanding of their needs, symbolism and purpose of prayer in such circumstances. To simply change a Christian Chapel into a “Multi-faith” Prayer Room is not demonstrating respect or understanding for anyone’s faith.

But what does this say of us? What does it say of the Ministry that we bring to the world, that our faith is so misunderstood, that its symbols and worship spaces are so casually treated? Could it be that we are failing to make the Word known to the world in ways that show its true meaning and value?

We speak of Jesus as the “bearer” of the Word, yet this is not correct. He is the Word! If you seek the bearer, look at Mary his mother. That is what sets Christ apart from Mohammed, from the Buddha and from Guru Naranek. They all bore a version of the word, Christ IS the Word. It is our faith that He is the Word Incarnate, something we will affirm in a few minutes in the recitation of the Creed. It is this understanding of our faith which must be restored and which must be brought out into the light of the world if we are to fulfil the ministry we are all called to – that of bringing the Word to the world.

In the alternative lessons for today, St Matthews Gospel tells of the disciples being sent out to the crowds to preach and to teach – sending them first to “the lost sheep of Israel”. As we learn when we read on from there, they did as he commanded and we are told that they found it hard going, just as we do today.

Sometimes, when I am preparing a sermon, I wonder who my audience should be, not because you are not a good audience, but because you are already followers of Christ and we should all be out at the Cross ministering to the passing stranger, the one’s who do not know Christ. But that isn’t the Anglican way is it? So, who are we ministering too and why is our faith so despised and derided that our places of worship are treated with contempt, our symbols of faith seen as “offensive” and our faith itself seen as irrelevant?

Have we allowed our Lord and His Church and faith to fall into the decline suffered by the Ancient God described in Kipling’s Puck of Pook’s Hill, who is choking on burnt offerings offered by priests who no longer even bother to say the proper prayers? For the Gospel message to have relevance in this world and in our society it has to be seen to be working in our lives as we go about our everyday existence. It has to be visible in our work and in our dealings with others.

There is a warning in the words of St Peter:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your enemy the devil goes about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, stand firm in faith, because you know your brothers throughout the world are going through the same kind of sufferings.”

The problem of the removal of Christian symbols from Hospital Chapels is a symptom of the failure of our ministry. Because we are not seen as practicing our religion, others assume it is an irrelevance – something for the superstitious and not something special. The symbols themselves may not be important, the message they represent is – and we have to ensure that their relevance is understood and respected.

We are the body of Christ, we are the sinews, the life, the blood and the breath that keeps that body moving. It is our faith that is it’s heart and it is our faith that must sustain the message of the Gospel and keep it alive. If we fail to do so, if we fail to ensure that the message – and sometimes the places in which that message can be encountered – is respected and maintained with all it’s symbolism intact, we will be failing in our faith. Just as the disciples struggled with their faith on that first missionary journey for Christ, so we must continue to wrestle and struggle with our doubts, our fears and the assaults of an unfriendly and sometimes very biased world.

O Lord, we beseech thee most mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given a most hearty desire to pray, may by thy mighty aid be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen