Sermon: Matthew 9: 35-38 Harvest Workers

Boys and girls, I’ve got a question for you today. What would you like to do when you grow up? Maybe some of you would like to be a police officer, or work for the fire service. Maybe you’d like to be a journalist or a sports star. Maybe you’d like to be a doctor or a nurse.

This morning I want to challenge everyone here - boys and girls, mums and dads, grannies and grandas and everybody - to become a harvest worker. You can’t be too young for the job; and you’re never too old for the job - you can start today; and you don’t even have to give up whatever job you already do.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself - what’s involved in this job as a harvest worker? What would I have to do? What are the hours like? What’s the pay like? And I have to be upfront with you - it’s a fulltime commitment, but the rewards are out of this world. So let’s look at the job advert from this morning’s Bible reading.

In Matthew 9, we find that Jesus has been travelling through all the towns and villages. And what has he been doing in all these places? ‘Teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.’ (35) Jesus has been teaching, and preaching, and healing. He’s sharing the good news about his kingdom; he’s putting wrong things right. And as he goes about the country, Matthew tells us what Jesus sees:

‘When he saw the crowds...’ (36)

What do you see when you see a big crowd of people? When you walk into the school assembly hall full of teachers and pupils, what do you see? When you walk up the street in Portadown or Armagh or Belfast, what do you see? You might know a few people: you normally bump into someone you know; but even the people you know, never mind the people you don’t know - what do you see?

Jesus sees the crowds of people, and he feels something:

‘When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them.’

Jesus sees the crowds of people, and he cares about them. He feels for them. He had compassion on them. That word compassion means to suffer alongside. Jesus sees the people, he knows what they’re going through, and he has compassion for them. He’s concerned for them. He enters into their situations and their suffering, and cares about them - because he loves them.

And why does Jesus feel this way?

‘When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’ (36)

When Jesus sees the crowds, he sees their situations, he sees their hearts, and he sees that they are ‘harassed and helpless.’ Perhaps you feel this way today. Perhaps you know what it’s like to be harassed and helpless. You’re stressed out; feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders; knocked down or knocked out; and you don’t know what to do, or where to turn; feeling all alone, without any flicker of hope.

Matthew gives us a picture of what being harassed and helpless is like - ‘like sheep without a shepherd.’ Normally the sheep follow the shepherd, and are protected by the shepherd, and are provided for by the shepherd; but if they have no shepherd, then they’re lost. They feel harassed and helpless and don’t know where to turn.

And that’s how people are when they’re not following the Lord who is our shepherd. And so Jesus sees the crowds, he sees their situations, and he has compassion for them. Do we see people the way Jesus sees them? Do we care for people who don’t know Jesus? Do we care that they’re harassed and helpless, that they don’t know the shepherd Lord?

And what Jesus sees leads him to say something. Do you see what Jesus says:

‘Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”’ (37-38)

He says that there’s a big job to do, but there aren’t enough people to do the job. There’s loads to do, but not loads of people to do it. There’s a big harvest to gather in - it’s plentiful; but there are a small number of harvest workers. Do you see the problem?

A plentiful harvest but few workers. So what needs to happen? What do you need if there’s more work than there are workers? You need more workers! Do you see what Jesus says next? ‘Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’

Jesus tells the disciples to ask for more harvest workers. And who is the Lord of the harvest? Who is the person who owns the field, that we have to ask? It’s Jesus!

Jesus tells us to ask him for more harvest workers - to pray for more people to go out and gather in the harvest, as they share the good news of Jesus the king. To be a harvest worker is to tell people about Jesus, and to bring them to Jesus. And there is more work to be done. More people who are harassed and helpless need to be brought to Jesus. And so we need to pray for harvest workers - people who will share the gospel wherever they are, or wherever God sends them. Because here in Richhill and in Northern Ireland and right around the world there is a harvest to be gathered in.

So Jesus sees the need; and he says to ask him for harvest workers; and finally, Jesus sends out the workers. The disciples are told to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. And the very next thing that happens is that their prayer is answered. The Lord of the harvest does send out workers - and who does he send? He sends the disciples! The disciples were the answer to their own prayers.

That’s sometimes how God works. We might see a particular need; something that needs to be done. And so we pray to God, asking for more people to work with young people; or for someone to start a seniors outreach; or whatever it is - and we find that we are the answer to our own prayers, as God sends us to do the thing that is on our hearts.

Today is Vocations Sunday in the Church of Ireland. It’s a reminder that every Christian is called to ministry. Each of us is called to use the gifts God has given us to serve him and other people. Each of us is called to be harvest workers, as we point people to Jesus and bring them to Jesus. So pray for harvest workers - for people to go out into God’s harvest field at home or away - and then see where God sends you to work in his harvest field.

It may be that God is calling you to ordained ministry. Consider it seriously, and carefully, and prayerfully. I’d love to chat with you about it.

Jesus sees the need - people who are harassed and helpless - and he feels compassion for them. Jesus says to pray to him, asking for harvest workers because the harvest is plenty but the workers are few. And as we pray to the Lord of the harvest, we’ll find that Jesus sends us to be harvest workers. Let’s pray now to the Lord of the harvest, as we ask, and offer ourselves in his service.

This sermon was preached at the Family Service in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 15th September 2019.

Sermon: 1 Corinthians 12: 4-20 God's Gifts

Thursday nights when we were growing up was always an exciting night. After dinner, we would go to get the big grocery shop. And that meant that it was new cereal night. We didn’t tend to get the same cereal week after week. Instead, we’d pick whichever one had the best toy inside, or the most unhealthy E-numbered filled cereal. Most weeks, my brother and I would agree, but on the odd occasion, when he wanted Frosties and I wanted CocoPops, our eyes would suddenly light on the genius of Kellogg’s cereals - the Variety pack.

Eight little tiny boxes of cereal, each different, and a solution to all our troubles! Each morning you could try a different one, and you wouldn’t have to eat the same cereal all week. Mr Kellogg knew what he was doing when he made the Variety pack. Cereal for everyone, and all different.

I was reminded of Kellogg’s Variety when I read our New Testament passage for this evening. But rather than small cereal boxes, Paul has in mind the great variety of spiritual gifts God gives us, and the ways in which we use them. I thought it would be good to focus on them, as we come together this evening to commission churchwardens, glebewardens and select vestry members from our Rural Deanery. Over the next few minutes, we’ll think about God the giver, God’s gifts, and God’s good design.

In verses 4-6 we see God the giver. And that’s a really important thing to remember as we begin to think about spiritual gifts - they are gifts, given to us by God. Listen out for the common words as we read those verses again:

‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.’

Three times we’re told there are ‘different kinds’ or ‘varieties’ (ESV), and three times we’re told there is the ‘same’. Do you see what Paul is saying, underlining and putting in bold? There is one God, and he loves variety. It’s not just that there is one spiritual gift available; there are many. It’s not just that there is one kind of service (and he’s not talking about Morning Prayer or Holy Communion there), there are many ways of serving the Lord.

Do you remember Henry Ford’s words when the Model T was first launched? You can have any colour, so long as it’s black. There was no diversity or variety there! But God doesn’t work on a mass production line - he shapes us and makes us individually - no two of us are the same!

Now if you were following closely during the reading, you might have noticed a clue as to why this variety is available. It actually goes to the heart of God’s nature and being. Look again at the verses - ‘different kinds... but the same Spirit... different kinds... but the same Lord... different kinds... but the same God.’ Paul shows that God is, in his very nature, variety in unity - three persons in the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Just as the three are totally united in purpose and love, so God showers his gifts on his people.

Do we recognise and remember that our spiritual gifts are gifts - given to us by God the giver? That, in the words of the children’s song ‘I just thank you Father, for making me me’? Or do we claim the credit as our own? When someone thanks us or praises us for something we do, do we keep it to ourself, or do we give the praise and thanks to God the giver?

God the giver gives gifts. Coming up to our wedding, we spent several afternoons in Debenhams and Smyth Pattersons (Lisburn), compiling our gift list. We went around the shops, writing down the things we would like to receive as gifts from our wedding guests (so that you didn’t end up with six toasters and twenty cutlery sets).

In verses 8-10, we find a gift list - we’re told some of the gifts God gives. Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking and interpreting tongues. Later in the same chapter he’ll mention a few more. Helping others, administration, teaching. And as we’ve seen, there are even more varieties of gifts.

Just think of the gifts God has given to each one of you, to equip you to serve as churchwardens, glebewardens, select vestry members, secretaries and treasurers. And even if you’re not on a vestry, you too have gifts given by God - in music, in drawing alongside people, in praying, and in so many ways. Perhaps as you read this list, or come across the other gift lists in the New Testament, you might discover a gift that you realise you have; you realise that actually, you have been given wisdom. Or maybe someone else will come up to you and say, you know, I think that you have this gift or that gift, because we’ve seen how you can do this or that. Or maybe this gift list can be like the one we had in Debenhams - and something stirs in you to desire a particular gift.

These are all God’s gifts, given to us, just as the Spirit determines. But they aren’t for us to be the centre of attention, for everyone else to go, oh, look at how gifted they are. No, the Spirit gives these gifts (v7) ‘for the common good.’

What gifts has God given you? Take some time to think about that this week. Pray through the list, and ask God to show you how he has made you, the gifts you have been given. But then - how are you using them for the common good, to build up others? How can others benefit from your gifting?

This comes into sharper focus when we consider God’s good design. When we think of word pictures of the church, perhaps the one that is used most often is the one we find here - the church as the body. Just think of your body, made up of many different parts, each of them different. But together, they make you you. And it’s the same with the body of Christ, the church. Each of us is different, but we come together, baptised by one Spirit into one body, made one in Christ.

At this point, we get closer to the reason Paul wrote about spiritual gifts to the church in Corinth. You see, they were a church with lots of problems - which Paul has been dealing with and answering in this letter. And spiritual gifts were a particular problem. Everyone wanted to have the gift of speaking in tongues, because it was a loud, everyone noticing you type of gift. Those who didn’t have it wanted it; those who did have it thought that everyone else wasn’t a real Christian without it.

But the picture of church as a body shows us how our gifts work together. So imagine your foot says, well, I’m not a hand, so I don’t really belong. That’s nonsense! You need hands and feet both, to do their own particular thing, to pick things up, or to walk. Or your ear pipes up and says, well, I’m not an eye, I don’t really belong. But you need your ear to hear as well as your eye to see.

Paul then gets into horror science fiction movie images, of a whole body of just an eye. You might have great sight, but you couldn’t walk, or talk, or do anything else. So what’s that all about? We’re not to look down on ourselves, thinking that because we aren’t upfront, or aren’t noticed, that our gifts don’t matter. But neither should we look down on others, thinking that their gifts don’t matter as much as ours.

God’s good design is seen in the human body, with each part doing its own job to make you you. And that same design is seen in the church - many parts, but one body. Tonight we commission those involved in vestries, but everyone has gifts to use as we build up the body. Perhaps, Maurice, when we come to it, we need one final commissioning question, asking everyone to stand, asking if we will use the gifts God gives us in his service.

Your role and gifts are important, in fact, they’re vital - but so are everyone else’s too! How are you using the gifts God has given you, fulfilling his purpose and design as we serve him in our parishes, and grow together in love?

Many years ago, I served as Rector’s Churchwarden in the parish of Dromore Cathedral. In the cathedral there are three doors. The Peoples’ warden welcomed at the tower door; there was a rota for the middle door; and the Rector’s warden was at the organ aisle door. And almost every Sunday, behind the door, so no one else really saw it, was a tiny stained glass window. It’s of the boy Samuel, with the inscription ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ I wonder is that our prayer this evening? It’s often as we step out to serve the Lord that we hear the Lord calling us on, to use our gifts as he chooses, to be obedient to him.

God is the giver of all our gifts. He gives the great variety for the common good, to build each other up, according to his good design of the church, the body of Christ. How will you use your gifts to serve him?

This sermon was preached at the Clogher Rural Deanery Select Vestry Commissioning Service in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 29th May 2016.

Goodbye Gazette?

We're coming round to the time of year when my subscription to the Church of Ireland Gazette is due. This year, though, I'm seriously thinking about not renewing my subscription. Could it be goodbye to the Gazette?

For many years I've been an avid reader of the Gazette. At a time in Dromore, there were only two copies came into the newsagents - one for the rector and one for me. It was an amazing source of information on the Church of Ireland beyond my parochial boundaries. I kept up to date on the events in exotic places like Clogher or Cork, Cloyne and Ross. I tracked clergy movements as appointments were made and retirements notified. The letters were infuriating and inspiring - sometimes both. At home home (if that makes sense), there were lever arch files stuffed full of back copies of the Gazette, carefully kept in order - now consigned to the recycling - because who really needs to look back at an old copy of the Gazette from the 1990s?

In recent times the Gazette has modernised its production. Paper copies still exist for some people, but for most, the Gazette entered the digital age. On a Tuesday morning the latest copy of the Gazette appears on my computer screen for my weekly fix of Irish Anglican news. I'll flick through it, read a couple of articles, check who has been appointed where and that's me done.

The way we consume news has changed, leading to challenges for the national daily newspapers and the local weeklies. The same challenge is facing the Gazette in the days of digital news and rss feeds. A high proportion of the Gazette's filler comes from press releases and news items which have already appeared in the previous couple of weeks on the Church of Ireland's news page, or from one of the diocesan news feeds. For that reason, the news in the Gazette isn't news anymore.

I tend not to bother reading the columns or book reviews. Occasionally there is a particularly heretical column highlighted by others which I'll read. The letters page seems to go round again and again with the same old stuff - retired rectors giving current ones stick for not doing their jobs the way they used to; researchers looking for information; and the odd tussle about the latest issue.

So is it really worth the money when I'm only interested in the appointments section, to see who is moving where? I'm sure if it affected me directly I'd hear soon enough, and if not, it probably doesn't matter.

I considered it fleetingly last year. This year it's looking more likely. After all this time, it could indeed be goodbye to the Gazette.

The Church of Ireland in the Plantation of Ulster

On Monday I reviewed Jonathan Bardon's book The Plantation of Ulster. The parts of the book that resonated most deeply with me were the repeated concentrations on the role of religion in the colonisation process. So I want to take some time to think about the evidence Bardon presents, and question how we can commit to gospel-centredness over against our traditional role of state enforcer of religion.

The role of the Church of Ireland at that time seemed to be a political one, with it being seen as a tool for the civilising of the crude Irish. The importance of the gospel was lost amidst the political baggage, unfortunately.

Davies and Chichester were also at one in their certainty that the process of anglicisation must include the full introduction of the Protestant religion, ensuring that the established church - the Church of Ireland - was the sole ecclesiastical authority throughout Ireland. (56)

This issues in the proclamation of King James in 1605 aimed at converting the Old English settlers in Ireland from their Catholicism:

Chichester launched a programme of religious persecution on a scale never witnessed before in Ireland. He now rigidly enforced an earlier law which fined ordinary Catholics a shilling for every Sunday they failed to attend a Protestant church... In Drogheda, Chichester personally led the campaign to force Catholics to attend Protestant services. One Catholic gentleman went as far as the church door but would go no further, whereupon Chichester told him, blandly at first, and then savagely, to go in, and... struck him a cruel blow on the head with his stick. Then the macebearer attacked him so savagely that he fell to the ground like a dead man, and the viceroy had him dragged into church, where he lay insensible and gasping all the time of the sermon, and no one dared approach him. (69)

The man died shortly after. It's hardly a seeker sensitive approach, nor even a gospel minded invitation for people to come in. Once the plantation began in earnest, there was some urging of ministers to come to the pagan land:

Art thou a Minister of Gods word? make speede, the harvest is great, but the laborers be fewe: that shalt there see the poore ignorant untaught people worship stones and sticks: thou by carrying millions to heaven, maiest be made an archangell. (144 - from a pamphlet written by Thomas Blennerhasset, an undertaker planting in Lurg and Coolmakernan in County Fermanagh)

Others became Church of Ireland because it was politically convenient to do so:

The turbulent marchlands of England and Scotland [from whence came the Border Rievers] had not been known for their piety. Here families had hardly been touched by the Reformation. Arriving in Ulster in search of land to rent, they quickly found it politic and economically advantageous to be Protestants. Barely aware of Presbyterian or Puritan theology, they conformed to the state-sponsored church. This explains why such a large number of Protestants in Co. Fermanagh became, and remained, members of the Church of Ireland. (148)

While it appears that King James was a gospel man, his advisors were not thus inclined:

In 1604 the English Privy Council informed Adam Loftus, Archbishop of Dublin, that King James believed 'true religion is better planted by the word than the sword', but Loftus and Thomas Jones, the Lord Chancellor (who was to succeed Loftus in that post), responded that they were unable to see 'how, without some moderate course of coactions, they can be reclaimed from their idolatry to come to hear the glad tidings of the truth.' In short, 'coaction' (force) might be required to bring about the conversion of natives to the reformed faith.(198)

No wonder the gospel has singularly failed to take root in this island! The situation was scarcely likely to improve - the newly appointed Bishop of Derry, Raphoe and Clogher was more concerned with his lands and incomes than with the preaching of the gospel. Similarly, Trinity College Dublin, founded to provide reformed clergy, was sending out on average no more than five graduates per year. The Archdeacon of Clogher in 1622 admitted that 'many of his clergy were "scarce endowed with a mediocrity of learning."' (202)

Tensions between settlers and natives militated against any prospect of mass conversions to the reformed religion among the Gaelic Irish. In any case an alien religion whcih vilified their cherished beliefs and traditions would be preached by men speaking an alien tongue, who often regarded them as pagans, savages and barbarians. Further alienation was brought about by the manner in which the established church imposed its exactions on the native population. Resistance to conversion was strengthened by the eagerness of bishops and clergy of the state church to punish and exploit them through the ecclesiastical courts. (203)

There was another element of sadness in the political machinations, and that centred on the driving out of the Presbyterian clergy. For the first thirty years or so, Presbyterian clergy were welcomed within the Church of Ireland, ministering and preaching the gospel. (Crawford Gribben has written more extensively on this feature of the Church of Ireland at the time). As Bardon writes,

Scottish Presbyterian ministers were readily accepted as parish clergy in Ulster without being forced to subscribe to prescribed liturgy and articles of faith. This explains why there was no serious attempt to set up a presbytery in Ulster until 1642. (203)

But come that fateful time, everything would change.

Wentworth, after denying Catholics the right to public office, now turned on Presbyterians who did not toe the line. Until now the Church of Ireland had tolerated a wide range of Protestant beliefs and practices. This suited Scots very well: most of those settling in Ulster were Presbyterians, who, since they did not yet have their own church here, were content to join the Church of Ireland. And all over Ireland, Protestants in this, the established church, tended to be Puritans, favouring plain forms of worship and dress.
Wentworth was determined to change all that. Bishops using the High Church pomp, ceremony, chanting and liturgy favoured by the King [Charles] replaced the ones that the Irish Protestants prefered. Bramhall... was appointed Bishop of Derry in 1634, and from 1636 he led a court of high commission to supervise diocesan courts and enforce state policy, with the power to confiscate and imprison.

The Presbyterians were driven out, with many fleeing to New England on the Eagle Wing. The Black Oath was the final straw, one of the factors leading to the fall of Charles I and the Civil War, as Clotworthy of Antrim appealed to Parliament on behalf of the Puritans and Presbyterians. But the damage was done, the Church of Ireland was rent asunder, the other Protestants driven out, confirmed by the deprivation of any remaining Presbyterian clergy by Bishop Jeremy Taylor of Down, Connor and Dromore.

It appears that tensions between the churches were magnified in the closing years of the 1600s:

Clergy of the Church of Ireland were particularly alarmed by the influx of Scots immigrants. In several parts of Ulster, Presbyterians formed overwhelming majorities - Jonathan Swift was unhappy at Kilroot not only because he was thwarted in love but also because he had almost no Anglicans living in his parish. Ulster Presbyterians threatened the privileges of the established church and made inroads on Anglican congregations too often neglected by worldly or absentee clergy. (307)

It seems to be a bleak century for the progress of the gospel in Ireland, despite the many opportunities that may have been opened through the plantation. Politics reigned supreme, with the cause of Christ relegated to a minor concern or as a tool to be used to beat and break the natives. While lamenting what has gone before, surely we must heed the warnings and seek to ensure that we are a lively gospel witness, not a tool of government or civil society. An island of lost souls still cries out in need, just as Saint Patrick first heard the call and came to preach Christ crucified. Will we play our part in this, our generation?

Book Review: Gordon Hannon: Some Parson! Some Man

Biographies can be a useful way of getting to know another person, particularly someone from another era. Christian biography can be especially helpful when it shows that saints in previous generations have been through the same struggles, giving encouragement for the road that lies ahead.

Almost ten years ago, a biography was published on the father of a former bishop of Clogher, Brian Hannon, and grandfather of the Divine Comedy and The Duckworth Lewis Method frontman, Neil Hannon. I'd picked it up in a charity shop and had left it on my to-read pile for a while, so finally dived in to see what it would tell me about Gordon Hannon. In some ways, it almost tells the reader more about the author than about the subject - written by Gordon's son David, it is David's opinions and preferences that are brought to the fore.

The introduction highlights the meteoric rise of Gordon Hannon, a canon at 32, rector of Shankill Parish, Lurgan and Archdeacon of Dromore by the age of 41, he suddenly and unexpectedly stepped off 'the career ladder'. This career ladder and the desire to rise is seen in the son's glowing terms of his promotions, and also in this comment on Gordon's short stay in Ballymoney of just three years: 'The fact that he only stayed in the Parish for three years, while learning and practising the exercise of the duties of a Rector, suggests that he learnt quickly and soon mastered the practicalities of what was involved.' The move to Lurgan was then 'an extraordinary leap forward in his career.'

Another sign of the author's opinions crops up in describing how two of Gordon's brothers had been killed in the First World War, and how a friend and advisor of Gordon's had written to him: 'I hope you don't hesitate to pray for the brothers who have been taken from you. Death has not put them beyond the reach of our prayers.' The author then comments: 'A remarkable comment, in direct contradiction of Church of Ireland teaching at the time.' As if, in his mind, the teaching of the Church has changed! We do not and should not pray for the dead - our prayers cannot help them, if believers, they are in Christ and in no need of anything; if unbelievers, they await the last judgement.

One of the most interesting parts of the book, although also the most confusing, was the reason Gordon had given up his 'career ladder' and resigned the parish and Archdeaconry. It all came about through attending a School of Life for Clergy run by the Oxford Group, led by Frank Buchman. There, he realised that his wife 'had no real or meaningful faith' - which made me wonder why he had married her in the first place... The Oxford Group came to be central in his life, later renamed Moral Re-Armament (MRA), which was some sort of philosophical Christianity. The standards of the group centred on the need for change and being totally committed to God, tested in four areas: absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness, absolute love. These were explained and expanded in Gordon's book 'Any Parson'.

Yet this 'special' kind of commitment and organisation seeking to bring change seems to me to be seeking what should be found in the normal Christian life. It leads me to wonder why it took a special organisation to need it? What was lacking in the churches in this period of the interwar years and postwar years? There does seem to have been some sort of change evident in his life - but was this actually a first conversion, rather than some second turning and re-dedication?

The book then traces Gordon's life in serving with MRA, working with Frank Buchman and travelling around the world, before finally coming home and becoming the Vicar of Kilbroney in Rostrevor.

All in all, it was an interesting read, but not one I'd recommend. There were parts where I didn't like the writing style, with bits in present tense, rather than past tense, and it was often bitty in content. It's also hard to know who the book is produced for, unless those in the older generations who would have known or heard tell of Gordon. The book is available secondhand on Amazon for £0.01.

Wedding Bells

Yesterday we gathered in Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church to celebrate the wedding of Rev Adrian Dorrian to his lovely bride, Anne Graham. May they know the Lord's blessing on their married life together as they build their lives on his foundation. We were reminded by the minister of Hamilton Road, David Johnston, that marriage is a man and a woman coming together, staying together, walking together, and serving together.

If you're friends with me on Facebook you can find more photos in this album.

Preaching Away: Coolbuck

Most Sundays, I have the joy and delight of preaching in my own parish church at Aghavea. You'll have to ask my parishioners if they have the joy and delight of listening to me! Occasionally, though, there are opportunities to discover and preach in other churches, and yesterday afternoon was a special one.

This is the little church at Coolbuck, in the parish of Lisbellaw. There's a service here each Sunday afternoon at 3pm (fortnightly in the summer months). It's also not very big, as you might have noticed.



The parish website provides some more details:

"Coolbuck Mountain Church is a chapel of ease lying within the Parish of Lisbellaw. Early records of the church were lost with other parish records in the fire in Dublin in 1922

According to the Griffith Valuation in 1862 a new schoolhouse was to be added to their records. It is believed that the Ford family built it as a school and handed it over to the landlord JGV Porter to be used as a church.

The stonemason was John Johnston who lived nearby in Coolbuck; the agreed price for the building including the boundary wall was eight pounds.

John Johnston was married in the Parish of Derryvullen South to a local girl, Margaret Rinchey of nearby Mountdrum and they had a large family. Many of their children moved to Australia and three of them became ministers in the church. Their grandson was the Stationmaster in Lisbellaw and on the day of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II the family left Lisbellaw by train to start a new life in Australia.

After the First World War services were held monthly and Harvest Services held annually by the light of the tilley lamps. Rev JJ St Ledger opened the church on a weekly basis when he came to the parish in 1958 and this practice still continues. As such, we believe Coolbuck to be Ireland's smallest church building regularly used for public worship.

The electricity was brought to Coolbuck in 1995 with money raised at a Miniature Olde World Flower Festival.

One of the highlights for many in the parish and beyond is the First Communion of Christmas at Coolbuck on Christmas Eve.

The first funeral service was held here in 1979.
Our first baptism was a double baptism in 1971.
Our first Wedding was in December 2005."



This is the preacher's point of view, with twenty-four souls gathered yesterday, the small, intimate church provides great acoustics for singing, and no amplification required for preaching.



With thanks to the Rector, Bryan Kerr for inviting me to lead and preach at Coolbuck yesterday afternoon.

Book Review: The Life and Times of James Ussher

Archbishop James Ussher (or was it Usher?) is the man who is famous (or infamous) for the dating of creation to the 23rd October 4004BC, using the genealogies contained in the Scriptures. But there's more to the man than just this. One of the first students at the newly founded Trinity College, Dublin, Ussher finished as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1625-1656, having helped write the Irish Articles of Faith in 1615 - the foundation for the work of the Westminster divines as they crafted the Westminster Confession of Faith (which impacted on subsequent Reformed Confessions).

All in all, it appears that he was a remarkable man. The author sets out his aim early on in the book: 'The present volume is an effort to place the Irish Primate before the reader as he was in his day - a great ecclesiastic, a profound scholar, and a much-tried Churchman.'

Sadly that's about all I can tell you about Ussher, or even about the book. Consider this not so much a book review as a Kindle format review.

In theory, the Amazon Kindle is a wonderful invention. The ability to carry around with you a thousand books or more in something that fits into your pocket is amazing. A world of possibilities opens before you, of reading and accessing a multitude of books, wider than your regular genres, at a hopefully reduced price. Even better, the range of older books which might be out of print or out of copyright, suddenly re-released to the wider world as their texts are digitised and optimised for consumption.

This is one such volume. First published in 1895 by James Anderson Carr, the work has recently been republished in several hard copy versions (all very expensive), but appeared on the Kindle store for just 77 pence. A bargain! Buyer beware - you get what you pay for.

This Kindle edition hasn't been optimized for the Kindle at all, with the end result being a jumble of text and extensive footnotes all gathered together. It was simply impossible to read the book, as you were never quite sure which bits were the book and which were the notes. While most books with footnotes will have them available at the end of the chapter or the end of the book (with a handy link if you want to read the note), this one obviously tries to recreate the original text with its footnotes at the bottom of the page - except it doesn't work on a Kindle, or where footnotes carry on beyond a page themselves!

The price of the book was small, but the impossibility of the format means I'll not be able to read the book at all. Don't be caught out like I was! Here's the link to the Kindle version. A much better book would be The Irish Puritans: James Ussher and the Reformation of the Church.

Book Review: The Independence of the Celtic Church in Ireland

Eighty years ago, Ireland was celebrating a huge anniversary. It was fifteen hundred years since Saint Patrick had arrived on the island of Ireland as a missionary. The Church of Ireland did much to mark the occasion, with stained glass windows erected in many churches, and the building of the new Saul Parish Church on the site of Patrick's first church a few miles from Downpatrick.

At the same time, the Roman Catholics were claiming Patrick as their own, dressing him up in medieval Catholic bishop-wear, erecting a statue of Patrick on another hill at Saul, and celebrating Patrick the Pope's envoy.

The Independence of the Celtic Church in Ireland does what it says on the tin. The author, WS Kerr, Rector of Seapatrick and Dean of Dromore, sets out to show that the Celtic Church of Patrick and Columba was independent of the Pope's authority and dominion, and thus justifying the Church of Ireland's claim to be the authentic successor of the apostle to Ireland.

Through a series of examinations of the writings of Patrick and other early Christian writings in, from and about Ireland and the Irish Church, Kerr demonstrates that the claims of the Catholic Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin in the early 1930s were entirely unfounded. Noting that Patrick never mentions the Pope or his authority in his writings (The Confession and the Epistle to Coroticus): 'The only conclusion is that St Patrick neither obtained nor recognised as supreme the sanction of the Roman Pontiff for his work in Ireland.' This is particularly so given the fact that his work was opposed. Had Patrick obtained the Pope's command to go he would have relied on this in his defence, rather than the reasons he so adequately does provide.

Similarly, Kerr finds in the writings few traces of later Catholicism, but instead the pure faith: 'Like the "Breastplate" it [the Hymn of St Sechnall] makes evident the evangelical scriptural fervour and purity of the religion of the Celtic Christians.' This is also found later when the Irish monk Columbanus writes to the pope, and declares that: 'For we Irish inhabiting the ends of the world are all disciples of St Peter and St Paul, and of all the disciples who by the Holy Spirit wrote the Divine Canon. We receive nothing beyond the evangelical and apostolic doctrine.' As Kerr notes, it is 'a fine description of the scriptural principles of the Irish Church.'

Kerr also finds that any of the later works on Patrick and the Irish fathers which claim that the Irish Church was Roman are actually falsifications by later copyists for their purposes of propaganda. At times, it was a heavy read to get through the information he presents, but his conclusions are easy to follow and accept.

All in all, Kerr demonstrates that the Irish Celtic Church was independent of Rome for several centuries, existing with its own authorities and traditions, this coming to an end only when the Synod of Whitby led to the inclusion (and suppression) of the Irish Church's traditions on the dating of Easter and the monk's tonsure. His conclusion therefore presents the distinct possibility of being Christian without coming under the authority of the Bishop of Rome as Pope. The vitality and position of the Church of Ireland is defended admirably, in those hot and heavy days.

While the ecclesiastical landscape may have changed in these past eighty years, we would do well to continue to learn from our past, those who established the true faith in this land of darkness, who had passed on the light of the gospel to us, and who expect it us to pass it on to the next generation.

The Independence of the Celtic Church in Ireland would be a good book for students of Irish History, and in particular Irish Church History, and should be found in most good second hand bookshops - John Gowan has plenty of copies for sure!

General Synod 2012

It's been about five years since I've been a member of General Synod, at that time a lay member from Dromore diocese. On ordination, I had missed out on the clerical elections in Down diocese in 2008, and I moved to Clogher diocese about two weeks after the deadline to stand in the clerical elections last year. I voted for our clerical Synodsmen, but couldn't stand. So I've been following the news and updates from Christ Church Cathedral Dublin from General Synod of the Church of Ireland 2012 from afar, thanks to the twitter feed and some facebook updates from various sources.

News emerging from Dublin are that the General Synod have passed the following motion in its session today:

The General Synod affirms that:
The Church of Ireland, mindful of the Preamble and Declaration, believes and accepts the Holy Scriptures as revealing all things necessary for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ;

The Church of Ireland continues to uphold its teaching that marriage is part of God’s creation and a holy mystery in which one man and one woman become one flesh, as provided for in Canon 31:

‘The Church of Ireland affirms, according to our Lord’s teaching that marriage is in its purpose a union permanent and life–long, for better or worse, till death do them part, of one man with one woman, to the exclusion of all others on either side, for the procreation and nurture of children, for the hallowing and right direction of the natural instincts and affections, and for the mutual society, help and comfort which the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity.’

The Church of Ireland recognises for itself and of itself, no other understanding of marriage than that provided for in the totality of Canon 31. The Churchof Ireland teaches therefore that faithfulness within marriage is the only normative context for sexual intercourse. Members of the Church of Ireland are required by the Catechism to keep their bodies in ‘temperance, soberness and chastity’. Clergy are called in the Ordinal to be ‘wholesome examples and patterns to the flock of Jesus Christ’.

The Church of Ireland welcomes all people to be members of the Church. It is acknowledged, however, that members of the Church have at times hurt and wounded people by words and actions, in relation to human sexuality.

Therefore, in order that the Church of Ireland is experienced as a ‘safe place’ and enabled in its reflection, the Church of Ireland affirms:

A continuing commitment to love our neighbour, and opposition to all unbiblical and uncharitable actions and attitudes in respect of human sexuality from whatever perspective, including bigotry, hurtful words or actions, and demeaning or damaging language;

A willingness to increase our awareness of the complex issues regarding human sexuality;

A determination to welcome and to make disciples of all people.

The Church of Ireland is mindful that for all who believe ‘there is no distinction’ and that ‘all have sinned and come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:22–23) and are in need of God’s grace and mercy. We seek to be a community modelled on God’s love for the world as revealed in Jesus Christ. We wish that all members of the Church, through the teaching of the scriptures, the nourishment of the sacraments, and the prayerful and pastoral support of a Christian community will fulfil their unique contribution to God’s purposes for our world.

The General Synod requests the Standing Committee to progress work on the issue of Human Sexuality in the Context of Christian Belief and also to bring a proposal to General Synod 2013 for the formation of a Select Committee with terms of reference including reporting procedures. [ENDS]

The voting numbers were: Clergy: 81-53; Lay: 154-60; Bishops: 10-2.

Church of Ireland Twitter - June 2011

It's almost the end of another month, so here's the latest update to the rankings of twittering ministers in the Church of Ireland. The very sad news is that I'm slipping down the rankings, from 3rd in the very first set (October 10) to 6th equal, despite increasing my score!

The new entry in the top twenty is the pseudonymous Josiah Rowley (should we put a price on unveiling the rector behind the character?), while the Bishop of Cork retains top spot yet again.

Lizzy's Been Bizzy

Hot off the press within the last hour, we're delighted to announce that while Select Vestry was meeting tonight, the new church website for St Elizabeth's has been unveiled. It's still at the Bizzy Lizzy address, but has been completely renewed (reborn?) by Steveo.

On the subject of church websites, just last week, Kevin DeYoung was urging for churches to be welcoming by having a good website. I wonder how our new one meets his criteria?

Church of Ireland Twitter - May 2011

It's the end of another month, and time to update the tweeting clergy rankings for May 2011. The Bishop of Cork continues to sit atop the table, although the Bishop of Down is ascending the rankings steadily each month. There were a couple of high profile tweeters who are now ungraded, and have dropped out of the top twenty, enabling a few new faces to appear, such as Henry Hull and Simon Genoe. Personally, my ranking seems to be in a period of stasis, being joined by Harold Miller and Rob Jones on 78 while Victor Fitzpatrick motors away from me to 81. As ever, the rankings are provided by Twitter Grader analysing the Church of Ireland clergy Twitter list.

Church of Ireland Twitter - April 2011

Slightly earlier than usual this month, but here is the latest rankings of clergy in the Church of Ireland using Twitter, according to Twitter Grader. The Bishop of Cork has extended his lead at the top, while Victor Fitzpatrick has finally wrestled clear of me to take third place in his own right. This is just the top twenty, out of 45 ministers now using Twitter (and listed on the Church of Ireland clerics list).

Aghavea Appointment

This afternoon I'm pleased to announce that I've been appointed as the new Rector of Aghavea Parish in the Diocese of Clogher.



Agha-where? The parish is centred on the village of Brookeborough, in County Fermanagh, and we'll be moving westwards in August from my Curacy in St Elizabeth's, Dundonald. No date has been set for the Institution service, but I'll update the blog when it's all arranged.


View Larger Map

We're very excited about the move, and getting to know our new parish, with the big step from Curate to Rector, from big parish to smaller parish, and from city to rural setting. Our desire is to see the Lord Jesus glorified in the church and in the world, as we proclaim the good news and become more like Jesus.

We would appreciate your prayers over these coming months as we say farewell to our friends and church family in Dundonald and move to Fermanagh.

Church of Ireland Twitter - March 2011

It's the end of another month, and time for another quick look at the Clergy Twits of the Church of Ireland. Some dramatic twists this month, with Craig McCauley dropping out of Twitter, having been in third previously, and lots of new entries - Susan Green, Nigel Dunne, Paul Willoughby (all Cork), and (due to an oversight on my part) Gareth Harron, who jumps in at 6th. The top two haven't changed, with Stephen Neill in second and the Bishop of Cork at one, while Victor Fitzpatrick and myself are still on equal points in joint third...

Church of Ireland Twitter - February 2011

Here's the latest update on the Twittering Clergy of the Church of Ireland, using Twitter Grader rankings for influence. Bishop Harold continues his steady rise, while it's tight at the bottom, with a three-way tie for 17th and another for 20th position, with just 3 points separating the bottom 7 in the top twenty.

Underage

I can exclusively reveal that the new Archbishop of Dublin is... not going to be me! While it would be a quare move from first Curacy to Archbishop, it won't be happening. The Episcopal Electoral College meets today in Dublin to celebrate Communion, consider what is required in a bishop, and to propose and vote on the new Archbishop.

However it's happening just too early for me to be considered. Three months too early, to be precise. You may not realise it, but there are minimum ages for deacons, presbyters (or priests) and bishops in the Church of Ireland: 23, 24 and 30 respectively. Here's what the Constitution says regarding the election of bishops:

12. At every meeting of an Electoral College there shall be in the first instance an informal discussion, after which any member of the College may propose a bishop or priest of not less than thirty years of age for consideration by the College. Each proposer shall state the age of the person proposed and shall give a summary of that person’s academic career and ministerial service. All voting shall be by orders, the bishops if they wish to vote voting as members of the clerical order. The President shall be entitled to vote in the same way as other members of the College. The voting shall be conducted in such manner as the President may determine, and may be repeated once or more often. Informal discussion may likewise precede the taking of any repeated vote. The President’s decision regarding any dispute as to the voting shall be final. The President may adjourn the meeting from time to time. (Chapter VI, Part I, Section 12)

Pray today for the college, the candidates considered, and the proposed new Archbishop.

Church of Ireland Tweeters - January 2011

It's the end of the month, so another quick look at how the Church of Ireland Twittering Clergy are performing. The Bishop of Cork has regained his solo top spot, edging out paddyanglican. The Bishop of Down and Dromore is slowly gaining ground, up from equal 10th to 8th equal. Most scores are increasing, perhaps as Twitter becomes a more useful tool for ministry.

Church of Ireland Tweeters - December 2010

Here's the latest ranking for Twittering Clergy in the Church of Ireland, using Twitter Grader. Together at the top are the Bishop of Cork and Stephen Neill; while the biggest climber was Craig McCauley, moving from joint 11th straight into 3rd:

Rank Name Twitter Username Grade 31/12/10
1= (1) Stephen Neill @paddyanglican 95.4
1= (2) Bishop Paul Colton @b2dac 95.4
3 (11) Craig McCauley @rrrcmcc 80
4= (3) Victor Fitzpatrick @prayspot 75
4= (4) Gary McMurray @garibaldimcf 75
6 (5) Rob Jones @robdjones 69
7 (6) Liz Hanna @hannamanor 68
8= (7=) Alan Barr @alnbarr 66
8= (9=) Daniel Owen @dnlowen 66
10= (7=)Earl Storey @topstorey 64
10= (9=)Bishop Harold Miller@BishopHarold 64
12 (11=)Arlene Moore @revamo 61
13=(13=)Bryan Martin @dromoreminister 54
13=(13=)Robert Ferris @rferris281 54
13=(16=)Adrian Dorrian @adriandorrian 54
16=(15) Trevor Johnston @trevorjohnston 51
16=(16=)Robert Miller @robsmiller 51
18 (19=)Stephen Lowry @shlowry 49
19 (18) Brian Lacey @brianlacey1978 48
20=(19=)Simon Genoe @simongenoe 46
20=(24) Daniel Nuzum @danielnuzum 46