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“Then he said to Thomas…. Put your finger here”.

In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy spirit.

 

One week on from the great events of Easter Sunday we read St. John’s

highly-stylized account of the disciples meeting of Jesus,

in the upper room, around another meal, awaiting god’s presence,

where Jesus comes and stands among them- among us- and says:

 

 “Peace be with you….now I send you

with my holy spirit, I endow you

to put your finger here.”

 

Put your finger:

On this knot to keep it taught

On this fold of paper to keep it unfolding

On this plaited cord to keep it from unravelling

 

Put finger…

On the nub of the issue and point it out

 

Put your finger….

On my side…            on my wound and stem the flow….

 

1. Put your finger on this … to keep it together

 

On this fold of paper to keep it unfolding;

 

On this plaited cord to keep it from unravelling.

 

 

Holding together- reconciliation- is first ministry of three

which I want to suggest to us are crucial for the Christian Church.

 

(Prophetic imagination. And Pastoral Attention being the others)

 

1.Reconciliation.  2.Prophetic imagination. 2.And Pastoral Attention.

 

As witnesses to this Salvation Story it every Christian’s task

to reflect a little bit of all this good news in our own lives and ministry.

 

 

In 1945, Ray Davey realised this.

 

Watching from a prisoner of war camp,

he saw the allied fire bombs that destroyed Dresden

and forever changed by that experience

he became convinced that Christians could and should

bring people together in reconciliation.

 

In the years after the War Ray helped found the Coremela Community

as a way of building a more peaceful Northern Ireland. Throughout the troubles, he and that community welcomed people from different sides, providing a way for them to meet safely and promoting tolerance between them.

 

The network of relationships built at Coremla accelerated the peace process and continues to inspire people to live out reconciliation in their daily lives.

 

You will know that this week is the 25^th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and as we mark that turning point it is worth remembering that, though a form of twisted religious life was often at the heart of that conflict

 

so true religious faith was at the heart of the peace-making.

 

Ray Davies story is just one of many examples of how Christians can help

hold things together and thereby to witness to the One

who holds all things together.

 

 

Thinking about the importance of the ministry of reconciliation, I wonder what more we could be doing as a Cathedral?

And I would ask each of us what else might you do in your own life

to put our finger on this cord to keep it from unravelling?

 

2. In addition to Reconciliation, the second ministry to which I believe Christians are called is to Prophetic Imagination.

To put our finger on it on the nub of the issue.

To point out the Truth.

 

This is, of course an altogether more perilous undertaking for the Christian,

but it is nevertheless part of what it means

to witness to Christ’s resurrection and to God’s kingdom.

 

In his wonderful short book, the prophetic imagination, the biblical scholar, Walter Brueggemann explores the role of Christians in challenging norms

and envisioning alternative realities based on God’s will.

 

Central to this idea is the belief that Christians, Using the prophetic gift,

possess the capacity to critique the dominant culture

and energize communities by offering a transformative vision.

 

Rooted in a Vision of Divine justice, mercy, and love,

our words and deeds can reveal the need for change

and inspire hope for a better future.

 

 

 

 

Along with Bishop Bell of Chichester, Archbishop William Temple had long-warned of the moral dangers of RAF Bomber Commands’ carpet bombing of German Cities.  By the time of the tragedy of Dresden, Temple had died and his warnings were not heeded.  For Shame.

However, as Archbishop of York and then as Archbishop of Canterbury during most of the Second World War, Temple had shown great vision and courage, unafraid to challenge the status quo and to speak out against social injustice.

 

He was a proponent of the welfare state, contributing to the eventual establishment of the National Health Service; of improvement of workers’ rights; and of full comprehensive education.

 

Not many of us are called to be the archbishop of Canterbury- thank God-

but we can all- in small ways and great-

witness in our words and deeds to a better order. 

 

Again, I wonder how we as a cathedral are doing in this aspect of our ministry?

and how you are doing in your life?

 

 

Before Temple, came another archbishop , Archbishop Cosmo Gordon Laing.

 

Apart from enduring fame as the inspiration behind the name of the Precenters dog , Cosmo Laing’s ministry reminds us that Christians

“are not only called to preach the gospel but to be a living embodiment of it, demonstrating the love, humility and compassion of Christ in our care of others.”

 

 

3. The third aspect of the Christian’s witness then, in addition to the ministries of reconciliation and prophetic imagination, is pastoral attention .

 

“in times of crisis the Chruch must not retreat into itself” Lang once said,

“ but rather strive to be a beacon of light & asource of solace

to those who are struggling”

 

We are called to put our hand on Christ’s side in those who are suffering.

To live lives that are humane and human-centred.

 

One of the wonderful hidden ministries of this Cathedral church

and of every church is the comfort and care it offers to people in need.

Which many of us here can attest to- myself included.

 

Even over this Holy Week and Easter many people will have received personal attention, visitation, and communion, from ministers, lay and ordained.

 

 

It is a quieter, hidden ministry.  But one of incredible worth.

 

Indeed it has a special worth because it witnesses to the kingdom of heaven where the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

 

“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples”, Jesus said earlier in this same Gospel, “if you have love one for another”.

 

Indeed, as we were reminded here on Maundy Thursday,

when we offer one another this gift of attention we meet the King of Love

who kneels at our feet in order to raise us up him.

 

 

Put your finger on this knot to keep it from unravelling

Put your finger on the nub and point it out

Put your finger on my wound and stem the flow

As I close I want to highlight one perhaps obvious point, which is that there are some activities where all three of these ministries meet as one.

 

And one of them, which we engage in a great deal at this Cathedral,

is WELCOMING PEOPLE.

 

We have just spent a fortnight welcoming thousands to worship and we will be doing so again in another busy term full of services and events-

not least, a weekend of Thanksgiving for the Coronation.

 

 

But this is also an area we are planning on concentrating new energy

to ensure that the welcome we do offer really witnesses our God of Love.

 

 

For me, I pray that, as part of that welcome our Cathedral and Diocese

will be a place where we can straightforwardly

say with our current Archbishops of York and Canterbury

 

that we also affirm- publicly and univocally- that lesbian and gay people

are welcome here

and are valued in this Church

and that we are all children of God.

 

 

 

I believe we must be diligent to keep our finger on the fragile cord that has been carefully worked into place, embracing the blessing that is now possible.

 

 

I also believe we need to continue to keep our finger on the issue

and point out the injustice that has been doled out in the name of doctrine.

 

 

I believe we must- above all- put our hand on the wounds caused by exclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

Last week my two sons joined me and two others in a small midweek communion over in the guardian angels chapel in the far corner of the Cathedral.

 

After the service they were looking at the fine carving of Richard Weston,

Lord Portland, who has lain there, recumbent in bronze, since 1634.

 

As a minister of Charles I, was much hated by the Puritan faction of the Church,

and when they took over this Cathedral

those- so called Christians- vandalised his effigy.

 

 

There are musket ball holes in his gloves and both his feet

just as there is in the statue of Charles himself at the back.

 

 

For me this pierced hands and feet are a reminder of a particular vision of what it means to bear witness to the resurrected Christ

that we must take care to shun and avoid:

One that fires out the same leaden literalism

that enraptured the last Puritans 400 years ago.

One that uses coercion to police its doctrinal boundaries.

 

My prayer is that my sons will never know a church like that

but only know one that puts its hands on Jesus pierced wounds.

A church that exercises its ministry of reconciliation

like Ray Davey in the Coremela community did.

A church that exercises its ministry in prophetic imagination

like William Temple did.

And a church that exercises its ministry of pastoral attention

in the caring of others and in the careful building of a truly welcoming culture.

My prayer is that through a church like this

they and many others and we and many others may encounter

the resurrected Christ who stands among us to say-

 

“Peace be with you….now I send you

with my holy spirit, I endow you

to put your finger here

in my wounded side.”

 

In name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

+ Amen.