Vicky Pollard Goes to Church
Sermon at St John The Baptist, Felixstowe – Sixth Sunday of Easter – 5 May 2024
Text: The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, (Acts 10v45)
God give you peace my sisters and brothers.
How can I describe On Fire Mission? The once-a-year prayer-conference-seminar-retreat-thingy that I attended near Stoke on the Trent for the first time last week? It is self-described as a safe place for Inclusive Charismatic Anglo-Catholics and it was overwhelmingly holy. Today I still have a sore throat from overdosing on incense during the daily service of Benediction and the exposition of the Holy Sacrament was like a magnet of love that drew everyone together into one. Things were familiar, there was good solid liturgy, yet different. After all how does one respond to an Introit Hymn set to the tune of the theme from the TV programme Glee?
‘Don’t Stop Believing’ was definitely one of the themes of the week. Surrounded by so many faithful Rainbow Siblings it was a liberating time where it seemed that the done thing was to ‘come out’ as being Straight and learn deep down inside that indeed ‘Love Wins’.
In the middle of all of this I met many old and made quite a few new friends. Amongst the familiar faces was one Robert Hinsley, sometime vicar of this parish, who sends his greetings to everyone here. We had what seemed like days full of reminiscences (worry not no confidences were exchanged) remembering the goodness of the gospel found here amongst the people of this parish. In the middle of this I thanked Robert for his coining of our Parish motto Open to God, Open to All, which is at the heart of our call to follow the Way of the Gospel.
For me this motto was one of the things that attracted me to answer the call to move to Felixstowe and it has been an inspiration every day since November 2015 and I believe it has become part of our identity
Together we have tried to live these words out in our lives and in our community. We have re-visited those halcyon days of the early church discovering anew that God makes no distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female (Galatians 3v28). Like the companions of Peter those around us have been ‘astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles’.
Open to God, Open to All is a marvellous motto and a wonderful rallying call but to live it out is not as easy as it sounds.
To be Open to God, Open to All demands that we change.
To be Open to God, Open to All demands that we allow ourselves to be challenged by our preconceptions and prejudices.
To be Open to God, Open to All demands that we listen to the concerns of a sad and sin-sick world
To be Open to God, Open to All demands that we put the care of others at the top of our ‘To Do’ list; always preferring their needs to our own desires.
But what happens when things go awry?
What happens to Open to God, Open to All when a vulnerable person comes to church and threatens those around them with a walking stick?
What happens to Open to God, Open to All when someone comes for free food and verbally abuses you in front of those you want to serve?
What happens to Open to God, Open to All when your hair is pulled out and you are punched by someone who the very next day demands that you help them?
This is hard and we may be tempted, when faced with such uglinees from those we want to serve respond to our call to be Open to God, Open to All with a ‘Yeah but, no but, yeah’ and transform ourselves into the church of Vicky Pollard. When this happens we are all diminished.
For the dog-collared amongst us threats and abuse can be a commonplace. We expect this. For myself I have been beaten and spat upon, tear gassed, threatened with firearms and arrested, rejected by colleagues and misrepresented by those around me. This is part of the Job Description not just of the clergy but for all who are followers of the Way of the Lord. We are supposed to turn the other cheek, to carry burdens not our own, and to walk an extra mile or two at someone else’s behest (Matthew 5v38-40).
Surely there can be no ‘yeah but, no but, yeah’ if we dare to proclaim that we are Open to God, Open to All? After all isn’t the only response God makes to us ‘Yes and Amen’ ? (2 Cor.1v19-21). Can we offer any less? Can we, dare we, bear all this calumny and abuse and remain un-defended? Not biting back, refusing to turn away those who abuse us and others, and instead learn only to love and then love again?
Sometimes we may find the grace to give our back to the beaters.
Sometimes we may be able to hold the pain thrust upon us.
Sometimes miracles of repentance and reconciliation occur.
But at other times, hopefully infrequently, we find ourselves saying ‘enough’ and, for our own health and the safety of those we are called to serve, we have to say ‘No’ when our hearts are desperate to cry ‘Yes!’
When that happens (and save for those of us destined for sainthood) it will happen, we must needs remember that we are not Christ. We are but pale imitations of his wonderful self-emptying on the Cross. We will not always be able to bear the pain He bore. Sometimes even, we will inflict pain on others. (I know this all too well in my own journey as I too often respond to need with anger and ask those of you here who have been touched by this for your pardon and forgiveness…)
We are, and will remain until the Gates of Paradise are flung wide open, wounded healers. We have not, nor are we ever likely to have, all the answers for the woes of this world. Wanting to bring healing to others we find ourselves wounded and our blood is co-mingled with the blood of the Cross
We must do as much as we can, and when we can do no more we must learn to run to the foot of the cross and plead Nkosi sihawukele – Lord have mercy.
Like Jacob at Peniel, (Genesis 32v22-32) this calling to be Open to God, Open to All sometimes feels as if we are spending the whole night wrestling with an angel so that we may discover who we are. And, at night’s end, we find ourselves exhausted and with a wound in our side as proof of our struggles. All we can do from hence forward is limp.
But it is Dawnrise, and Esau (the brother we cheated), the person we turned away, the one whom we have injured, stands waiting with open arms to greet us and welcome us into the Land of Promise.
Come, limp with me towards the Dawn.
This blog ‘Vicky Pollard Goes to Church’ is copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2024. It may be reproduced free of charge on condition that the source is acknowledged.
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Acts 10.44–48
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ 48So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
Suffolk Vicar 