Aidan for Today

Last week, I was able to spend a couple of days on Holy Island, once more. The main reason was to accompany my son-in-law, Tim, who was keen to go and see the island, and to explore Celtic spirituality. We were able to spend some quality time together, as well as giving each other space to commune with God and nature. It was a refreshing time for me: I always draw fresh strength and inspiration not only from the place but from the stories of saints who lived there.

As it happens, yesterday was St Aidan's Day. All 3 of our churches combined for the main morning service, principally to say farewell to Rich, our youth minister, and Kathryn, our administrator, who are both leaving us for fresh challenges. It was also an opportunity to reflect on the continuing challenges of our contemporary mission and in my sermon I linked St Aidan with God's mission today. I have been asked to post the sermon on my blog, so here it is:

 ST AIDAN’S DAY SERMON – Mossley Hill Parish Church Sunday 31^st August 2014

A monk was once confessing to his friend that he was troubled with impure thoughts towards women. There was a pause as his friend decided on how to respond and then he said, “Great! It shows you’re alive!”

That’s the thing about passion: it shows there is life and energy in you whether that passion is for sex, football, food, shopping, your favourite hobby, a celebrity. It involves an intense feeling perhaps so strong it almost hurts. It’s a sign of life. Every passion needs disciplining and channelling, of course as unbridled passion can be dangerous. Nevertheless at least it shows that something is going on deep within.

Paul had a passion for the gospel. “Woe is me,” he said in the old translation, “if I preach not the gospel.” Paul’s commission came from Christ himself at that momentous meeting on the Damascus Road. It led to a real passion for God and for the good news of the Gospel. And what marks out the man or woman of God is that passion for God and the good news; they believe it intensely and want others to believe also. Paul’s passion was also his commission. 

Today we remember another saint, this time one of our own. St Aidan died this day in 651. He has been rightly described as ‘the apostle of England’. His commission came not directly from the Lord, as in Paul’s case, but from King Oswald of Northumbria who promised God that in return for victory in battle he would have his kingdom evangelised and united around the Christian gospel. So it was that Aidan came from Iona to preach good news with his band of monks.

Here are a few facts about Aidan:

·         He established a monastery on the holy island of Lindisfarne.

·         He trained many in prayer and knowledge of the scriptures.

·         He sent them out on mission.

·         He walked rather than rode, as any other man of his social status might do, enquiring of people along the way whether they were Christians. If they were he blessed them and encouraged them in the faith. If they were not he shared with them the good news of Jesus.

·         He gave away his possessions and used any money given to him to liberate slaves, so that they also might train as monks.

One of my favourite passages in Bede’s account of the early English church concerns the reaction that Aidan’s monks would receive as they entered a village. People would come out to welcome them with joy. The monks would bring with them perhaps food for the poor but also the good news of Jesus.  Many found peace for their souls with the promise of everlasting life, and in time the kingdom of Northumbria and even the nation were united around this Christian faith.

We stand today in succession to Paul and Aidan. We too have a commission and hopefully a passion. Unlike Aidan we don’t need to build monasteries, we have cathedrals and parish churches. We don’t need to train monks, we have our congregations. We can have the same passion for God and the good news. Our buildings can be mission stations, gospel resource centres. Our people – YOU! - can be trained as people of prayer and of the word of God to tell others. That picture of the monks being welcomed joyfully would be a wonderful description of how people might greet us. Wouldn’t it be great if in our places of work, in the supermarket, amongst our friends, in our homes, people delighted in our company because they could hear from us the good things God has done in history and in your life today. Wouldn’t it be great if people found us to be people of hope, integrity, joy, truthfulness to light up their lives? Wouldn’t it be good if every one of us was able to speak of a God of love; of a Saviour who died that they might be forgiven for any mess they’d made of their lives or ever could make;  and speak also of a Spirit of peace, of comfort, of healing and inward strength.

Did you know we had a murderer here in church just three weeks ago? He was passionate alright; we couldn't stop him talking. He’d had a terrible childhood, twenty years in prison. He’d got caught up in the drugs culture and in gang wars and it was in such a fight that he killed another gang member. While in prison, he met Christ through godly people who told him of God’s power and forgiveness. I don’t know about you but I long to hear more stories like that; of people whose lives have been transformed because they have found the grace of God. This can happen if we release that passion for God and his gospel. Sometimes I fear we are so preoccupied, anxious even, for the future of our church, its worship, buildings, finance – so anxious that we forget what we are here for. Our passions should be for God, and only afterwards for his church. But so often our passion, our energy is dissipated by the sheer slog of trying to keep things going. We must reach out; we are under commission; we must release that passion.

So let your spirits be raised today. We bless Kathryn and Rich with a sense of sending them out into the next phase of their life; nursing for Kathryn and for Rich maybe ordination. May they know a passion for God in their hearts.  Meanwhile we welcome another Kathryn as our new administrator and soon we will welcome Bill Addy as a new leader in mission, based at St Barnabas. His arrival releases me and Alan at All Hallows and Mossley Hill Churches respectively.

But please may there be no talk of full time and part time vicars; we are not reverting to the old model of one vicar one church. Let’s remind ourselves continually we are part of a new missionary movement for the conversion of our land. It’s not unlike Aidan’s day when many were fearful, confused and ignorant of the gospel story. You will have heard of the heightened terrorism alert this week; we have also been shocked at the terrible revelations of child abuse in Rotherham. In Aidan’s day people also lived in constant fear of starvation, disease, invasion by foreign or neighbouring armies. The gospel brought peace to their land and peace to people’s souls as they realised that they have here no permanent home; they could look forward to heaven as their eternal rest; and such confidence made them men and women of courage and hope. Such, also, we can be.

We begin a new chapter next month. I know that Alan and I both feel a rising tide of excitement at the new possibilities.

So let us worship with joy: let our passion be for God and his gospel:  let us be inflamed by the Spirit of God, that we may fulfil our commission. Amen.