Temporary Assistant Archdeacon's Charge

 

Swearing in of Church Wardens

Visitation

Hastings Archdeaconry

2025

Charge

Psalm 84

1 Corinthians 3

John 2:12-end

 

It’s not every day that I find myself in a room where I’m sure most of the people are about to swear at me! [I stole this joke from Tom. At Eastbourne they didn't really seem to get it but folk at Crowborough kindly laughed.]

It’s a pleasure for me to be with you again like this.

But it’s an even greater pleasure to say that next year, God willing, if everyone stays well and avoids promotion, we should have a full cast of full full-time Archdeacons, and I can spend my summer evenings cultivating my garden, or something.

In particular, you will have heard that The Revd Russell Dewhurst has been appointed Archdeacon of Hastings.

[I said some nice things about Russell here. I won't embarrass him by posting them on the internet] 

 

I think we could perhaps add another unofficial oath to the swearing in tonight.

If you do solemnly and sincerely declare that you will read all the papers you have been given carefully, I won’t read them all out to you now.

 

Perhaps I could encourage you to take an interest in the new Parish Dashboard for safeguarding with your safeguarding officer.

This will give a live tool which will allow every PCC member to see how your parish is doing.

 

I have been reflecting on what might be a good collective noun for church wardens.

Perhaps you could tell me your ideas afterwards.

Perhaps a maintenance.

Maybe even a mission.

Hopefully a collaboration.

 

Last time I took this service, I suggested encouragement.

Today I want to leave you with a grander churchy word: edification.

Edification.

Building up.

 

When the Psalmist speaks of God’s dwelling place does he have in mind heaven, or the temple in Jerusalem, or both?

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord.”

That could certainly be said of the Old Testament temple when the Psalm was written.

One way of thinking of the earthly temple is as modelled on God’s heavenly throne room.

With the royal palace, the Jerusalem temple would have been by far the most impressive building in the nation – a bit like our Westminster Abbey and Palace of Westminster, perhaps.

You can read the elaborate instructions for the tabernacle and temple construction in the Bible, and the accounts of their making.

It would have been lovely, overwhelming.

 

I hope you can say of your parish church:

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord.

 

Perhaps you would say it’s too large or too small.

And too cold.

And leaky.

And not in the right place.

And could do with wifi and a loo and better parking and…

Nevertheless, I hope you have a soft spot for it.

 

We all have to try hard not to covet the facilities here.

 

I hope, even if your parish church has its challenges, you find ways to make it serve your mission and ministry.

And that in itself it provides a witness in your community of the priority and centrality of the worship of God.

Perhaps your church building has been a pointer to the glory of God at the heart of your parish for centuries.  

 

Let me urge you to see the building up of the church as part of your vocation as church wardens.

You may of course wish to be a benefactor of the arts and install some marvellous new paintings in the parish church, having carefully checked permissions with the DAC, of course.

Or to build a new chapel or children’s area or office.

Perhaps it will be all you can do to have the gutters cleaned.

Archdeacons always have to urge the cleaning of gutters.

It’s a kind of secret law.

 

I know a priest who used to say to his PCCs: Me liturgy; you gutters.

There’s something in that.

It would be good if the Vicar didn’t have to spend too much of her time shovelling pigeon poo out of the tower.

But nevertheless I hope we could all give ourselves together to the building up of the church, each in our own ways.

And by that I mean not only the maintenance of the parish church.

Priest and people together will care for the building.

But even more important is that we all work together to build up our life in Christ in our Christian communities.

 

The line the New Testament draws from the Temple is not so much to the parish church but to Jesus.

Jesus – not Jerusalem – is now the place to go to meet with God.

All the fullness of God dwells in him bodily.

He tabernacled and pitched his tent and dwelt among us.

Jesus was a walking temple radiating to the eyes of faith the glory of God.

How lovely is the Lord Jesus!

Let us long for him, and dwell with him, and rejoice in him.

He is the ultimate place of sacrifice.

The one to whom we come to be put right with God.

If we want to know God, we don’t have to go to a building but to the Son of God.

 

So I hope you’ll be able to introduce new people to your parish church in the next year.

But our great hope is not only that they will join the rotas and the planned giving scheme, but that they might have a life transforming encounter with the Lord Jesus.

 

The individual Christian believer and the Christian community are temples of the Holy Spirit in which God dwells.

It’s probably a cliché to say to you that in Bible terms the church is not the building but the people.

There’s no Bible verse to say that the parish church building is the house of God, but that’s precisely what you (if you’re a Christian believer) and your Christian community are.  

The dwelling place of God where he especially meets us to bless us, the new and better temple, is the gathering of the people of God around the word of God, to share the sacraments, in the power of the Spirit.

Will you value your brothers and sisters as the precious temple of God, and treat them with reverence and holiness as indwelt by the Spirit of God?

 

Will you look to build them up and to build up your life together?

 

Individually and communally, we are a house, a temple, built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, a spiritual house in which God dwells.

Each of us is a spiritual stone integral to that spiritual building.

Let us up build this precious house with the pure gold of God’s word.

 

Let us care diligently for our church buildings and see them maintained and improved.

But let us above all look to the life of God in us, the presence of Christ, the power of the Spirit.

 

Thank you for all that you have done, and do, and will do.

 

Thank you in particular to those of you who are giving a lead in your parishes in a time of vacancy.

We appreciate the demands of this and we’re especially grateful to you.

 

Let me encourage you to take advantage of the church wardens’ training that is on offer.

Afternoon and evening sessions are available.

Even if you’ve been doing this for a while, a refresher might be helpful.

We’re aware of experienced church wardens who have stood down without a great handover, for example.

 

Sometimes your work will be hard.

But may you also find it lovely.

May we rejoice in the living God even more than we rejoice in a watertight roof or a balanced budget.

May you be blessed, happy, as you trust in the Lord, the God of Armies.

Blessed are those who dwell in God’s house now and for ever.

Blessed are those in whom God dwells by his Spirit.

 

Better one day of service to the living God and his eternal purposes than a lifetime with your feet up in front of the telly, though I hope you’ll also find time for rest and relaxation, as well as your own building up in the faith of Christ.

 

May the presence and power of God in you and with you be your strength.

 

May we be an edification of church wardens and clergy in this year ahead.

 

And so to God the Father…

Peace or despair? Or a radical hope?

 

There are two equal and opposite errors. One is to say “peace, peace”, when there is no peace. That is, it is to claim that everything is fine and all will be well, when there are serious problems which ought to be faced. In fact, there are gross sins of which we ought to repent. Perhaps few today would say that all is health and blessing in Albion, so maybe we’ll address that further on another occasion.

 

Maybe we are more tempted to think we are off to hell in a hand cart. Some of us may be Eeore-ish by nature. We may see worrying signs and trends in church and state. We fear the future.

 

But we must not give in to despair. We would do well to remember that England and the West have had more than their fair share of troubles in the past. In fact, God seems to love a pattern of death and resurrection. We might think of Alfred’s founding of national life. Or some of the monastic reform movements of the middle ages. Or of the Protestant Reformation. Or the evangelical awakening. It turns out that these dry bones have been revived before. The body politic and the body of Christ can live!

 

So what are the needs of the moment? Always revival involves repentance and prayer. It involves a new sense of God and his holiness. Of the wonder and urgency of the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

But we might also mention hope. Prognostications of doom can be self-fulfilling. The gloomy and despairing are not always attractive. “Come follow me, we’re going to be defeated and it’ll be miserable” is perhaps not a great rallying cry.

 

It is obvious to even the casual observer that the West has lost its way. We have said that we come from nothing and are for nothing and it is unsurprising that teenagers don’t see why they should leave their bedrooms. We have said that all is meaningless and so there seems no point in exerting myself for anything unless I happened to be moved to do so. And I sometimes find myself moved to social media, or video games, or drink or drugs or…. So….

 

We need to say that the hope for the world, for civilisation, and for your soul is Jesus Christ. He is Lord. And you were made for friendship with him. His Kingdom has come and will come, and will triumph over all. This seed will be the largest tree in the garden in which the birds of the air may come and nest. The yeast will penetrate the whole dough. This rock not made by human hands will be the largest mountain that will fill the whole earth. The world will be full of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. Jesus has defeated sin and death and hell. Love wins. The light is coming. The gospel day has dawned and we must walk in the light. Perhaps we will see its noon day brightness but this is a flame that will never die. Jesus will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

 

Christians can say to our young people: here is something good and proven. It is hard, and wonderful. And it works. Maybe Jesus will have you found a school, or a hospital. Or raise a family. Or grow a business. Or preach his word. Or win one soul. Or be a godly bin man or woman. Or perhaps die a martyr. Who knows! The options are many. But you can be sure of his grace and power. A life lived for Jesus will matter. And God sees all. Why not start today on the great adventure of following the Way, the Truth and the Life? That is really the only hope, and it is a race we can run with joy and confidence, knowing that Jesus has gone before us and is with us, and will delight to give us the prize of eternal glory which far surpasses all the baubles of this passing world.