CEO farewell sermon
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By Dr Ray Cleary 20 June 2010 I want to begin tonight with two quotes. Not from scripture, that will come later. The first from Martin Luther King:
The second by Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
He went on to say:
Both King and Tutu had their faults and vulnerabilities. They were aware of their own fragility. Many opposed to their prophetic voice sought to “bad mouth” them as we say, in order to discredit their message. Both men experienced in their own lives discrimination, exploitation and rejection, yet both were inspired and remained committed to the story of Jesus Christ, the face and presence of God. In the face of great adversity their faith in God remained their rock and strong hold. They both had dreams, a dream which was inclusive of all, a dream of liberation, of redemption, of restoration and of hope for the whole of creation. Time and time again in their struggles they were resilient, a resilience grounded in the integrity of God and belief in the potential of each and every member of the human family if they were given a chance and an opportunity. I have been inspired and enriched by their belief, passion and commitment to God’s passion and unconditional love and generosity in the midst of darkness and brokenness. Many others have also. I have also been encouraged by the many staff and volunteers who have shared a similar passion and commitment over my life’s work and participation by listening to the voices of the voiceless, and those for whom life has been a struggle and whose innocence betrayed or corrupted. I have recently returned from Hong Kong attending a gathering of over 3,000 community workers and activists from a new world, many of them Christians, addressing global poverty and disadvantage. The themes of the conference resonated with a similar one I attended a few years ago, organised by the Anglican community of South Africa prior to the 2008 Lambeth conference. This was not a conference about sex or about the instruments of the Anglican communion, or about who’s in and who’s out, but rather about:
Three key words remained with me at the time: - Compassion - Service - Social action They are words central to Anglicare Victoria’s work, past present and future. They are central to the message of the Gospel. They are words which remind us that our salvation remains broken and diminished when our brothers and sisters are exploited, abused, forgotten or victimised. We cannot ignore or forget our responsibility to the other. When good men and women remain silent in the face of injustice and exploitation evil flourishes. Some of it hidden, other “in your face” as we say. This year’s Gospel readings at the Sunday Eucharist focus our thoughts and reflections on the Gospel of Luke. How much do you know about the society in which Jesus grew up and lived his life? We know he was a jew, he attended the synagogue, he went around preaching, healing and proclaiming the Good News, and what sort of society did all this take place in, and how did it effect the way he spoke, the way he acted, his relationship with family and friends, his expectations and hopes. Luke’s Jesus reflects that his life and mission was in the context of the Roman Empire and this environment is the “framing story”. The empire promised peace, security and equity, through exploitation and domination. The losers were: - slaves - labourers - tenant farmers - women - those on bordering neighbourhoods. In short, these were the winners and losers. Luke I have to admit is my favourite Gospel. I like his earthiness and candour as he writes of Jesus from his experience as a pastor of an eclectic community, not unlike those of us gathered here in this Cathedral tonight I suspect - believers, agnostics, sceptics and seekers. Luke framed his Jesus in a similar framing story. Luke invites us, hopefully encourages us, to enter into a conversation with him on the extraordinary life of Jesus and his meaning in today’s post modern world (today’s framing story). He reminds us of the responsibility associated with privilege and our responsibility to each other. Today we live in a world of constant transition and unease with itself. Some of us seeking the perceived or otherwise described romantic view of the past while enjoying the privilege of the present. We forget a world without antibiotics, sanitation, exploited children and women, two Great Wars and the Depression.
As I thought and reflected on tonight’s Gospel story, I thought how I have changed, how my approach to Scripture and ministry have changed. I do not identify with the God Richard Dawkins speaks about, nor the judgemental or punitive God out to pay back for my mistakes, nor a moralising God which we so often speak or hear about. Instead for me belief in God is a liberating and enriching experience testified and present in the person of Jesus, and those of us who confess faith are called to embrace and to work with all men and women of good will. A faith perspective on life, embracing a divine initiative and a continuing presence, encapsulated in a dream and vision embracing what we call the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom embracing justice for all, and to be ultimately fulfilled in God’s time, a journey often without sign posts and final destination. I engage regularly in debate, arguments and discussion with the God of Scripture about the Church and the world, and as a “God botherer” as some describe. I have sought to bring to my ministry dimensions and expressions of the divine, in today’s world which goes beyond the clichés, or religious language but rather to the heart of God as compassion, justice, mercy and redemption. God and I, even at times, I suspect agree to disagree.
This I suggest is the message of our Old Testament lesson from Micah and tonight’s Gospel. It proclaims the heart and soul of God as deeply and eternally committed to his people. It calls us to be agents of his love, partners in building a common humanity, bearers of God’s radical character and finding his presence in the struggles, pain and celebration of life, as John says in his Gospel.
So may we with heart and soul be bearers of this divine imperative. Amen. |
