Recent Sermons
A sermon preached in Salisbury Cathedral by Canon Mark Bonney, Treasurer on Sunday 31 May 2009
"INSPIRATION AND INNOVATION"
“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1)
It’s wonderful having the Salisbury International Arts Festival with so many exciting and challenging events around us. Installations in the Close and cloisters that make us think – if you haven’t had encounter with Amococo on the west lawn then do – it’s fantastic! There are also concerts of the familiar and comfortable alongside the new and innovative. I expect that more often than not we’re happier with the familiar and are a little reluctant to be nudged out of comfort zones – but real art has always been pushing at boundaries and frontiers and challenging people. It’s interesting that over the years the once outrageous and radical often becomes acceptable and familiar - Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring fro example caused near riots when it was first performed – now it’s standard repertoire performed to polite applause.
Pushing at the boundaries is what we heard about in our first reading from Acts – a pushing at the boundaries of language and imagery – heavenly sounds like a rushing wind, descending fire, a multitude of languages – it presents a vivid description new life – sudden, unmerited and irresistible new life. Not a repetition of the same old stuff – new and vibrant and exciting.
The apostles gathered in Acts were initially involved in a repetition of the same old stuff - The Feast of Pentecost, or Weeks, as it’s known in the OT marked the end of the celebration of the spring harvest – a liturgical cycle that began at Passover and during which devout Jews praised God for his grace and bounty. And among some Jews this Feast of Pentecost was a time of covenant renewal.
Gathered for a repetition of the same old patterns but suddenly finding this renewal taking on a new dimension – it was a new beginning, as every renewal is, a moving forward into new dimensions of being.
If we’ve been listening carefully to the readings over the past few weeks we should be prepared for this – twice the coming of the Holy Spirit has been promised with the words “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” – the promise is now realised in a manner far surpassing expectation. New life for the Church. New life for individuals. New life through the Spirit of God.
And no one is excluded – unlike other moments where only a few have witnessed God’s workings – here everyone’s included – the range of languages includes pretty well everyone in the known world – it’s a reversing of the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis where everything was thrown into a confusion of language – here everyone understands in their own tongue.
This outpouring of grace and new life is for everyone – but not everyone responds positively. Some mock – others think the joy must be alcohol induced. Peter reacts to the alcohol accusation with a sermon – and our passage this morning ends with a quotation from the prophet Joel. The way the text is used is a sign of what Pentecost is about. If you read that quotation in Joel it’s in the context of a forecast of destruction and death – for Peter this has been transformed by the Holy Spirit into a declaration of new life.
The transforming power of God’s spirit runs very deep as it seeks to lead us into all truth – an image of journey and discovery comes to me as I read these words of John’s gospel.
John’s gospel is less dramatic than the account in Acts. It’s an appropriate counter-balance to the effervescence and outward display of that other passage - and many of us are perhaps happier with the less demonstrative features of the Holy Spirit. But John has powerful things too to say about this Advocate, this Holy Spirit.
This Spirit of Truth enables the community to have a real link with Jesus; the phrase is sometimes translated in older versions as Comforter – but this is not a cosy thing – apparently one of the scenes of the Bayeaux tapestry is of King William comforting his troops – and he’s prodding them with a sword – the Holy Spirit the Comforter checks, prods, needles, cajoles and keeps the community up to the mark as the people of God as they are led through life. In some senses the Holy Spirit makes things harder rather than easier – the Spirit prevents the Church from falling into comfortable repetition.
This Advocate is also from the Father – it’s divine gift. We can have as many strategies as we like, but none of them can force or entice the Spirit’s hand – the promise to the Church, of God’s presence, always remains the initiative of God. We’re experimenting here at the moment with a few things, and soon there will be a three month period with a spire crossing altar and a re-arrangement of seating for the congregation and choir. This is the result of several years careful thought and reflection by Chapter – we are intentionally, but gently pushing at a few boundaries. In 8 days the new platform will begin being constructed and you will notice it derives its basic shape from that of the font thus, through design, making a clear link between these two sacraments at the heart of our life. We will not be using the quire behind me of congregational seating, but gathering us all around one altar as we seek to express physically what we proclaim about being One Body in Christ. These changes will challenge a few comfort zones but that’s what God has always done – but God’s challenge is often accompanied by the words that we have inscribed around the font “Do not fear”. Our pushing at a few boundaries may be the work of Spirit – it may not be - we’re open to both possibilities – but we’re also very aware that the life of the Spirit can never allow us to settle for a repetitions of the same old ways of doing things. So ‘Do not fear’.
Bishop David has a phrase which I’ve heard him say many times recently, and that is that first of all God in Christ enters and shares our life and then he transforms and changes it. If we let God in things don’t stay the same – and the Holy Spirit is that activity of God that changes, inspires, innovates, excites and leads us forward.
This great feast day rejoices in the gift of the Holy Spirit that changes, inspires, and excites us - and it’s also an assurance that we are not alone – neither individually nor corporately – we have no reason to fear – after all God is with us. Pentecost is the Incarnation come full circle – Emmanuel – God with us. As we gather around this table to share the bread and wine there are crucial words prayed - that by the power of the Holy Spirit the bread and wine may become for us the body and blood of Christ – at the heart of our worship is a transformative process – at the heart of the Christian life is transformation.
We may not leave this place speaking a multitude of tongues – but perhaps we’ll leave gently warmed, even moderately on fire inside – leave transformed just a little by the presence of God here, with us – and God in the world, and in the wonderful events of the Festival. Thus may we be joyful witnesses to the transformative presence in the world of the one and only living God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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It’s wonderful having the Salisbury International Arts Festival with so many exciting and challenging events around us. Installations in the Close and cloisters that make us think – if you haven’t had encounter with Amococo on the west lawn then do – it’s fantastic! There are also concerts of the familiar and comfortable alongside the new and innovative. I expect that more often than not we’re happier with the familiar and are a little reluctant to be nudged out of comfort zones – but real art has always been pushing at boundaries and frontiers and challenging people. It’s interesting that over the years the once outrageous and radical often becomes acceptable and familiar - Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring fro example caused near riots when it was first performed – now it’s standard repertoire performed to polite applause.
Pushing at the boundaries is what we heard about in our first reading from Acts – a pushing at the boundaries of language and imagery – heavenly sounds like a rushing wind, descending fire, a multitude of languages – it presents a vivid description new life – sudden, unmerited and irresistible new life. Not a repetition of the same old stuff – new and vibrant and exciting.
The apostles gathered in Acts were initially involved in a repetition of the same old stuff - The Feast of Pentecost, or Weeks, as it’s known in the OT marked the end of the celebration of the spring harvest – a liturgical cycle that began at Passover and during which devout Jews praised God for his grace and bounty. And among some Jews this Feast of Pentecost was a time of covenant renewal.
Gathered for a repetition of the same old patterns but suddenly finding this renewal taking on a new dimension – it was a new beginning, as every renewal is, a moving forward into new dimensions of being.
If we’ve been listening carefully to the readings over the past few weeks we should be prepared for this – twice the coming of the Holy Spirit has been promised with the words “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” – the promise is now realised in a manner far surpassing expectation. New life for the Church. New life for individuals. New life through the Spirit of God.
And no one is excluded – unlike other moments where only a few have witnessed God’s workings – here everyone’s included – the range of languages includes pretty well everyone in the known world – it’s a reversing of the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis where everything was thrown into a confusion of language – here everyone understands in their own tongue.
This outpouring of grace and new life is for everyone – but not everyone responds positively. Some mock – others think the joy must be alcohol induced. Peter reacts to the alcohol accusation with a sermon – and our passage this morning ends with a quotation from the prophet Joel. The way the text is used is a sign of what Pentecost is about. If you read that quotation in Joel it’s in the context of a forecast of destruction and death – for Peter this has been transformed by the Holy Spirit into a declaration of new life.
The transforming power of God’s spirit runs very deep as it seeks to lead us into all truth – an image of journey and discovery comes to me as I read these words of John’s gospel.
John’s gospel is less dramatic than the account in Acts. It’s an appropriate counter-balance to the effervescence and outward display of that other passage - and many of us are perhaps happier with the less demonstrative features of the Holy Spirit. But John has powerful things too to say about this Advocate, this Holy Spirit.
This Spirit of Truth enables the community to have a real link with Jesus; the phrase is sometimes translated in older versions as Comforter – but this is not a cosy thing – apparently one of the scenes of the Bayeaux tapestry is of King William comforting his troops – and he’s prodding them with a sword – the Holy Spirit the Comforter checks, prods, needles, cajoles and keeps the community up to the mark as the people of God as they are led through life. In some senses the Holy Spirit makes things harder rather than easier – the Spirit prevents the Church from falling into comfortable repetition.
This Advocate is also from the Father – it’s divine gift. We can have as many strategies as we like, but none of them can force or entice the Spirit’s hand – the promise to the Church, of God’s presence, always remains the initiative of God. We’re experimenting here at the moment with a few things, and soon there will be a three month period with a spire crossing altar and a re-arrangement of seating for the congregation and choir. This is the result of several years careful thought and reflection by Chapter – we are intentionally, but gently pushing at a few boundaries. In 8 days the new platform will begin being constructed and you will notice it derives its basic shape from that of the font thus, through design, making a clear link between these two sacraments at the heart of our life. We will not be using the quire behind me of congregational seating, but gathering us all around one altar as we seek to express physically what we proclaim about being One Body in Christ. These changes will challenge a few comfort zones but that’s what God has always done – but God’s challenge is often accompanied by the words that we have inscribed around the font “Do not fear”. Our pushing at a few boundaries may be the work of Spirit – it may not be - we’re open to both possibilities – but we’re also very aware that the life of the Spirit can never allow us to settle for a repetitions of the same old ways of doing things. So ‘Do not fear’.
Bishop David has a phrase which I’ve heard him say many times recently, and that is that first of all God in Christ enters and shares our life and then he transforms and changes it. If we let God in things don’t stay the same – and the Holy Spirit is that activity of God that changes, inspires, innovates, excites and leads us forward.
This great feast day rejoices in the gift of the Holy Spirit that changes, inspires, and excites us - and it’s also an assurance that we are not alone – neither individually nor corporately – we have no reason to fear – after all God is with us. Pentecost is the Incarnation come full circle – Emmanuel – God with us. As we gather around this table to share the bread and wine there are crucial words prayed - that by the power of the Holy Spirit the bread and wine may become for us the body and blood of Christ – at the heart of our worship is a transformative process – at the heart of the Christian life is transformation.
We may not leave this place speaking a multitude of tongues – but perhaps we’ll leave gently warmed, even moderately on fire inside – leave transformed just a little by the presence of God here, with us – and God in the world, and in the wonderful events of the Festival. Thus may we be joyful witnesses to the transformative presence in the world of the one and only living God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.