Humility - the keynote of ministry

The past month has been a busy time for church machinery in the Vatican and the Church of England. The cardinal-electors of the Roman Catholic Church very quickly elected their new leader, the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. His election has broken new ground in many ways. He is the first non-European pope in 1300 years; the first Latin American pope; the first Jesuit pope and the first pope to adopt the name ‘Francis’, hence Pope Francis I. The choice of papal name is usually regarded as significant, pointing to the fundamental theme underlying the pontificate. Benedict XVI chose ‘Benedict’ after Saint Benedict, the patron saint of Europe, and founder of European monasticism. He looked to Benedict as a source of inspiration for his avowed task to re-evangelise a secular Europe.  In contrast, Pope Francis is drawing his principal inspiration from Saint Francis of Assisi, whose commitment to the poor in the growing cities of North Italy in the late 12^th century, has been reflected in his own work amongst the destitute in his native Argentina. His humility, simplicity and down-to-earth-ness have drawn widespread praise. He is also very positive towards Anglicans, taking a rather dim view of the ‘Ordinariate’ which his predecessor, Benedict XVI set up for disaffected Anglicans.

 

Humility was also the hallmark of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthronement ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral. In a novel development, Justin Welby had a child interrogate him liturgically the moment he was allowed across the threshold at the great West Door: Why are you here? Who has sent you? Like the Roman Catholic Church, we were reminded that the Anglican Communion too is global, with African dancers, bongo drums and a Punjabi hymn, featuring on the order of service. The principal theme of the Archbishop’s sermon was of being liberated to be courageous in the security of the knowledge of God’s unfathomable love for each and every one of us. “Do not fear” is the most repeated commandment in the Bible. There were also a number of other important ‘firsts’. Acting as crucifer was the first female Archbishop’s Chaplain, Dr Jo Bailey-Wells and the Archdeacon of Canterbury, the Venerable Sheila Watson, became the first female to enthrone an Archbishop of Canterbury. 

 

Both Pope Francis I and Archbishop Justin Welby seem to be setting a new tone for their leaderships. They are forsaking the ‘high-and-mighty’ styles of many of their predecessors and placing themselves firmly at the service of their constituencies. They are imitating Jesus who came not to be served but to serve. This takes us much closer to the heart of the Christian message which is ultimately about the power made perfect in weakness, rather than the power that ‘lords it’ over others. Both me have started their new ministries in the spirit of Easter.

General Synod - the fickle electorate

A great reversal of fortune. I was not re-elected to General Synod. In fact, I received the second fewest votes of the 8 candidates standing. Obviously it's a disappointment. I rather liked Synod; it appealed to the parliamentarian manque in me. But I also felt that I made a good contribution last quinquennium with the publication of my edited book on the human genome (under General Synod auspices) and successfully moving a private members motion which secured parity of pension provision for surviving civil partners. At least I know that a elderly, financially-straitened individual will from January be receiving £640 p.m. instead of his current paltry £10 p.m.
Nevertheless, I am trying to work out why I did so badly this time when . It could be that this time there were two deservedly popular candidates who did not stand on the last occasion. It could be that I was competing with three or four other candidates who took similar lines on the key policy matters. It could be that I'm simply not as popular as I once was .

Anyway there is a sense of bereavement especially when you see all your mates getting reelected and no prospect of the convivial twice-yearly get-togethers in London and York.

"For better, for worse"?

The regular Thought for the Day presenter Giles Fraser recently caused a storm of controversy where he attacked the allegedly ‘self-centred’ character of the modern wedding. He pointed out that modern weddings are now outlandishly expensive, not only for the (hopefully!!) happy couple, but for the guests as well. He was particularly scathing of the “my special day” and “little princess” mentality of many brides who seem to be devoid of any sense that a marriage is about placing your hearts and lives into the hands of another. Marriage, he reminded us, is a ‘sacrament’, an outward sign of the graciousness that God enacts within us.

Happily, this has not been my experience so far at Berkswell, although it has been in some of the other contexts within which I have ministered. However, even here at Berkswell, I am surprised at how many couples book their wedding reception venues before they get around to booking the church. Couples seem to assume that the Church will somehow “fit in” around the really important business of the couple having somewhere to have a jolly good party. I am not knocking good parties, but this order of priorities, in my view, is to have things back-to-front.

Marriage, as Giles Fraser reminds us, is a solemn and morally serious business. Whenever I publish the banns of marriage on Sunday mornings, I pray that the couple will have the inner freedom to commit themselves wholeheartedly to each other and that they will enjoy an enduring and satisfying relationship. The marriage service itself is remarkably short for such an important occasion. But this should not surprise us. It solemnises what is hopefully already, namely a true relationship that will, with God’s grace, grow from strength to strength, whatever challenges come the couple’s way.

Be Ye Ever So High the Law is Above You!

A constitutional revolution quietly took place last August . The Judicial Committee of the House of Lords (also known as the ‘Law Lords’) left the neo-gothic corridors of the Houses of Parliament to take up residence in the new Supreme Court located just across Parliament Square, in the refurbished Middlesex Guildhall. Some legal commentators are concerned that this ‘separation of powers’ will lead to an unhelpfully adversarial relationship between the government and the courts. Others are more sanguine. They believe that it will promote a more independent and robust judiciary.


As a young barrister, I regularly met the great judge, Lord Denning, who was fond of quoting his distinguished predecessor Lord Coke, Lord Chancellor under James I: ‘Be ye ever so high, the law is above you’. Equality before the law is a key principle of the English legal system. In theory at least, the rich and the powerful are as subject to the law as are the weak and the vulnerable. Fairness is another key principle, as the very recent death of that doughty campaigner against ‘rough justice’, the late Sir Ludovic Kennedy, repeatedly reminded us. The development of the English legal system is really the story of how the powers of the king and the ruling elite were gradually made subject to the rule of law.

The English legal system has deep roots in the biblical tradition. The concern for justice and the welfare of the vulnerable and marginalised is a major theme in the writings of the so-called “eighth century prophets” , such as the prophet Amos who was active in the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th century B.C. Amos was a passionate critic of those who manipulated the legal system in order to achieve their own selfish ends through corruption and thwarting of the due processes of law. This subversion of justice was a travesty, not just because such behaviour was wrong in itself, but also because God had called Israel into being in order to embody and exemplify God’s own justice.

A good system of justice recognises that all human beings are of equal moral and political worth. A poor system of justice leaves the weak at the mercy of the strong, and our own legal system falls short to the extent that delay and cost deny justice to weak and poor. The language of human rights developed in response to the Nazi savagery against minorities and the vulnerable during the Second World War which began 70 years ago. Even if we think this language is currently being abused or taken too far, it is meant to affirm that all humans have a dignity and worth above and beyond the ordinary scale of human values.

Can you stand (for) Synod?

This is my very first blog entry ever, so here goes.

I think I am going to stand for the General Synod of the Church of England again. The General Synod has been described as the Church of England's 'parliament'. This is largely because it is the Church's decision-making and law-making body, although the structure of authority in the Church is somewhat different from the structure of authority that characterises our political system. The General Synod is divided into three 'Houses': the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and House of Laity. The House of Bishops is largely unelected. The diocesan bishops are automatically members, but seven suffragan bishops are elected by all the other suffragan bishops to represent them. The Houses of Clergy and Laity are made up of elected members. I will stand for election as one of three 'Proctors in Convocation' to represent the Coventry Diocese in General Synod. The word 'Proctor' is an archaic word that has different meanings in law, the church and education. In the church it means someone who represents the clergy in Church of England Diocese. Each 'Synod' lasts for a fixed five year term called a 'quinquennium' which is divided up into 'Sessions' which usually take placy twice a year in February (London) and July (York) and occasionally in November (e.g. the inaugural Synod and when pressure of business demands an extra Sessions).

I liked being a member of the last Synod. Although there is dull legislative work to consider (although as a former practising lawyer I don't find it that dull), there are also interesting, various and important subjects to debate (developments in human genome science, whether women can become bishops, whether the Church of England is investing ethically, whether the BBC is scaling down its religious broadcasting). The standard of debate is usually very high and it is fascinating to discover the wonderful things going on at  'grass roots' parish level in other parts of the country. I would warmly encourage anyone who is thinking about standing for election to set about doing so. The Synod's work is important work and some of the decisions it makes does actually change lives.

Clergy representatives are elected by the licensed clergy in the diocese in which they themselves are licensed. Lay representatives must be lay persons who are actual communicants of the Church of England over the age of 18 who are on the electoral roll of any parish of the diocese. If you would like further information, contact your diocesan office, and they will put you in contact with your dioceses' presiding officer.