A cairn along the way
Today we are confirming seventeen members of our congregation. Over the last few weeks we have met to discuss the Creed, the Bible, prayer, the Eucharist and ethics. Each time that we have met we have heard from differing members of the congregation who have been brave enough to share their own journey of faith.
Over these weeks I have been reminded of my own confirmation on 27 February 1982. I remember the exact date so easily because it is engraved on a beer tankard that I was given as a confirmation present. It seemed somewhat incongruous at the time but as it still sits on my desk, it might have been a more perceptive gift than I then realised.
I remember hoping that I would feel utterly different after the service, that my doubts would be silenced and that the trouble I occasionally got myself into in school might lessen. It turned out, however, to be a much more gradual experience.
The journey of faith is indeed a long one and confirmation is a cairn on that journey. Confirmation is a marker and celebration of where we have come to and stands as point that we can look back on in future life. It is a moment when we pray not for the will power to be good but for the strengthening of God’s Holy Spirit which is the only power required to live the Christian life.
And so this morning we will join with Bishop Christopher as we pray; ‘Defend O Lord, these your servants with your heavenly grace, that they may continue yours for ever, and daily increase in your Holy Spirit more and more until they come to your everlasting kingdom. Amen.’
Seven days a week, fifty-one weeks a year
In the weeks before Christmas St Stephen’s, together with other churches in Dulwich organise an appeal for local homeless charities. This year, we are supporting the Manna day centre.Hidden away in the back streets behind London Bridge Station and overshadowed by the fast-rising Shard skyscraper, the Manna day centre has been offering practical help to homeless people for over twenty years.
Each morning the doors open at half past eight for breakfast. Along with a hot meal, those visiting the centre can have a shower, see a dentist or a nurse, get housing advice or even choose items of furniture to help set-up home. Later in the morning lunch is served and most days over two hundred people come through the door.
The centre is run by Bandi Mbubi, “We try to offer a range of services to people here. If you have no fixed address it can be very hard to get to see a GP. For me this is a way of showing practical Christian love. As it says in James, what is faith without deeds?”
Bandi is enthusiastic – and he needs to be, as numbers visiting the centre seem to be rising. When asked about possible cuts in funding, Bandi remains optimistic, “We decided never to take more than 15% of our funding from the government. For the rest we rely on donations, particularly from the Christian community. We were championing the ‘Big Society’ long before the government. So, we hope for the best.”
One of those using the centre is Tony, who has been on the streets for eight years. “At the Manna centre you get treated with respect. It is tough on the streets, there are a lot of people with mental health problems and people coming to London thinking that the streets are paved with gold, but it’s not like that. A few years ago, I came to the centre in pain, saw one of the nurses, got to see a GP and ended up getting a hip replacement by a top surgeon.”The centre is open seven days a week, fifty one weeks of the year, only closing when Crisis at Christmas open-up their temporary shelters. Bandi explains, “Winter is hard for the homeless. Those on the streets become ill, those in temporary housing often cannot afford the heating. Before we close for Christmas we have a big Christmas meal, usually with three sittings. For those who come this really is special and everyone who comes receives a wrapped present – often donated by schools and churches. It’s what Christmas is about.”
Financial donations for the Manna Centre or wrapped Christmas presents can be left at St Stephen’s during December. Gifts that help keep out the cold such as jumpers, socks or gloves, are always welcome, as are jeans or trainers, either new or second-hand. Presents that lift the spirits – good quality sweets or chocolate for example – are much appreciated. The Church is open for services and between 9-2 on Wednesday and Friday and 10.30 -11.30 on Saturday.
Thoughts for All Souls
As I think back to the death of my father, the first year after losing a loved one can be very hard. We want to chat about things with them, we consider the plans we had made. Birthdays and anniversaries seem hollow and we are confused by their absence from our lives. All this is perfectly natural when we are parted from those whom we love.
Yet slowly, with the help of friends and family we begin to move on. We find that we can talk of them without a catch in our throat. Slowly, we find new ways of being a family and make new friends. Eventually maybe, we can toast the departed on those special days as we remember the celebrations we shared. Slowly, hurt is replaced by hope.
As we sift our memories and remember our loved ones, it is important to remember them at their best; their happiest, healthiest and most generous. In our reading from 1 Peter we are told that such memories are but a dim reflection of how we will be in heaven.
So, however vulnerable our loved ones were here on earth, in heaven we are told they will be imperishable, undefiled and unfading as the salvation of their souls is completed and they become who God always meant them to be. This is the glory in which our loved one’s now share.
When we meet with friends and family and remember those whom we have lost, we sometimes wonder whether they too may be raising a glass of their favourite tipple.
Fanciful as this may sound, Luke’s Gospel tell us that this is not far from the truth. For Christ invites us all to a heavenly banquet. And this is an invitation which we would be foolish to ignore, it is a banquet where all will be fed and where their will not be a spare seat in the house. This is the celebration in which our loved one’s now share.
And so through our hurt, this hope slowly grows. A living hope founded on the resurrection of our Lord. The disciples who fled from Christ’s death, who disowned him in his hour of need, struggled to come to realise that Christ had conquered death. Those who first saw the empty tomb were dumbstruck and yet slowly they realise that he lived on. Slowly their hurt has replaced by hope. It took root in their hearts and grew.
So my prayer for all of us gathered here tonight is that the light of Christ, rising in glory may dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds. Amen.
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