AD CLERUM - DECEMBER 2004

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ

After a period of time, the parish planned a liturgy of repentance and identified key leaders in the parish to pray the prayers of repentance. A date was set (a Saturday) and the congregation was asked to spend the morning in prayer and fasting while the leaders met to seek God's forgiveness. After praying the Litany and a general confession, each of the leaders stood in turn to make a public confession of their sins and the sins of those who had held that office in the parish before them. Although each confession mentioned the specific sins known to them, no identities were revealed. Each confession ended with a renunciation of evil and affirmation of faith. The other leaders then pronounced the absolution.

If my memory serves me correctly, the musical "Godspell" both begins and ends with the cry, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." The first time we hear it is from the lips of John the Baptist announcing the coming of Jesus as Messiah, the second time it is the voice of believers calling the world to prepare for the return of Jesus in glory. Those words and the context in which they are set are the backdrop of our Advent preparation. As we prepare to receive him again in the Christ child so we also look to that moment when everything is fulfilled and the Christ returns in the fullness of his glory.

Scripture sets before us two ways to live - the way of life or the way of death - and says, "You choose." As we begin a new Christian year we are again confronted with that choice. "Choose this day whom you will serve." As we make that choice so Advent calls us to re-examine our lives in the light of that choice and to "Prepare for the way of the Lord" by considering those aspects and activities of our lives that draw us away from the love of God and prevent us from being what God would have us be. Advent is a time of re-orientation, of re-alignment around the vision of God so that our lives and our ministry more perfectly reflect God’s will.

In one of his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius sets before us Two Standards - the military banners or flags of two rival kings and asks us to choose under whose banner or standard we will serve. Although I find its militaristic imagery disturbing, it is a powerful exercise that confronts us with the absolute demand of obedience. We serve God on God’s terms and in accordance with God’s purposes. Any deviation is disobedient and sinful and, ultimately, damaging to the building of the kingdom. I think that we live in a world that is so inured to sin that we fail to recognise its deadly effects in our lives and on our ministry. This was graphically illustrated by an event (or more accurately, a series of events) in one of our parishes. Let me tell you about it.

Early in 2004, a parishioner went to her rector and said that she believed that God was telling her that sins of the past, both individual and corporate, were inhibiting and blocking their parish’s ministry in the present, and that more effective ministry could not happen until they had repented of those sins. Because she is a deeply prayerful person and not given to dramatic flights of imagination he took her concern seriously, even though he could think of only one incident in their parish history that could warrant such a word from the Lord. He and the Churchwardens discussed the matter and began to pray for discernment in the matter.

Almost immediately total strangers and former parishioners began coming forward to tell of things they had experienced at the hands of people once in leadership within the parish. After a while there could no longer be any doubt that God had indeed spoken and that God was calling the parish to face its sinfulness and disobedience in order to be released and empowered for new ministry. They, therefore, took the matter to the Parish Council where they together discerned that God was calling the whole parish to penitence.

Without going into any sordid details they went to the congregation and shared what had happened and what they believed God to be saying to them. They began to teach and preach about how human sinfulness destroys kingdom life, damages ourselves and others, and hinders the unfolding of God’s plan for creation. With every sermon came a call for self-examination and repentance. "What areas in your life inhibit the ministry of the Spirit?"

Prepare the way of the Lord.

May the Lord when he comes find you waiting and watching.

+Brian

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