About little people offering much
Ordinary Sunday 32: 9th November, 2003
Fr John Davis, Vicar of St Peter's, Eastern Hill
Today in both Old Testament and Gospel lessons we have held up before us little people doing big things. The widow with Elijah, risking all and in turn being given more than she could ever dream of, and the widow in the Temple offering all and relying on the providence of God to see her through. Widows both. In the context of those times, widows exemplified the class of person most vulnerable, most dependent on the charity and goodwill of others. They are held up to us as clear examples of people of faith and hope and trust, despite all.
Yesterday at the mass the reading for the epistle was that part of St Paul's letter to the Romans that lists a whole lot of names, as Paul – and indeed his servant as well – send greetings to those they knew and cared for in Rome. The names are both Latin and Greek – but they are the names of little people in that community of faith that we would otherwise have never have heard of. And that goes for the name of Paul's servant as well. But they were people of faith who shared in the routine and joy of prayer and worship and service and care, in that community.
At any time and in any place, anyone who knew a particular community of faith well enough could do the same thing. You could send a letter of greeting along with Elijah to Zarephath and that widow would be known and doing her bit. And, at a pinch, even amongst the great crowds in the Temple in Jerusalem, despite the presence of all those wealthy dignitaries, it is just possible that that widow with her mite would also be noticed, as she was by the Lord today. Noticed and recalled and remembered. In every community of faith there is a central core group, more often than not going about what they do for the love of God with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of generous result
Has it been your experience to visit other churches or religious communities and to observe these same things? Because I have no doubt that people visiting us here would go away with remembrances of this place. Some here are very much like those two people I started out with. I would hazard a guess that this is a part of God's active grace at work wherever we go. A place where it was not to be found at all would be a place that was utterly spiritually dead – and how sad that would be.
I can't resist the temptation to think of just a few that I have myself had contact with in these last few weeks. And I'm talking about little people whom you still notice and who are actually teaching you something special about the love of God or the care of God. And most of the ones you notice would seem to have a stretcher bed arrangement somewhere very nearby, because you will see them again and again.
Firstly I'm thinking of two church sitters at St George's Cathedral, Cape Town. Both would have been in their 70s, one was European in background, the other was African. The quiet love that these women had for their cathedral and for what it stood for in the recent history of that great city was wonderful. They went out of their way to make sure we not only noticed what we needed to notice, but also were taken to meet the Dean – who no doubt had nothing else to do except greet visitors from afar. And he was gracious and friendly.
The following Sunday, a whole morning was spent at St George's. What an exciting and encouraging experience that was, of truly a rainbow of people gathering in a shared love of the Lord, in a way that was absolutely in our tradition of Anglicanism. It made you proud to be Anglican. That was a nice feeling in these times. And there are no prizes for guessing that both of those women were also working in the bookshop on that Sunday morning. It was of course just an impression, but the impression of those two working together as such a team was a very favourable impression to take away from South Africa.
People do things that are in themselves small enough, but that mean a great deal. Life is made up of thousands of such things, many small actions that none the less can make a big difference, But they add up to an approach to life, to God, to friends, and to strangers that can end up shaping a whole community. This of course can be either positive or negative. I imagine we can think of how a life would be if the only breath drawn was of negativity and criticism, of disappointment or of frustrated anger. Such people are very sad to behold and much to be pitied. But just as the Lord noticed not all the crowds of the comfortable and well to do doing what they were doing in the Temple that day, but rather the actions and care of that otherwise inconspicuous widow, so I would rather notice those whose every action is quietly upbuilding.
Now this can come from friends. I can think of the patience of two friends, also parishioners here, waiting for the further two hours at a railway station required because their vicar was happily sitting at one platform at Roma Termini while the Assisi train pulled out of another. The platform had been changed at the last moment. Those friends had every reason to be grumpy, but of course they were not. It is a matter of disposition, the way you choose to approach things, the way you are given the grace to approach things.
I think too of that group of largely elderly women in Nictaux, Nova Scotia, who, as the church quilting bee, work through each winter on quilts that they sell for church funds. For two years a particular commission was one for a certain Anglican priest in Australia. They were very tickled at that, and made sure that the details of exactly who made this Baptist quilt were clearly indicated, It was so cold last week that I could well and truly break it in immediately. And very nice it is. Small things in themselves, but big impressions made.
In Italy I could be an anonymous pilgrim, just another in the huge crowds, just another sharing in the joy and pleasure of the masses and processions, the bands, the singing, the sharing of meals. And of course thinking about what might happen next year, or next time, Because there would have to be one.
In North America, it was not so easy. Always the looming context, so far as the Church is concerned, was getting increasingly tense. That context is one of bitter differences. How far does God's grace extend? How much room is there to move? What is a matter of basic justice? What is a matter of sin to be repented of and a way of life denied?
It is not necessary to go to North America to have these discussions or, no doubt, to hear absolutely immovable positions declared. But for good or for ill, it is obvious that the mainstream of the Church in both Canada and the United States is addressing the issues of same sex relationships openly and directly. The results of this open speaking, this open acknowledgement of that which has always been in every tradition, is very confronting and difficult for some. it is a matter of relief for others. This issue, which is of direct and most intimate concern to the lives of a considerable minority of Christian people, is not one that is going to go away this time. The final consequences therefore are not at all clear – either there or here.
How we should pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury, thrown so early in his time into such a cauldron. How we should pray too for all our brothers and sisters, trying to find their way, trying to find their God. In my travels, I did not see or hear any of the big players. But for weeks the conversation was of little else, with good friends in many places. I cannot believe that recent events have gone without comment here either. Again, what I could observe was a lot of little people trying their best to get on with still being the Church where they were. And yes, there is hurt and anger and fear, and yes, there is determination.
Our lessons today encouraged us to watch and to observe the positive example of others with care. We are urged to notice the quality of the life of faith being lived out by some little people and we are assured that these are people who matter to God. In turn, we are brought to the conclusion that it is perhaps in the cumulation of these many small acts of faith and care and compassion, and trust in the ultimate things, that we may ourselves find guidance for our own way in life, and for our own way through these difficult times. We all know a long journey begins with just one step.
The Lord be with you.
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