Expressions of holiness
Dedication Sunday: 2nd August, 2009
Fr John Davis, Vicar of St Peter's, Eastern Hill
On June 18th 1846 Charles Joseph Latrobe laid our now hidden corner foundation stone on behalf of our then bishop in Sydney, Bishop William Grant Broughton. Broughton's solid churchmanship was reflected in the words recorded as being used on this occasion, sentiment clearly also endorsed by Latrobe:
This stone is laid as the foundation and corner stone of a church to be built in this place; to be named St Peter's; and to be set apart for the preaching of the right Catholic Faith, which we believe and confess; in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
After two years of building, on the first Sunday of August 1848, Charles Perry, first Bishop of Melbourne, presided at the formal ceremony of dedication of this church. That day has been observed as our festival of dedication and our anniversary celebration ever since. So each year at this time, we honour our forebears in that founding generation and all those in between, as we in this generation take up our responsibilities in this community of faith. This church remains a holy place, a place of worship and prayer and the base for various ministries of care and service. We give thanks for all the blessings we have received.
Our first lesson from 1 Kings is a very impressive description of King Solomon's opening prayers for the Temple in Jerusalem. He offers praise to God. He acknowledged that no building can adequately contain or constrain God, but nonetheless 'God's name will be there,' prayers will be offered in the hope and the expectation that they will be seen and heard by God. The request is that God will take notice and be forgiving. The epistle focused on the building up of a whole series of living stones, 'precious in God's sight', 'God's own people' sharing the good news with others, living transformed lives, 'called out of darkness into God's marvellous light'. The gospel warns of how all these good intentions and promising starts can lose direction, can go very wrong: 'a house of prayer' must not become 'a den of robbers'. That is the Scriptural context given us for this Dedication Festival.
There are some places and some circumstances that we just know to be holy and extraordinarily spiritually special. That realisation can be very strong and immediate. I am reminded of the Old Testament story in Genesis 28 of Jacob alone and fleeing from danger in the desert, lying down in exhaustion one night with only a stone for a pillow. The dream he had that night was of a ladder reaching right from heaven to that spot, with the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
There is a wonderful reflection on this passage and much more in a recent book by Barbara Brown Taylor: An Altar in the World. She puts it this way:
Then, all of a sudden, God was there beside Jacob, without a single trumpet for warning, promising him safety, children, land. "Remember, I am with you," God said to him. "I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
Jacob woke while God's breath was still stirring the air, although he saw nothing out of the ordinary around him: same wilderness, same rocks, same sand. If someone had held a mirror in front of his face, Jacob would not have seen anything different there either, except for the circles of surprise in his eyes. "Surely the Lord is in this place," he said out loud, "—and I did not know it!" Shaken by what he had seen, he could not seem to stop talking. "How awesome is this place!" he went on. "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Of course, Francis also built a church. In a vision he had, as vivid as Jacob's vision of the divine ladder, God called upon Francis to rebuild the church. Unsure what church God meant, Francis chose a ruined one near where he lived. He recruited all kinds of people to help him build it. Some of them just came to watch, and before they knew it were mixing cement. Others could not lift a single brick without help, but that worked out, since it led them to meet more people than they might have if they had been stronger. To most of them, building the church became more important than finishing it. Building it together gave people who were formerly invisible to each other meaning, purpose, and worth. When it was done at last, Francis's church did not stand as a shelter from the world; it stood as a reminder that the whole world was God's House.
You see what I mean.
These reflections are taking us a little further than a very appropriate love for a particular space, important though that be. It is the holiness that is in a place reaching out and transforming from that place, that we are asked to consider. Maybe it is the idea of all those angels coming and going, connecting and sharing and spreading so many aspects of the holy. That then was what I was then considering as I thought on the last couple of days of this Dedication weekend here.
On Friday we had a requiem mass here for a priest who had died at the age of 80 after a long and varied ministry. Fr Fred Armstrong had done locum service in his retirement and from time to time had worshipped here. Our bishop was here, the extended family and friends were here, and the prayers of the generations of worshippers were certainly here with us. That is something so many people coming into this church for the first time comment upon. Outside our newly trimmed elm tree that has quietly watched so much come and go for the best part of 100 years was glistening in the sunlight on the gentle rain. And the low noise of a great city was all about us, even as the bell slowly tolled.
Later that same day two couples growing in relationship and deepening their commitment to each other were supported and encouraged and their love celebrated. Yesterday the whole day was spent in prayer and meditation in the Hall and in the church and in the grounds, by a large group who regularly come here for that purpose.
Today at the High Mass we come together to receive God's grace and blessing and especially and particularly in the sacrament of Holy Baptism for young Edward Samargis, one of our numerous new babies presently being born into this community of faith. Our prayers have been offered too for those from and around us in hospital and in great need. Breakfast has been offered this morning as on every morning, for those who are homeless or hungry. There is a concert of fine music in the Parish Hall this afternoon. The parish Bookroom has been open and enjoyed. People will shortly be gathering for refreshment and conversation and welcome. Are not all of these together and more expressions and aspects of the holiness of this place, of this St Peter's Eastern Hill, on this the weekend of the first Sunday in August, as we celebrate our Feast of Dedication?
A final observation to carry with us from Barbara Brown Taylor:
In biblical terms, it is wisdom we need to live together in this
world. Wisdom is not gained by knowing what is right. Wisdom is gained by practicing what is right, and noticing what happens when that practice succeeds and when it fails.
We give thanks to God on this our 161st Dedication festival.
The Lord be with you.
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