My Faith journey – 31 January 2016
In the name of the Father, an of the Son and of my he Holy Spirit. Amen. In preparation for today I had to wrestles with texts that would be easy to preach on in any situation other than today. Relating the texts to my story ha been a challenge. In the gospel Jesus is recorded as having said, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing (v21). God says to Jeremiah "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you."(v5). Paul's explanation of love in action is one we are both familiar with and challenged by. In all three readings, the only passage that has some resemblance to my story is Jeremiah's response to God, " ah, Lord God! Truly I don't know how to speak", (v6). Feeling ill equipped to do something because I don't know how or because I know my shortcomings is something I am familiar with. After consulting 3 different lectionaries hoping one of them would have a different set of readings- the one Sunday I needed them to differ they all had the same readings. In the end I accepted defeat. As much as it is a defeat for me it is an affirmation that the ministry for which I have been ordained, is what God has called me for.
In my preparation for today and reflecting on my faith journey-one recurring theme has been witness. Being a witness of the good news of the Risen Christ. It also made me aware that my faith has been shaped and moulded more through the witness of others than through formal instruction. It has been the witness of various people in the church that has helped me on this journey. A large portion of my faith journey has been guided and directed by sign posts of the witness of the people who were entrusted with caring for and teaching me. In 2015 I had the opportunity to be an exchange student in cuddesdon, England. During my stay I was puzzled each time someone would say " before I was a Christian " they would complete the statement by saying something about themselves. I still struggle to make sense of what the statement means as most of the people I know have been Christian all their lives. Some (like myself) have changed churches multiple times. In the English and South African context. Most people spoke about church, being Christians and their relationship with God. The great thing about a relationship with God is the search for God, be it coming to faith later in life or switching from one church to another, we are encouraged to continue the search by people who have encountered God. This is also means our initial knowledge of God is secondhand. In a way one could say our initial faith is secondhand. It is something that has been passed down to us. A way to understand this is to think about a secondhand sweater you but or one that is given to you. By wearing the secondhand sweater you are deprived of the pleasure of the first touch, the fresh look and smell of new. The challenge is not so much in the sweater being secondhand, it is when you keep it as it is and don't add your perfume or your brand of wear and tear to it. This is the challenge of a second hand faith. A faith that has been handed down to you, to which you respond by keeping it as it is. You get caught up in the status quo and contribute nothing to the faith. I was nudged into examining my faith in 2009 when I joined the diocesan youth training program- transformers.
All my life I have been blessed with wonderful Sunday school teacher and (youth) leaders in the church. I am who I am because of the men and women who made Sunday school a joyful experience where kindness and laughter were the order of the day. Sunday school on a Saturday morning made you want to be in church on a Sunday morning. One of the lessons I remember was during preparation for first holy communion. The teacher was trying to explain what happens on the altar at the moment of consecration. She said no one knows what happens-the priest and God are the only people who know what happens. This was also the reason the priest was not married. This made sense at the time. What struck me was the implied intimate relationship the priest had with God. This sparked in me something of wanting to be a priest. Who would not want to have a special relationship with God, that gave you knowledge to do something mysterious. With time this grew into a desire I could not and sometimes still struggle to articulate. As I continues with my journey in Sunday school, the next mile stone was confirmation class which was taught by a sister from the Sisters of the assumption. Though I had never spoken to her, from a distance there was something about her and the way she dressed that touched me. During this time I looked forward to getting to confirmation class because that would afford me the opportunity to talk to her and find out her secret. I moved from the Roman Catholic Church to the Anglican Church before I got to confirmation class. My Sunday school years were very for national for me and the journey I have traveled to get where I am today. Because of these years the church is and remains a mystery to me. There was a time when the mystery of the church was a distant memory.
The mystery of the church as the mystical body of Christ was rekindled in me during a holiday I was part of in 2010. The parish I was at , at the time did not have an active youth, there was Sunday school. It wa the commitment of the children who showed up daily and on time, they did not have to do anything as they were on holiday from school. The children's commitment reminded me of my time in Sunday school. For I too would get up early on a Saturday to go to Sunday school. Some of the mystery of the church lies in it's witness. The church building stands as a permanent and fixed witness. Yet is the people who gather to worship and participate in the various ministries in the church who beat the most tricking witness. My initial challenge with the texts set for today was; how can my story measure up to that of Jeremiah or that of Jesus?.
My ministry as an ordained person is only beginning now. But them I am reminded that being a witness of the gospel of the risen Christ does not require me to be ordained it only needs me to be willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus. My involvement and ministry in the church is motivated in large part by those who have witnessed to me through their lives and teaching. Their example has not only formed me; it has also challenged me to be a witness who bears the gospel of Christ. And to ask myself am I being good news to the world as one who is transformed in Christ and a child of God. Amen.
In the name of the Father, an of the Son and of my he Holy Spirit. Amen. In preparation for today I had to wrestles with texts that would be easy to preach on in any situation other than today. Relating the texts to my story ha been a challenge. In the gospel Jesus is recorded as having said, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing (v21). God says to Jeremiah "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you."(v5). Paul's explanation of love in action is one we are both familiar with and challenged by. In all three readings, the only passage that has some resemblance to my story is Jeremiah's response to God, " ah, Lord God! Truly I don't know how to speak", (v6). Feeling ill equipped to do something because I don't know how or because I know my shortcomings is something I am familiar with. After consulting 3 different lectionaries hoping one of them would have a different set of readings- the one Sunday I needed them to differ they all had the same readings. In the end I accepted defeat. As much as it is a defeat for me it is an affirmation that the ministry for which I have been ordained, is what God has called me for.
In my preparation for today and reflecting on my faith journey-one recurring theme has been witness. Being a witness of the good news of the Risen Christ. It also made me aware that my faith has been shaped and moulded more through the witness of others than through formal instruction. It has been the witness of various people in the church that has helped me on this journey. A large portion of my faith journey has been guided and directed by sign posts of the witness of the people who were entrusted with caring for and teaching me. In 2015 I had the opportunity to be an exchange student in cuddesdon, England. During my stay I was puzzled each time someone would say " before I was a Christian " they would complete the statement by saying something about themselves. I still struggle to make sense of what the statement means as most of the people I know have been Christian all their lives. Some (like myself) have changed churches multiple times. In the English and South African context. Most people spoke about church, being Christians and their relationship with God. The great thing about a relationship with God is the search for God, be it coming to faith later in life or switching from one church to another, we are encouraged to continue the search by people who have encountered God. This is also means our initial knowledge of God is secondhand. In a way one could say our initial faith is secondhand. It is something that has been passed down to us. A way to understand this is to think about a secondhand sweater you but or one that is given to you. By wearing the secondhand sweater you are deprived of the pleasure of the first touch, the fresh look and smell of new. The challenge is not so much in the sweater being secondhand, it is when you keep it as it is and don't add your perfume or your brand of wear and tear to it. This is the challenge of a second hand faith. A faith that has been handed down to you, to which you respond by keeping it as it is. You get caught up in the status quo and contribute nothing to the faith. I was nudged into examining my faith in 2009 when I joined the diocesan youth training program- transformers.
All my life I have been blessed with wonderful Sunday school teacher and (youth) leaders in the church. I am who I am because of the men and women who made Sunday school a joyful experience where kindness and laughter were the order of the day. Sunday school on a Saturday morning made you want to be in church on a Sunday morning. One of the lessons I remember was during preparation for first holy communion. The teacher was trying to explain what happens on the altar at the moment of consecration. She said no one knows what happens-the priest and God are the only people who know what happens. This was also the reason the priest was not married. This made sense at the time. What struck me was the implied intimate relationship the priest had with God. This sparked in me something of wanting to be a priest. Who would not want to have a special relationship with God, that gave you knowledge to do something mysterious. With time this grew into a desire I could not and sometimes still struggle to articulate. As I continues with my journey in Sunday school, the next mile stone was confirmation class which was taught by a sister from the Sisters of the assumption. Though I had never spoken to her, from a distance there was something about her and the way she dressed that touched me. During this time I looked forward to getting to confirmation class because that would afford me the opportunity to talk to her and find out her secret. I moved from the Roman Catholic Church to the Anglican Church before I got to confirmation class. My Sunday school years were very for national for me and the journey I have traveled to get where I am today. Because of these years the church is and remains a mystery to me. There was a time when the mystery of the church was a distant memory.
The mystery of the church as the mystical body of Christ was rekindled in me during a holiday I was part of in 2010. The parish I was at , at the time did not have an active youth, there was Sunday school. It wa the commitment of the children who showed up daily and on time, they did not have to do anything as they were on holiday from school. The children's commitment reminded me of my time in Sunday school. For I too would get up early on a Saturday to go to Sunday school. Some of the mystery of the church lies in it's witness. The church building stands as a permanent and fixed witness. Yet is the people who gather to worship and participate in the various ministries in the church who beat the most tricking witness. My initial challenge with the texts set for today was; how can my story measure up to that of Jeremiah or that of Jesus?.
My ministry as an ordained person is only beginning now. But them I am reminded that being a witness of the gospel of the risen Christ does not require me to be ordained it only needs me to be willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus. My involvement and ministry in the church is motivated in large part by those who have witnessed to me through their lives and teaching. Their example has not only formed me; it has also challenged me to be a witness who bears the gospel of Christ. And to ask myself am I being good news to the world as one who is transformed in Christ and a child of God. Amen.
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