Second Sunday of Advent/Safeguarding Sunday Sunday 17th November, 2024
Readings: Daniel 12.1-3; Hebrews 10.11-14 [15-18] 19-25; Mark 13.1-8
Let us pray:
Lord, give us your heart for those who are vulnerable, voiceless, traumatized and forgotten. Help us to value them, to nurture and protect them, and to play our part in creating safer places for all your people. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Not the most uplifting of starts to the sermon this morning: today’s readings are all about the end of the world, set against a backdrop of the disintegration of all that is known, all that is familiar. A favourite subject of cartoonists: the person wearing a sandwich board, boldly proclaiming “The end of the world is nigh”. It has become a bit of a standing joke over the years, as various groups or sects have gathered to await the end of the world as we know it. Very often, exacts times and dates, calculated from a Biblical text have been taken out of context. Apocalyptic writings, like Daniel or Revelation, have always provided fertile ground for the imagination. And yet, dates pass, and the world remains.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus mentions the destruction of the Temple, his four closest disciples ask for the sign that will come before this calamity, linking this to the end of times. As the disciples speak with Jesus they begin:
“Look Teacher, they say to Jesus, ‘what large stones, what large buildings.” They were easily impressed, as we all can be.... And the Temple in Jerusalem was hugely impressive, towering over Jerusalem.
Of course, in the first instance, there is nothing wrong with being impressed. Temples, cathedrals, churches are built to point to God’s glory and to draw us to praise, adoration and worship, pointing us to what is so much greater than we are, so much greater than our lives. And we are right to give thanks for those who have gone before us who have had the vision, inspiration and will to build a house of faith, and those who continue to maintain, care for and contribute generously to the maintenance and daily running costs, in order to share visibly the news of God’s presence with us.
But, Jesus makes a different point here: he draws attention to the fallibility of all these things, not least religious things, to mistake what is there as ‘the divine’ rather than as a to pointer to the divine, to God. Jesus was almost certainly not talking about the end of time with his disciples, but rather responding to the awe in which the disciples held the Temple building itself. Jesus himself, not the Temple, was and is, and ever shall be the embodiment of God’s love in the world.
In times of fear, anxiety and uncertainty, we can easily make the mistake of looking for something big, apparently strong and immediately visible to calm our fears. No small wonder that there is a sense in which this speaks into our situation of fear and uncertainty about the future today. We know many people across our troubled and broken world are looking for strong ideologies, strong positions - and of course, for strong leaders (though not ones that look like one crucified).
Many of you will have heard the news during the past week that the Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned his position, following the publication of the Makin Report, an independent review into the abuse perpetrated by John Smyth. The report highlighted the failure of those who knew about the abuse to report it, as well as the failure of the wider Church to respond well.
Like so many, we share our own profound sense of sorrow for the pain and suffering caused to those who were victims and survivors of Smyth, and of all other abuse. And we pray for Archbishop Justin and his family, and for the Church of England at this time of turbulence, shame, and uncertainty. This week, at times has felt like the disintegration of much that is known and familiar; ‘the end of world is nigh’ sandwich boards waiting in the wings, the Makin Report has shaken the Church of England to the core; but with hearts of faith we begin to see that the Church has once more been called to repentance and renewal, to deepen our resolve and determination to work for a better, safer future.
Worshippers across the Church of England today will be observing Safeguarding Sunday. We are gathered here today to celebrate the things we are faithfully doing to make our church a safer place, to reflect again on what more can and must be done, but primarily to recognise how central to our faith safeguarding is. Being Christ-centered in our approach means ensuring that we take care of everyone, consider others, protect the weak and the vulnerable – and have a heart for the wellbeing of all God’s creation.
Our ‘large’, awesome, ancient, beautiful church buildings may provide safety, to an extent, from the elements, but it is the people inside who are to provide emotional and physical safety. It is you and I who are to look out for each other, for everyone, especially the vulnerable, young or old. And who knows when we too might be vulnerable? It is not necessarily a permanent state, for some it is, others a season; but when we are there, it is people who can listen, respond, report, helping to shield us and protect us. Safeguarding is by people, for people.
Surely, we must resist; not join our voices with ‘the end is nigh’ kind of response or attitude of heart or mind, but by joining our prayers for victims and survivors of abuse, by joining our commitment to care for the vulnerable, the voiceless, the traumatized, the forgotten, and by joining our voices for repentance, and working for renewal. Being ever more determined in our commitment to Safeguarding, to the implementation of new recommendations, to engage in training, raising-awareness and prayer, to listen and to report, to support Helen our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Carolyn our DBS Administrator, your Clergy and Ministers, the PCC, alongside our Diocesan Safeguarding Team in their leadership role amongst us, as we all share in the responsibility of keeping one another safe from harm.
Bishop Alan, the Bishop of St Albans, has written to encourage us all this week, to assure us that he is ‘wholly committed to ensuring that our churches are places of welcome, safety, compassion, and accountability.’ Urging that ‘We must continue the work to transform our structures and practices, and we must create an environment in which all feel welcome, secure, and valued’.
As he prays, so may we resolve afresh; ‘may we work together in faith so that our Church may truly become a place of welcome, security, and compassion—a place where we are watchful yet caring, trusting yet ready to question. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that all who come to worship may do so in safety and in the knowledge of God’s enduring love’ (Bishop Alan, the Bishop of St.Albans).
Going forward, there is much to pray for, to reflect about and to act upon. As we draw together in repentance, and for renewal; may we hear and receive these three encouragements from the Epistle reading from Hebrews this morning:
• we can be clear about our hope because it is anchored in Christ, who unlike any other is the one who is ultimately faithful (v23);
• to provoke one another to love and good deeds (v24): we can think of this as being about creating a good culture of deep care for others, the deep care that is at the heart of Safeguarding;
• to encourage one another through a commitment to the community of faith (v25).
Let us be gentle with one another and humble in heart, as we face the day, and the future together.
Diocesan Prayer:
Living God, draw us deeper into your love.
Jesus our Lord, send us to care and serve.
Holy Spirit, make us heralds of good news.
Stir us, strengthen us, teach and inspire us
to live your love with generosity and joy,
imagination and courage.
For the sake of your world
and in the name of Jesus,
Amen.
The Revd. Liz Oglesby-Elong
Vicar of the Parish of St. Andrew, Biggleswade.
17th November, 2024.