God’s Call

It was an immense privilege on Sunday to attend and participate in the ordination of deacons at Chelmsford cathedral. I was there of course because our new curate, Chris Willis, was being ordained, and it is important that the incumbent of the parish to which the ordinand is licensed should be present. Normally I would have quite a limited role to play but this year it was even more restricted because of the covid precautions. Near the start of the service, when Chris’s name was read out, I announced that he was coming to St. Albright’s, Stanway, and that was it. Normally, after the ordination by the bishop, I would have given Chris his new stole to wear for the first time.  However, physical contact has to be kept to a minimum these days, so on Sunday he did it himself!

The service was unusual in several other respects. Usually the cathedral is packed with people and there is ceremony, processions, music and lusty singing.  It is a great celebration. This year there was no congregational singing – we had organ music and cantors sang some anthems and Taize chants. The congregation was quite small – only six deacons were ordained at the service that I attended and they were allowed just three guests. There were other ordinations that day and on Saturday too, so overall there were 26 new deacons, but each service had the same quiet, restrained and intimate quality.

Although the ordination service lacked much of its customary pomp and grandeur, it was extremely moving. The quietness, the gentleness spoke of something extraordinarily special about what was taking place. Six people (five women and one man) were making a very public declaration of their faith and commitment, the culmination of several years’ discernment and training, and taking solemn vows. It was not being trumpeted from the rooftops but quietly, prayerfully and with a deep sense of the personal.

All this is not to say that there is no place for a great and splendid show in worship - it is one of the ways in which we mark special events. And I daresay that the priest ordinations next year will have a lot of that. Sometimes, however, it is good to be a bit more meditative, a bit more reflective, both in our worship and in our daily lives. Maybe the covid crisis has made us see the virtue of that.

Attending the ordination naturally reminded me of the vows that I took when I was ordained, more years ago now than I care to remember, and the call that I received from God to serve as a priest in his church.  The recently-made deacons probably all had a similar call, but we all called into some kind of service. For most it is not ordained or other licensed ministry (such as LLM like Penny, Clement and Morag, or a   spiritual companion like Pam) for there is a whole range of things we can do – as varied as we are ourselves. God speaks to each and every one of us and wants to have a relationship with us. We all have gifts and talents for use within the church, given to us by the Holy Spirit. It is for us and for those around us in the church to discern and make use of those gifts which God has given us. We are all important and we are all useful. God calls and keeps on calling.

Tony.

A Prayer from the Church of South India

Almighty God, giver of all good things, who by your one Spirit appointed a rich diversity of ministries in your church: look mercifully upon all who are called and so fill them with your Holy Spirit that both by word and good example they may serve you to the glory of your name and the building up of your church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.