Gospel of Anger
Can anything good come out of anger? (Apologies to John 1:46) Here's what the apostle James had to say:
You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.
(James 1:19-20, NRSV)
Our theme at “Agnostics Anonymous” last night was “Can anger be useful or helpful?” And the consensus - from our small cross-section of people of several faiths or none - was that, for the most part, it can't. We talked about the destructiveness of anger (does it ever produce a positive result or reaction?) and about the way people get stuck in anger, and about the almost addictive adrenaline surge of anger, which means the best way to deal with a very angry person is to leave him or her well alone until they subside. Not so easy to do when someone has just put a sledgehammer through your windscreen, obviously (maybe best just to breathe deeply and close your eyes?...)
The Good Shepherd - a sermon preached at the Ordination to the Priesthood of Rev. Linda Walters on September 24th 2011
John 10: 1-16
What makes a good shepherd?
In terms of the example Jesus shows us, it's simple: know your sheep - love your sheep - lay down your life for your sheep. We'll come back to all that, but for now, I want to take you on a bit of a detour.
Linda - remember you're a sheep.
Actually, everyone here is a sheep. Even Bishop Bob is actually a sheep. A sheep in shepherd's clothing, maybe, but still definitely, and first and foremost, a sheep. And...to be a good shepherd, you also have to be a sheep.
Let me explain. This calling, to which Linda has responded - sometimes gladly and with joy, sometimes with doubts and tears and sleepless nights (not giving anything away, am I, Linda?) - this calling to be a priest in the Church of England can, of course, be pictured as the calling of a shepherd: to care for the sheep, to find the lost and bring them back, to bind up the injured, to comfort the distressed, to tend the flock and keep the flock together and defend the flock from attack. It is the calling of God to love his people, and in this simplest sense it is one in which we all share. We are all priests, along with Bishop Bob and Archdeacon David and every person, every last person in our churches. (And that usually means the person who sweeps up after we've all gone. Whoever you are, just remember: the last shall be first.) We are all called to be go-betweens for God, showing his love to every person we can, and bringing every person's needs back to God in prayer. We are all shepherds of one another - but some, like Linda, are called to representative ministry, called to live out the ministry of a shepherd publicly, as an example, as an encourager, as a leader.
But Linda can't do that, any more than you and I can, unless she remembers she's a sheep. By which I mean: the deepest motivation and the surest guide for Linda's ministry as a deacon, as a priest, as a shepherd, is the life-giving relationship she has with God in Jesus Christ, through which - like a sheep - she has been, is being and will be saved. And the same is true of us all.
Some suggestions for prayer:
- Sally Molligoda and her husband Molli, as they return to Sri Lanka for the winter; their family, both here and over there, and the church at Gampola
- Diana Parker and Fiona Parrott, of St. Mary's, Mortehoe, being confirmed this week
- our new Mission Community curate, Ian Snares, his wife Jo, and their children, as they settle in to life in Ilfracombe
- our own curate, Linda Walters, in her first weeks as a priest
- Ben Bradshaw (Holy Trinity, Ilfracombe) and John Roles (St. Peter's), training for ordination, and their wives Tara & Sheila
- those in our communities who are struggling to stay afloat in the present economic crisis
- the work of the Freedom Centre in Barnstaple, providing regular hot meals for those in need
- Frank and Linda Gillespie, formerly of St. Sabinus', and their work in a deprived area of Cork, Ireland
- Tessa MacKenzie (daughter of Arthur Chandler, formerly Vicar of Holy Trinity), based at Suva Cathedral, Fiji
- all who are unwell, or in any kind of distress or need
- wisdom for leaders who will need to make key decisions to deal with the European (and global) financial crisis
- thanks for Archbishop Desmond Tutu as he turns 80!