One of the privileges of being a parish priest is having the opportunity to preach on the Word of God and it is not one I take lightly. Preaching is a great responsibility because it is not just sharing what you think about a particular scripture, it can very much have an influence on another’s life.  As a Priest I am expected to be able to relate the scriptural text to life so that it speaks to the person receiving that message, how they will hear it or what they interpret from it can be as individual as the person.  What one person takes from the message can be very different then what another gets from it. And so sermon preparation and preaching is not an easy task.  It requires a lot of reflection on the Word itself, as well as study. Also the people and environment in which you are preaching also plays a part in how that sermon takes shape. Most of my preaching is done in the context of Sunday worship where there can be persons with varying backgrounds as well as come from different walks of life. So I have to consider all these elements when writing a sermon, who am I writing for and what might be happening in their lives or in the life of the community that my preaching will have the greater effect in the best possible way. Sometimes there is just no way of knowing, it is just a matter of being open to the Spirit’s leading and trusting it to lead you in the right direction, and it usually does.  Sometimes there is opportunity to preach outside of the regular weekly worship and recently I was invited to preach at a friends ordination. This was a special event in this persons life and while I felt priveleged to have been invited to do this it was also challenging for me in that this was not your regular type of preaching where you focus on the scripture as much as it was to focus on a particular subject. It was also the first time I had ever preached at an ordination and the context in which I was preaching was very different then where I would normally preach. Trying to take that all into consideration who would be there, where it was, what it should be about, I wrote my sermon but it was not until I allowed myself to let go of these concerns and just let the spirit lead me that I felt my sermon had come together. It was a positive experience for me and I appreciated the opportunity to do this and so I share my sermon here with you and perhaps you too will find something in it helpful in your own ministry.

Ordination Sermon (Preached at the Ordination of a friend)

Kay, you have made it! I am sure over the last while you have heard these words said to you many times over, you have made it, finally after all the preparation work, the studies, the exam writing, the training, your internship, and all the other pre-requisites you needed to do, to prepare you for this day when you would be ordained as Deacon for the church, you are here, you have done it. And it is indeed an accomplishment and one to be celebrated. I am sure however, that you know as well as all who have entered into this special call to ministry, that this ceremony tonight, though very instrumental in marking this occasion in your life and in the ministry of the church, but like baptism it is merely that which points to all that must come after this day, and so my friend it is now that the real work for you begins. The work of serving God in the world in a very distinct, though very challenging, yet very blessed way.

As I reflected on the readings for tonight, the readings for the “conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” and Mary’s own life as the Mother of God, how God had prepared her for that special calling, we know too that he does the same for us. All that has come before and all that will come after this night is in the hands God. The call to ministry is not one that comes to us on our own, but one prepared and made known to us through God’s own determination.

As the prophet Isaiah speaking of the servant, the one called by God, said, “the Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me: he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away.” God our creator prepares and perfects us for where he wants us to be and it is he who gives us the licence, though endorsed by the Church to carry it out.

Here tonight made ready in part, for the ordained ministry, and I say in part, because the real learning and preparation for this servant ministry is the real practicum. The hands on learning you receive through experience gained, will bring you to a different platitude of understanding and grace, and continue to do so throughout your ministry life, then any book study can ever give, although you will need much of that too. So my friend I hope you are ready for the next leg of this journey for it is in and through God’s grace that you must carry on, not on your intellect, or your skills, gifts and abilities, and I know you have many of them, but none of that can effect what only God can do. That will be your greatest asset in ministry, your faith, your trust, your confidence, in God’s grace to enable you to do what he has called you to do, and to be. Outside of that you are only another worker in a field of your choosing, but with God, at your side, you will soon come to know, as the angel said to Mary when she questioned the possibility of her bearing the Son of God, “nothing is impossible with God.”

Kay you have answered the call to ordained ministry at a very precarious time in the church and in the world, when the church struggles to be effective in its calling, and the world expects much from the church and its ministers but yet gives little breadth to do the work that needs to be done. It is not something we can do or carry on our own, we have to trust God to be in it with us. As Jesus said when he commissioned the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth have has been given to me, go and make disciples of all nations, and remember I am with you always to the end of the age.”

In giving leadership in the church, there will be times you will be required to walk a thin line maneuvering amongst all the doctrines, policies and traditions of the church, and still uphold the integrity of what it all stands for, God’s grace and presence made relevant in an ever changing world. There will be times you will call into question the very ethics of what you do, asking if it is all worth it, and at the same time, you know the only one answer you can give to that is to keep doing it: when ministry is hard and people seem unresponsive, it is then we return to the confidence that God has called us to be here, now, and nowhere else.

You have many gifts Kay, that you will want to put to use, but the ministry is not yours alone, God has called you to do certain tasks, tasks that will require much from you, spiritually, physically, mentally, and otherwise. There is never a lack in what the clergy is called to do, or in the amount of time and energy expended to do it, but we are not meant to do it all or to do it alone. Learn to delegate early, share the task of ministry with others, and you will not only find greater fulfillment in your own ministry, but the blessing of having encouraged another in becoming a servant of Christ.

Ministry is about being a servant, a servant of Christ, that is our call, that is our calling. On the night of his arrest, Jesus got up from the table, taking a towel and basin, he knelt down and washed the disciples feet, and said ,“if I your Lord and Saviour have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you and example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” The example that Jesus set for us all is one of humble servitude, not one Lording it over the other, but in humble submission to our God we follow our Lord’s example.

Tonight you will receive the endorsement of  your church, your Bishop giving you the license to serve under his direction, and the pastoral support of his office. But you will also need to look to your fellow clergy for support, for understanding, for help along the way. Seek them out when you need advise, don’t feel you have to figure it out all on your own, many of them have already dealt with issues you will have to deal with for the first time, be ready always to listen, none of us may have it right, or perfect, we are all learners along the way. We are not only ordained in a life-changing moment, but are ‘becoming’ in that ministry across a lifetime.

We all need companions on the journey, Jesus, sending out the disciples, sent them out not individually but in pairs. Jesus knew the world he was sending them out in was not always a welcoming place, they would face opposition and rejection, and they would need each other. So do we, we need someone there we can count on, to be that listening ear we need it, or to help us navigate through some of the challenges we will face. John Donne, English poet and cleric of the seventh century, wrote in a sermon “no one is an island, onto themselves”.  We are not self-sufficient.We all need others, and they need us. And it sure feels good, when a fellow clergy says, to you, “don’t worry, I got your back.” There is blessing in that.

Your family and community have been perhaps your strongest supporters along the way so far. Your community, your church here, are proud to have been a part of this journey with you, and to have had a part in your formation along the way, and rightly so, because we don’t come to ministry on our own, it is through the endorsement of others, that our call is brought forth. Your family have been steady, your husband, your daughter, your whole family, have been there by your side giving you all the encouragement and support you need, and you will need them now even more so. Let them be there for you, but most of all you too must set limits in making sure that time is given in quality and quantity to those you love.

Your ordination day is a special day in your life and in the life of this church, this is where you were raised up, formed in the way of faith, and brought to where you are today. Continue on faithfully, following the way of Jesus, lead with a servant heart, and minister with compassion and love. Your ordination falls on this special day in the church, the feast day of the conception of the blessed Virgin Mary. Mary venerated as the Mother of God by the church, but in Luke’s gospel she is the model of discipleship for all to follow. Mary’s call by God was to a prophetic task, that of bearing and raising the Son of God, her response like Samuel in the old testament, is one of humble trust and obedient service. “Here am I, the servant of the Lord. Let it be according to your will.” Mary sets the standard for all who follow after her, called in service to the Lord. We are to walk in faith and faithfulness to God always, trusting in his grace, his, providence, we become fruitful members and servants of his church, the body of Christ in the world. I thank you Kay for inviting me to be a part of this with you, and for having shared a bit of your Journey along the way, and now I look to the future as to how it all unfolds for you. Thread carefully my friend, think wisely and always walk humbly with your God.

Amen, God. Bless.

Rev. Hannah Dicks

Priest with the Anglican Church of Canada