Category: From the Vicar

From Fr Stephen Delbridge

As we continue to read through the Letter of James and juxtapose our readings from Mark’s Gospel we are called to be mindful of who we are and how we live. James is vigorous in his declaration that faith requires works and Jesus is vigorous in his holding of the tensions of the life of faith. Take up your cross and follow me, Jesus declares! No Holy holiness or pietist sect here, more like real life lived with faith and with purpose. Our inward life of faith (who we are) and our outward expression of that faith (how we live) become a seamless unity.

The Gradual hymn is the bridge between the Letter of James and the Gospel of Mark. In the second verse are the words: ‘Help us, O Lord, to live the faith which we proclaim, that all our thoughts and words and deeds may glorify your name.’ Yes, we have a faith to live by, a faith that sustains us in good times and in tough times, and we live this faith in our minds and hearts, in our speech and in our deeds!

The prayer of our hearts might be grasped by the third verse of the first hymn: ‘Come, Holy Spirit, create in us holiness, lift up our lives to your standard of right; stir every [our/my] will to new ventures of faithfulness [and] flood the whole church with your glorious light.

Grace and peace to you all,

Stephen

From Fr Stephen Delbridge

Canon Christopher alerted us last Sunday to these weeks that we will spend in James’ Letter. Last Sunday we had the line: ‘be doers of the word and not hearers only’. Today we have the follow-up verse: ‘faith without works is dead’ (!). We can match this verse with the actions of Jesus in today’s gospel when he heals the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus is known by his actions, yes also by his words, but elsewhere in the gospel Jesus says to the disciples of John the Baptist: what do you see? The blind see, the lame walk, and the poor have the good news preached to them. Yes, actions and words!

As a hospital chaplain these past twenty years and more, it is this combination of words and actions that have undergirded what I do. I turn up for the patient, I listen to their story, I offer comfort and presence, and prayer as required. The patient may or may not be connected to a faith tradition, however the need for the care of their spirit is paramount to me. This ministry is ‘making the word of God fully known’ as the Archbishop formulates our vision, and yet the ability to maintain this ministry has collapsed in the face of financial pressures. This opportunity to be, as a person of spiritual alertness and connection, at the bedside of the person in their moment of need is lost.

May we continue to be alert to this tension in our own lives, that we be doers of the word as well as hearers, and that we not limit in our own minds what that doing might require as we are open to the winds of the Spirit blowing in our own lives. And gently we pray, unlike the winds that have blustered and blown our city over this last week!

Grace and peace to you all,

Stephen

For the next five weeks our Sunday epistle readings come from the epistle of James.

It is a practical and straightforward letter, attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, which emphasises the importance of living out one’s faith through actions. James declares ‘faith without works is dead’ (2: 17). The letter includes themes of perseverance, wisdom, humility and social justice, and addresses the need to control one’s speech, resist temptation, and to care for the poor. In many ways the epistle is one that speaks to the heart of the aims of our parish as we seek to do these things in the community.

In today’s reading, James instructs us to be ‘doers of the word, and not hearers only’. Merely listening to God’s word is not enough – we must put it into action. It’s easy to nod in agreement when we hear the teachings of Jesus or read Scripture, but the real challenge lies in living out those truths daily. To act out God’s teaching brings freedom!

I will be away on holidays in Europe with my wife for the next six weeks. Be assured of my prayers for you all while I am away. I encourage you to take special note of James’ instructions during this time.

Grace and peace to you all,

Chris

For the past five Wednesday evenings a small group from the congregation have been studying, via Zoom, Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This week we studied the first part of chapter three, which begins with these words:

So, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. (Colossians 3: 1–4)

Paul urges us to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is at the right hand of God. He reminds us that our lives are hidden with Christ in God. As a congregation, let us be encouraged to lift our eyes beyond the distractions and challenges of the world, and focus on the eternal hope we have in Jesus. In a world filled with uncertainty, our identity and security are not found in earthly things but in Christ, who is our life. Let this truth fill us with peace and confidence, knowing that our future is secure in Him.

As we journey together, let us strive to put on the new self, reflecting Christ’s character of compassion, kindness, humility, and patience, not only within our church family but also in our communities. Let us encourage one another to seek the things above, where Christ is. May our thoughts and actions be aligned with the heavenly perspective, knowing that when Christ, who is our life, appears, we also will appear with Him in glory. This is our glorious hope and the foundation of our faith.

Grace and peace to you all.
Chris

 

Archbishop Philip has called on all parishes to observe Vocations Sunday next Sunday, 25 August. On this day we will consider the truth that God has given to every Christian through the Holy Spirit, a gift or gifts for the building up of the whole church.

In 1 Corinthians 12: 4–7 St Paul writes:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Of course this is true for our community in South Darebin, and I rejoice as I see many gifts shared in so many ways amongst the congregation.

I am thrilled that The Reverend Canon Professor Dorothy Lee AM FAHA has agreed to be our preacher on Vocations Sunday at both St James and All Saints. Dorothy is a New Testament scholar with a particular interest in the Gospels. She reads them from a literary and theological perspective, with attention to their context in the ancient world. She has written and taught in feminist theology and women’s ministry in the New Testament. Dorothy is also a wonderful preacher!

Please make every effort to come along on Vocations Sunday and be challenged and encouraged by what Dorothy will share with us.

Grace and peace to you all,

Chris

Last week I shared with you a quotation attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo. Today, as we celebrate the feast of St Laurence, I share with you another quote from Saint Augustine when he was preaching on the Feast of St Laurence in about 400AD:

“[St Laurence] loved Christ in his life, he imitated Him in his death…After all, we shall not be able to give a better proof of love than by imitating His example…

“Christ humbled himself: you have something, Christian, to latch on to. Christ became obedient. – Why do you behave proudly? After running the course of these humiliations and laying death low, Christ ascended into heaven – let us follow Him there. Let us listen to the Apostle telling us, ‘If you have risen with Christ,savour the things that are above where Christ is, seated at God’s right hand.’ ”

St Laurence dedicated his life and ministry to care for the poor. After he was falsely accused of hoarding great riches for himself and the Church, Laurence’s life ended in a horrible and cruel death, just as Jesus’ life had ended cruelly. Laurence’s faith never wavered even as he was being executed. He knew that he would follow his Lord into God’s glorious kingdom to be in the eternal presence of that loving Spirit where there is no poverty, pain or sickness – where all things are made new.

As we reflect today on the life of St Laurence, may this be our prayer:

Deliver the Church from the greed and envy of the powerful and protect her rights and property so that she may serve the needy in freedom, giving them good things for soul and body. May we come some day with all those whom we helped on earth to the bright mansions of heaven where we will enjoy the riches of God’s house and the company of the Saviour who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Amen.

Grace and peace to you all.

Chris

Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD) was a bishop of Hippo in Northern Africa. A theologian and philosopher, Saint Augustine was one of the most influential Christian writers of early Christendom and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Western church. His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine and Confessions.

One statement attributed to Saint Augustine is this: A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps.

Saint Augustine’s words reminded me of a well-known hymn:

Friends, companions let me serve you,
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I might have the grace
to let you be my servant too.

I will hold the Christ light for you
in the nighttime of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow,
till we’ve seen this journey through.

May this be true of us, the people of South Darebin Parish.

Grace and peace to you all.
Chris

Dear Members and Friends of South Darebin parish,

Last Sunday we had a happy and uplifting choral Eucharist to mark St James Day and the one hundredth anniversary of St James, Thornbury being made a parish. My sermon reminded us that in the Kingdom of God everyone is as important as everyone else – there is none who is more important than anyone else. We are called to serve each other and all people, just as Christ came not to be served, but to serve. This truth was demonstrated in our celebration by many who served us with their God-given gifts.

We were all blessed by the beautiful music provided by the choir, and I thank them, together with our organists Kevin and Elizabeth for sharing their musical gifts with us. Thanks also to Helen and others who provided a yummy morning tea. We thank Brad in collaboration with Norm for the production of the memorial booklet with its history of St James and happy reminiscences from some of the congregation.

St. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12 that just as the human body has many parts and each part of the body is equally important, so in the church each of us is a member gifted by God differently one from another who are equally in need of each other. In 1 Corinthians 13 he goes on to remind us that as we exercise our gift, we must do so in love, for without love we are but a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

I thank God for each of you and pray that together we may continue to exercise our gifts in love for the benefit of all – both in the church and beyond.

Grace and peace to you all.
Chris