Christ Church Cathedral Fredericton, NB

"The sharing of my heart"

A sermon by Dean Keith Joyce

As I said yesterday, I want to share my heart, and tell you what I think about, dream about, hope for as the Dean here at Christ Church Cathedral.

I want to share this with you but not as one with all the answers. We can work on the answers together, now and in the months ahead, so that we can be captured by a commonly held vision and purpose for us under God's guidance.

First, let me say that I am delighted to be here as the Dean, with the very eclectic and gifted group of people who are part of the Cathedral's life.

As our Lord uses the combined skills and gifts with which he has enriched this church, greater things than we can imagine possible will be accomplished through the enabling and empowering work of the Holy Spirit. But we also need to be ready for the unexpected! The Holy Spirit is not One to be confined to using only our skills and capabilities!

My hope is that we know, feel and maybe even see that somewhat nebulous but real glory of God in our midst and in our worship.

My prayer for myself and for us all is that we have hearts that are really tender towards God in all that God would have for us. May we long to grow in the faith, to deepen our relationship with Christ, and thirst for the flowing of the river of life, namely the Holy Spirit, in our lives. As an extension of these tender hearts may we be a people who long to reach out to those who don't yet know the love of God in their lives.

Part of my dream is that we enjoy an environment where people can come and rest, be healed, be strengthened, and in our Lord's good time, be equipped for the mission of God in the context of their life situation. This includes having a sense of being church - that communion of God where each unique individual in Christ belongs - which energizes and excites us.

May we be a congregation where our worship is vibrant and alive to the presence of God because we understand that, fundamentally, worship is a matter of the heart and not of worship style.

Most importantly, may we be a people who are more interested in mission than in maintenance but where we also understand that strong mission is facilitated by good maintenance - just need to have the order straight!

My hope is that as we move forward in the cause of the gospel, we encounter seriously the current culture, and work at how to speak the good news of Jesus Christ in understandable ways yet without sacrificing the living tradition of the faith.

I picture us as a people that enjoys both the old and the new, the simple and the complex, the common and the exceptional, the formal and the informal - in worship and in ministry.

Finally, may this be a place where we enjoy God and enjoy one another - where being a disciple of Christ is not all drudgery and full of rules, but where we actually have fun, in the best sense of the word!

So, in keeping with having fun, I am reminded of a pastor who was giving the children's message during worship. For this part of the service, he would gather all the children around him and give a brief lesson before dismissing them for children's church.

On this particular Sunday, he was using squirrels for an object lesson on industry and preparation. He started out by saying, "I'm going to describe something, and I want you to raise your hand when you know what it is." The children nodded eagerly.

"This thing lives in trees (pause) and eats nuts (pause)..." No hands went up.

"And it is gray (pause) and has a long bushy tail (pause)..."

The children were looking at each other, but still no hands are raised.

"And it jumps from branch to branch (pause) and chatters and flips its tail when it's excited (pause)..."

Finally one little boy tentatively raised his hand.

The pastor breathed a sigh of relief and called on him. "Well...," said the boy, "I know the answer must be Jesus ... but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"

As part of my dreaming let me paint a picture of what mature disciples of Jesus Christ look like. Without mature disciples the church remains weak. This is in point form.

They enjoy their relationship with Jesus Christ, and welcome the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and can speak affectionately of God the Father's love for them because they know they really do belong to Him as His children.

They live lives that reflect the character of Christ, seek to have his influence be the priority of their lives so that their behaviour, attitudes, and intentions reflect the person and teaching of Jesus and the understanding of the Scriptures.

They enjoy and know the Scriptures well.

They have compassion for the world around them meaning both the people and the planet itself, so that the life and existence of the common good is enriched and improved

They desire to share the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ with those who don't know it by being really plugged into the mission and purpose of God

Their spiritual lives are ever growing and deepening

They become increasingly knowledgeable and astute theologically

They are able to worship God as the most important thing they do because they have cultivated that heart for worship

Just to be clear, I want to admit that I have much growing to do to achieve fully what I have described. I have by no means 'arrived.'

As I get towards the end, I want to describe what undergirds everything I hope for and look for and plan for in the life of the church.

Here are my foundational perspectives:

The individual Christian - someone who really knows who he or she is "in Christ," as a mature disciple and follower of Jesus, who knows the joy of his or her salvation, and who is equipped by the Holy Spirit for living and serving

The church - the corporate expression of being a Christian - is built up and strengthened as a communion of Christians where people worship, and are healed, restored, equipped and enabled to serve God at home, at work, and through the life and activities of the church, in the mission of God

The kingdom of God - is that which the individual Christian and the church know as the mission of God, and express it through the Cathedral so that we see the loving 'rule' of God expanded through many coming to living faith in Jesus Christ and thus that kingdom is extended

Finally, I dream that we increasingly become a church filled with people who have as their heart's desire to "enhance the reputation of God," who live to God's glory as friends of God; who want to take care of His world, this earth and its people, to defend the defenceless, bind up the brokenhearted, console the lonely and advocate Christ's peace and justice; be a place which takes ordinary people like you and me to do that and be that by equipping and enabling its members to be Christ's disciples actively participating in God's mission in the world yet with joy, conviction and enthusiasm.

One important thing I want to say and it is this. I am not looking for 'cookie cutter' Christians - how each one enjoys and expresses the things I have talked about will be different in each person. The rate of growth and development will vary from person to person, and this needs to be respected. Life situations vary greatly. For some just getting through the day is a major accomplishment. For others life is extremely difficult as they battle long term illnesses or face other types of debilitating situations. We need to support them in what they are struggling with and not overload them (or overload ourselves should that be appropriate) even with the good expectations of being a disciple of Christ and a member of His Church.

I dream that more and more we are a people, a 'place' where we are captured by the beauty of God, where we are infused with the grace of God, knowing that in Christ's death and resurrection He has done it all for us, so that we stand in His presence, accepted and loved by Him. Finally, my dream includes that our response to God, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is out of a growing love for God far more than it being "rule and regulation" of what it means to be a disciple of Christ in this world.

As we move on from here, in time and in ministry, may we know the joy of being "in Christ," experience the encouragement of the church being built up, and rejoice in seeing the kingdom of God ever enlarged.