Sermon: 1st September 2024
Theme: St Aidan
Let us pray:
God of unclean hands, touching those rejected by the world, despised by the religious: guide us from false purity which hides misshapen hearts; lead us to the joyful feast in which all are renewed; through Jesus Christ, the beauty of God’s face. Amen.
Many of you know my love for reflecting upon the lives of those who have gone before us and since yesterday was the Feast Day celebrating St Aidan, the 31st August I decided to focus this sermon on St Aidan and remark that this is a first for me. In the almost 30 years that I have been preaching this is the first time I have ever preached on this Saint.
I would like to start with a personal story. In 2018, I had intended to travel to Lindisfarne, the holy island off the coast of Northeast England, where Aidan set up a monastery. Between the end of the Egypt, Jordan and Holy land pilgrimage tour I led with parishioners from St Peter’s Box Hill and the start of the Australian Welsh Male Choir tour of the UK I had a week where I was based in Edinburgh. I had managed to secure accommodation on the island of Lindisfarne for one night. All I had to do was get on the train from Edinburgh, Scotland and travel the 45 minutes or so across the border to Berwick upon Tweed, and then catch a bus from there at the right time to travel across on the low tide to Lindisfarne. To cut a long story short, I no sooner had boarded the train then ten minutes later we were informed that because of storm ALI – (a severe storm I later learned that caused havoc – millions of dollars damage – including unfortunately the loss of two lives) Scottish Rail was calling a Code Black and all trains were banned from leaving Scotland. Our train had to stop and then we returned to Waverley Station in Edinburgh – so I never got to go. And the way things are at the moment I may never get the opportunity to go to Lindisfarne or any other place outside of Australia. This has been a long diversion so let me get to St Aidan.
Aidan was born in Ireland and not much is known about his early life. Aidan was sent as a missionary to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald,
but research tells us that a missionary was sent prior to Aidan – called Corman – who returned claiming he had had no success in his missionary work, saying the people were unteachable and too stubborn. It is said that Aidan criticised the methods used by Corman, suggesting perhaps Corman should have taken a more gentle approach and so Aidan went out as a missionary. He worked closely with King Oswald, who is said to have acted as his interpreter.
His life of mission involved an enthusiasm for preaching, a concern for the poor and he was known for his charitable acts. He founded churches and monasteries, was involved in ministerial training and sought to strengthen the faith of those he encountered, however rich or poor.
He is described as a humble man who was loved and respected and he died 31st August – in the year 651.
If for you, like me, this is the first time you’ve heard about the life of St Aidan, I wonder what it is that strikes you about his life and ministry. Well I believe that, as well as learning something of the life of this inspiring saint, there are many things that we can take away from the example of St Aidan that are applicable to our owns lives and ministries and I would like to share just some of these with you – things I believe can both inspire and challenge us.
The first thing comes from a quote I read about Aidan’s life which says ‘that Aidan travelled ceaselessly…. spreading the gospel to both the Anglo-Saxon nobility and to the socially disenfranchised’.
To me this idea of spreading the gospel to all in society is crucial as we strive to be church that is inclusive and accessible. It seems that Aidan models for us a love, care and desire to spread the gospel to the whole of society – from the richest to the poorest – that no one is excluded and I also read that Aidan ‘patiently talked to people at their own level’.
The idea of talking at the right level doesn’t mean being patronising or dumbing things down, it means meeting people as they are, discerning their needs, being patient with people and showing no judgement.
This is how Jesus spoke to many of those whom he encountered in his ministry – he met them as they were and spoke to them sometimes with reassurance, sometimes using parables and contexts people could easily relate to, and sometimes he challenged and rebuked when necessary. But no one was excluded and people were spoken to with love, respect and care.
And while we are not all called to spread the gospel in such an explicit way as Aidan, we are all called to bear witness to that Gospel message in the way we live our lives - and this should be a life of love and service to all people. And as we remember in this Creation Season let us be prayerful and mindful of what we offer to God in the very way we live our lives, and how the Gospel of love from the God of Creation is shown in our love and care of the earth of which we have been blessed.
The second, and perhaps a less obvious point, refers back to the beginnings of Aidan’s ministry. If you remember – Corman returned having given up, saying people were too stubborn and unteachable and wouldn’t respond to him. The lesson here isn’t about success in preaching and trying to convert everyone we meet; it’s about not giving up on people. It ties into the first point about meeting people as they are but more than that the idea of not giving up on people is important as we reach out to people around us. Again it isn’t about constant nagging or bombarding people – but making sure we are there if people need us, that our backs are not turned and that we haven’t closed a door and walked away.
The third point is to look at Aidan’s charity and dedication to the less fortunate and this isn’t all about financial giving – Aidan gave his time, his respect and perhaps most importantly his love to those on the margins of society and we are ALL called first and foremost to love.
I’ve shared with you 3 things about the life of St Aidan that I found both inspiring and challenging – his ability to meet people as they are and spread the Gospel to all of society……. his faith and will as he chose not to give up on people……… and his concern for the disenfranchised and marginalised of society.
Jesus also demonstrated these qualities and again and again in the Gospel accounts we see Jesus touching the untouchable, giving hope to the hopeless and seeking out the lost.
In our context – in Christ Church, St Lucia – we are called to in joy and faithfulness bear witness to the Gospel message – to the love, care and compassion of Jesus Christ, who reached out to the margins of society. As we look around us where do we see those who are in need, how can we meet people as they are, how can we not turn our backs and how can we give charitably, whether financially or otherwise.
Aidan’s life was a life of humility and a life of service which echoed the life of Jesus himself. My prayer is that we are inspired and challenged to reflect upon how we can use Aidan’s example to reach out to those around us and bear witness to unconditional love of God in our own lives.
I finish with the collect for St Aidan:
Everlasting God,
you sent the gentle bishop Aidan
to proclaim the gospel to the people of Northern England;
grant us to live as he taught
in simplicity, humility and love for the poor;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord
Amen
The Lord be with you.