WHEN JESUS CAME TO JERSEY
Festival of Christian Spirituality, Jersey: Sermon, St. Brelades Church, Sunday September 22 2013
On my first visit to Jersey God did something deep in my heart. It was thefirst invitation I received after becoming Guardian of the dispersed Community of Aidan and Hilda and its Way of Life whichwe hope many will follow.
What about when Jesus came to Jersey? The phrase is prompted by a WW1 chaplain known as Woodbine Willie who famously wrote this
poem:
When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary;
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed Him by.
They would not hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street, and left Him in the rain.
But Jersey is different. We know, of course, that Jesus came to Jersey in the skin of Brelade who forsook fortune for God, in the skin of Maglorius who tamed the wild beast and established a community of prayer, in the skins of Marcoul and Helier who spent 15 years on the most isolated outcrop rock, in prayer and fasting and whose hermitage became a place of pilgrimage. We know that Jersey became known as an island of prayer hermits, some of them perhaps inspired by Egypt’s desert Athletes of Christ. An echo of this may be retained in the area near the north of the island which is known as L’Egypte.
We know also thatJersey was shaped by pilgrims of God’s love such as Samson, to whom L’Islet de St. Samson bears witness who placed themselves under Irish teachers. These Christianshad a strong imagination. They did not feel left out because their island was not mentioned in any Scriptures. They said: All the things Jesus did to bring in the kingdom of Godin Judeahe now wants to do among us. So Ireland will have its twelve apostles and its spiritual foster mothers, it will have Bethlehems in the back yards, Nazareths in the work places, deserted places where through spiritual warfare wecan overcome temptations, it will have Bethanys as hospitality places, Calvary’s in the places of sorrow, and new places of resurrection’.
So when Jesus comes to Jersey he inspires its people to create places like these and more. I have been reading the marvellous novel about Jesus’ early life by John Oxenham entitled ‘The Hidden Years’: how he learned to swim despite his mates panicking, because he had no fear and was observant. How he did quality work at the carpenter’s bench. Can Jesus make Jersey a place to which people come for both the quality of her workmanship and the quality of her mindfulness?
When Jesus comes to Jersey I’m sure he’ll recruit the fisher-folk I saw on the pier this morning, and then recruit all sorts of other people on this versatile island.
One of Jersey’s Bethanys is St. Brelade’s Rectory and its retreat cottage where Terri, whose other name is Martha, prepared a welcome for me. But where are Jersey’s Mary’s – the contemplatives who sit at his feet? When Jesus comes to Jersey he wants them by the shore and under the trees and in their private rooms. Where in Jersey does Simon Peter’s mother-in-law live? Excavations have revealed that their house, where Jesus was a lodger, had three courtyards and sections for family, guests and work. The room where Jesus lodged became a chapel. Maybe a house like this will emerge somewhere on Jersey’s heights.
When Jesus comes to Jersey he notices those who are edged aside byego-driven personalities. Jesus is used to being edged aside himself. He is an expert at coming alongside people on the margins. The fact the Jesus was edged aside did not prevent him from living his life from the Source of well-being.’I only do what I see my Father doing’ he said (John 5:19 He had a deep relationship which held him during times of rejection. He offers you who feel marginalised a way into a deep relationship.
When Jesus comes to Jersey he looks for a Zacheus - you know, the fat little banker who didn’t come to church but invited Jesus to his home and then gave away loads of his money. I expect there are lots of people like Zacheus here. It was so good to meet Business Connect yesterday. May they connect many potential Zacheus’ to Jesus.
When Jesus comes to Jersey he also notices all you lovely little widows and widowers who are short on money but big on generosity. You give what you have but think nobody ever notices you. Jesus notices you. Be glad. Rejoice.
What about the Syro-phoenician woman? Jesus responded to her need because she asked him with persistence. There are many here who are immigrants. A recent researcher claims that half Galilee’s population were asylum seekers or immigrants from other areas. Jesus is at home with them. He says that God’s House must be a house of prayer for all ethnic groups. The Anglican Church is part of the ‘one, holy, catholic apostolic church’, it is not a preserve for one type of people. When Jesus comes to Jersey he wants the glory of God to be seen in the different races mingling and praying in friendship in the same buildings in the same celebrations at least on special occasions.
When Jesus comes to Jersey he gathers people who will grow in holy wisdom, who will sit at the feet of scholars as he did at the age of twelve, but who will go on to learn deeper wisdoms. If Jersey harbours people like Alain be Botton, Jesus will befriend them. Alain, in his book ‘Religion for Atheists’ says nirvana would be if the questions raised by Oprah Winfrey would be answered by a faculty at Harvard. No need to go to Harvard. A faculty on Jersey, not governed by capitalist values, which combines daily reflection of the head through the heart, the wisdom of the soil and the sages, the scriptures and the spirit – until spiritual fosters mothers and fathers flower on Jersey’s soil. Our Festival Organiser, Brian Clarke, is a life coach who will talk about healing memories this afternoon. The work is underway.
Wise people who stand alongside others and mentor, enable and encourage them. A church in London has dedicated a year to learning how to live this Way of Lifc. To make this work it needed soul friends. Last month our community led a week-end to begin a nurturing of soul friends process, and we do this for churches anywhere. A soul friend is a mature Christian who knows their Bible, listens well, keeps confidences, understands different ways of prayer for different temperaments, who will accompany us in the ups and downs of our life journey.
When Jesus comes to Jersey he enjoys the many eating houses. But he asks some of you to set up an Agape Restaurant as suggested by Alain de Botton. There fear of strangers recedes, the banker eats with the beggar, the bi-polar with the balanced, black with white.
He wants to gather Jersey people, too, for days of prayer, seasons of prayer and walks of prayer.
Jersey has surfers. But when Jesus comes he says ‘Don’t only surf into the beach. Get into my boat’ and launch out into the ocean and discover fresh horizons’ You ask ‘How can these things be?. Nicodemus asked that question. Jesus’ answer is that as the wind blows so you can be born along by the wind of God’s spirit.
Yesterday I introduced some of you to our Community’s simple Way of Life, which we hope you will consider exploring. When a person has explored it and decides to commit to it, we say they make their Voyage. These words about Saint Brendan are read:
Then the wind fell, and they had to row,day after day.When their strength eventually failed, Brendan comforted them: ‘Have no fear, brothers, for God is our captain and our pilot; so take in the oars, and set the sail, letting him blow us where he wills.’
A leader says: God is calling you to leave behind everything that stops you setting sail in the ocean of God’s love... be ready for the Spirit to lead you into wild, windyor well-worn places in the knowledge that God will make them places of wonder and welcome….Sail forth across the ocean of God’s world, knowing both the frailty of your craftand the infinite riches of your God.
When the Risen Christ comes to the shore and sees people like Simon Peter who feel they have let him down, he says ‘Do you love me? Feed my sheep’. Peter had been living out of the emotional script formed in his childhood; now he would live from a script written entirely by divine love. I have only recently had a similar experience. It is a wonderful discovery. May there be more and more shore-side resurrection Jersey Christians.
When Jesus comes to Jersey he calls many people to enter deeply into a rhythm of prayer, work and re-creation. He calls modern people to become hermits for a day or a week or an hour, but assures them they do not have to lose their individuality – in fact they will find their true selves. And there will be healing, and hope and Jersey can become God’s Island
An island that is warm and nurturing for God is the Ground of its being. From this Ground a thousand fruits ripen and Jersey becomes an island of saints and scholars, soul friends and stewards of creation.