Ordained to the forgotten corners

This morning I had the privilege of participating in the ordination of a colleague as deacon. It was a great occasion and both the Bishop and her parish did her proud. The parish worship in the local Sports Centre as their church building is too small. It was therefore a little surreal for a group of clergy - male and female - to be gathered in the men's changing room to witness the swearing of oaths as pictured above.

The ordination liturgy is a rich text that echoes centuries of faithful and committed service to God. The full text can be found here. It contains, as part of the description of the role of deacon this phrase: 

"They are to work with their fellow members in searching out the poor and weak, the sick and lonely and those who are oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world, that the love of God may be made visible."

I think this phrase paints a wonderful picture and is a potent reminder of what Christian ministry is all about.

The worship was excellently led by a choir, a youth orchestra and a worship band and we sang a wide variety of songs. One of the songs got me thinking and I'm not sure that I can accept what I sang without raising a question or two. The lines that tripped me up were:

No guilt in life, no fear in death
this is the power of Christ in me.
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.

I'm sure the first sentence is something we would all regard as aspirational - but if we are honest, how many folk feel absolutely no guilt and have no fear at all about the transition from this world to the next? It seems to me that feeling guilty and having honest questions about death and existence beyond this life are part of the human condition. Indeed, experiencing these things lead us to ask good questions and questions are the bedrock of growth as disciples of Christ. Wrestling with doubt and uncertainty is a good route to growth. Boldly stating truisms not only undermines integrity, but it also inhibits an open and questioning culture thereby limiting growth potential. (I am not suggesting the host parish is like this!)

The second sentence reads like something Jean Calvin himself would not have probably subscribed to - and that's before the disciples Arminius waded into the debate!

However, this is a little aside and in no way detracts from an ordination that is to be celebrated. Although I'm not sure this banner is quite what Pope Benedict had in mind when he issued his  latest invitation to Anglicans to defect to Rome!