A
few years ago I came across the remains of a wooden pier on a beach in
South Devon
. It had long since ceased to be a working structure, all
that remained were a number of wooden
spars, worn by the sea and the weather, almost unrecognisable from the original
shapes placed for a purpose.
Weather, its changes and patterns, constantly
impacts the surface of our planetary home. However bright and clean a structure
might seem, gradually with the passing years there is a change, wear and
dullness replace the original and weakness begins to show.
Before real damage is done, it is a sign of good
housekeeping that repair and renovation work takes place, for a small expense at
this stage prevents the later possible cost of complete failure.
This is true not only for man made buildings but for
our care of the very earth that is our home. More and more in recent years we
have heard talk of our responsibility to keep our world habitable by being
careful how we treat it. Slowly, it seems the message is getting through.
In the same way communities must look at their need
before they too falter and collapse. That might concern a small village where
there is little income, an area of a city once dependent on heavy industry, a
religious community or a parish.
As the number of priests available to serve in
parishes diminishes so the parish structure is at risk. In so many dioceses the
solution has been sought in the amalgamation of parishes, the success of which
has been variable to say the least. Bringing together two communities that have
had their own stories can often give rise to difficulty. In the same way, during
the years of movement towards comprehensive education, the combining of a
grammar school and a secondary modern school was no easy matter and often, just
did not work. The development of a community ethos is something organic, its
growth is a matter of careful cultivation.
Coping with change and renovation in the Church has
always been problematic. There are always some that feel threatened by change,
unable to come to terms with the challenge of honest examination. The emeritus
bishop of
Durham
, David Jenkins, who died a few days ago, faced much critical
comment over his views when he challenged aspects of the Christian faith in a
way that many found unable to accept. However I would argue that there are times
when you need to challenge in order to come to a deeper understanding of truth.
Not always an easy route to take.
There is no doubt that our Christian faith in the 21st
Century is under considerable challenge. Comfortable sureties of previous years
now have to come to terms with the scientific knowledge that we possess. The
intellectual challenge is immense; we might not like to face it but in the end,
if we are to be honest with ourselves, it cannot be ignored.
So weakened beams must be attended to, failing structures restored or
replaced. It has been said that “Life
can only be understood going backwards, but it must be lived forwards”.
We see our mistakes in hindsight, although at the time we acted in
good faith. But our living is forwards. We reflect on where we are, the current
circumstances of our lives and act accordingly. Never easy, always a challenge.
There are always
consequences to change, no single action is isolated in its effect, sometimes
quite unexpected in outcomes unforeseen.
Should we move in the direction of accepting a
married priesthood for parish communities as I argued recently, then a whole
range of other problems, or better still, opportunities are open to us. The very
word ‘parish’ and all it presently stands for, cannot be considered
sacrosanct.
Because the ripples from such a disciplinary change
will spread far and wide, it is vital that the Church begin now to examine the
detail, rather than wait till events catch up with us. The sorry tale of Brexit
should be a warning for us. There we have achieved our goal but unfortunately
haven’t grasped a full understanding of consequence. We, both lay and ordained
should now be talking through those issues, listening to each other and learning
from each other before it is too late.
How long my weather worn beam on the sea shore will survive the seasonal
gales I don’t know. I am pleased I have an image of it before it is gone.
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