The Last Sunday after Trinity

Date:25th October 2009

Preacher: Revd Canon Wendy Wilby

Freezeframe Bartimaeus

May you and I always speak and act in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It has been wonderful already this morning for Phil and I to come over the threshold of this buzzing church, greatly loved by us both. Life has changed hugely for us down in Bristol or Brizzle as it’s called. You know everything has an ‘l’ on it down there – ‘Worzel Gummidge-like’, so you don’t have agendas you have agendoles! Anyhow, enough of that…. Cathedral ministry as a precentor is very much focused on the square metreage of our terrific building and all that happens in it…….which is a joy, with some brilliant music…… but it really is refreshing once in a while to be let out to come back into a bubbling parish community like this. I read all about what is going on up here in the magazine and I couldn’t be more pleased with the firm bonds that are cemented now between town and church. I used to love that part of my ministry here and you now have a Vicar in Hilary who also values that and has put HPC or should I say HM (Halifax Minster - sounds rather good and royal doesn’t it?) into the heart of civic life.

So…to these tapestries. They are stunning. Thank you so much, Hilary and all of you for inviting me up to be a part of their dedication today. It was a project set off all those years ago that seemed to just click into place and attract sufficient support and interest to make it viable. It was a chance meeting round by the cornflakes in Sainsburys next door with the artist, Harriet Dell; my suggestion of tapestry cushions that spoke of the history of the Parish Church led to some first class designs – it clearly caught Harriet’s imagination….and we were off. Very quickly Caroline Booth became involved and her determination and stamina and incredible goodwill combined with the generosity of Square Chapel and the talent of many of you out there has got us to this point. I have to say it was very sensible to frame them rather than have them on the stone seats begging to be burgled. As you know each of the 4 frames encapsulates particular features of your history - the early period, the Tudor period, the 17^th and 18^th century and then the 19^th to the 21^st century . On them carefully worked by so many of the people present today- and it’s lovely to see you all – on them you see individual Vicars or specific aspects of the church or symbols - in a sense freezeframed for us all to gaze at before we enter church. As I came into the church porch it all came flooding back. You may remember how keen I was about the porch when we created those glass doors – I used to speak of a liminal space, a space where things happen, a threshold space between 2 statuses – the world and Halifax outside the doors and the promise of eternity within the church doors. This liminal space you have in your porch is where HPC’s stories have been placed – they are all significant moments in your corporate Christian life which have moved the people of God in Halifax onwards in their pilgrimage. You have got the Cluniac monks (you wouldn’t be here without them), the woolly Lamb of God – symbol of your patron saint and the town’s reliance on wool, Holdsworth and Rokeby, the Bible and Prayer Book in translation. You see William Herschell, 1^st organist here, Cromwell and the Commonwealth windows; you have my favourite Vicar (Arthur’s as well – what a shame he is not with us today) – Francis Pigou, who restored this building in the 19^th century, the Duke’s, the town with the Madni mosque and a symbol of the huge change that came with the ordination of women with some ‘random’ woman vicar leading a Palm Sunday procession! All of these stories ‘freezeframed’ in your porch, your threshold.

Now I wonder what would be freezeframed in a further tapestry if we moved into the 22^nd and 23^rd centuries. You just can’t imagine what will happen for those who will be worshipping here in centuries to come, can you? In a sense, I suppose a digital photograph frame with lots of changing scenes would be more appropriate but soon even that will be out moded. We are in the most amazing digital age of rapid change, the like of which has never been experienced before. We in the church in 2009 need to take heed of the speed of this digital development and consequent change for young people in the world in which we live. They are digital natives of course; we are digital immigrants. A real contrast to the painstakingly slow work of making tapestries! The reality is that technical information is doubling every year; did you know that there are already 2 million users of My Space – I don’t even know what My Space is! 31 billion searches on Google take place every month…now prior to Google to whom were these questions addressed? Currently at the Cathedral Choir School and in Holy Trinity, Halifax and any secondary school we are preparing students for jobs that don’t exist, to use technologies not even invented and to solve problems never even thought of. Indeed the prediction is that our youngsters will have had 10-14 jobs by the time they are 38. It is all mind-boggling and fast moving, and makes you reflect on what significant moment, what lifechanging feature could possibly appear in another frame here in the threshold of HPC.

I wonder whether the Gospel set for today – the story of Bartimaeus has anything to say about threshold moments in this day and age. Imagine the scene. Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, was not fortunate. He spent his days on the side of the busy highway from Jericho to Jerusalem; perhaps hoping that the faithful headed to the Holy City would curry God’s favour by throwing him a coin or two. More than likely, he caught as many curses and insults as he did coins. And, just like today , a blind pauper made a tempting target for the punches of bullies and the nimble fingers of thieves.

It is a gross understatement to say that Bartimaeus did not lead a happy life. All that he needed, though, was one thing to turn his life around. One simple change would have allowed him to leave the side of the road and actually walk upon it. All that he needed was his sight, and for that he needed a miracle.

Somehow, despite a miserable life that seems like barely a life at all, Bartimaeus managed to keep hoping for that miracle. In fact, our text for today takes us to the side of the road just as Bartimaeus’ miraculous opportunity is – quite literally – passing him by. Jesus and his followers are going through on their way to Jerusalem, a changing moment, a trip that will end in Jesus’ death and resurrection – in a way this encounter for Jesus was a threshold moment just as it turned out to be for Bartimaeus.

If we could freezeframe Bartimaeus at that very moment, it would be the perfect symbol of where almost everyone finds themselves at some time or another - even in the 22^nd and 23^rd centuries. It’s also a great snapshot of where much of the world is right now. Bartimaeus knows that his life is in shambles and broken; and he knows that he cannot provide what he needs to be whole and healthy and at peace. He sits in darkness, and he knows that only Jesus can offer him healing and hope: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” he cries over and over again.

You know I think of our cat Murphy when I read about Bartimaeus. Many of you will remember him up in Kensington Road….mooching about that beautiful garden, living the life of Old Riley really. Well, he’s now a streetwise urban cat, fiercly fighting his corner and bearing a few battle scars….but happy most of the time to sleep inside in the safety of our Victorian house. He still loves his food! He just knows mealtimes, and, despite being told by people around him to be quiet, he is persistent and will not take no for an answer. Bartimaeus gets right in Jesus’ face, we might say today. Just like my question to the cat, Jesus asks the obvious question to Bartimaeus; “What do you want?” Just as I know the answer beforehand – Murphy wants his Felix - surely Jesus, the healer, knew what the blind man wants from him - “Let me see again”.

The story ends when Bartimaeus’ sight is restored and he responds by following on the path of Jesus and we know where that led.

In a few weeks, we will start yet again on that path ourselves with the beginning of the new Church Year in Advent. It is a road that begins with faithfulness and sacrifice. With much suffering and joy along the way, it ends, ultimately, in hope; a distant horizon of peace that Bartimaeus can see with newly-opened his eyes; but that he apparently already saw with his heart.

Your tapestries are brilliant, depicting your story and history and helping to draw the visitor into a place where the promise of God’s peace and light can be found. Blind Bartimaeus today reminds us of those moments both individually and corporately when we are at rock bottom and must throw ourselves on God’s mercy in order to see that same light and peace, when we can indeed ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ as your patron saint, John the Baptist proclaimed. It is not coincidental that those words are carved in the wooden lintel in the porch. Behold the Lamb of God!’ My brothers and sisters, you are on the threshold of a new corporate ministry, not as a Parish church but as Halifax Minster. You must be a minster for this 21^st century and beyond. All you need to do is use your ears and use your eyes like Bartimaeus, and continue to join in with what God is doing all around you. With his grace, there will be the opportunity for more ‘freezeframed’ pictures as you carve out more history for this great place.