Sermon-"Sexit"?

Handprints, Andy Warhol, 1982

A homily given at Evensong at St Giles-in-the-Fields on Sunday 7th July 2024 based on the text of Romans 14.1-17.

Many who quest for authenticity might prefer to have heard that extract from Paul’s Letter to the Romans read in a female voice.

Phoebe a deacon (and probable host and benefactor) of her own church – was chosen by Paul to take his letter to those who formed the early Christian community in Rome. Many believe Pheobe would not have just been a voice for hire – she would have been expected to answer questions about what Paul meant. Perhaps using her own experience to fill in any gaps. She was an influential woman in the early church. Paula Gooder has written a fascinating scholarly novel imagining her life, which I can highly recommend.

In each house church Phoebe visited, she would have stood facing even more of a motley crew than I am looking at now! An even more diverse crowd!

Many of them would have grown up obeying Jewish laws and customs - and still held these dear. Perhaps they felt that as Jesus was Jewish, their experience, their knowledge of this ancient faith, gave them a privileged position in the new Christian community. Placing them above the rest. 

Others had come to the church as pagans - having previously worshipped a variety of different Gods, including the Emperor. Perhaps they felt that their experience as subjects of Rome, their understanding of its systems and structures, gave them a position of power and privilege, so they looked down on the others.

These groups could be the ‘strong in faith’ and ‘weak in faith’ to which Paul refers in his letter. Doubtless, as with all matters of human life, there were fifty shades of grey in between.

In our second lesson, we heard a passage from the letter in which Paul is addressing the issue of diet. What people think they are allowed – and not allowed – to eat.

Who are we to judge what another Christian eats? Paul asks. Perhaps as she read it aloud, Pheobe would have made clear in her inflection, that the question was rhetorical?

We must not despise those who continue to adhere to Jewish laws and customs who ‘eateth not’ certain foods, nor judge those, like the Gentile Christians, who do.

Paul saw it as inconceivable that any one Christian group would seek to pit itself against another, if they truly understood their identity – their unity - in Christ.

After all, we believe that we will all “stand before the judgement seat of Christ’ at the final hour. Each one of us shall give account of himself to God. Imagine telling him you’ve spent a good part of your life arguing with other Christians?! Paul has a point.

He felt that the church should be diverse. Yet everywhere he helped to plant a church, he later found divisions. Paul didn’t take sides. He appears to be equally tolerant of both.

In the next few days the Church of England faces a test of its unity – but not over what we should and should not eat.

At the General Synod – the parliament of the church - meeting in York, delegates will tomorrow consider proposals to permit the use of new Prayers of Love and Faith for a trial period. These have been written to allow clergy and lay ministers to pray with and for a same-sex couple who love one another and who wish to give thanks for and mark that love in faith before God.

For some, the prayers don’t go far enough. Whilst they include petitions for guidance, for companionship, for blessing the couple’s home and families, they fail to acknowledge or bless the actual relationship between the two people.

For others, the prayers are a threat to the doctrine of marriage, which the church maintains is between one man and one woman.

Some churches have reacted strongly against the proposal to authorise the use of these new Prayers of Love and Faith. Choosing to withhold financial contributions to their dioceses in protest. In London this is already having a noticeable effect. The projected deficit is set to rise. We are about to see more vacant posts being advertised as ‘house for duty’ in parishes that rely on diocesan funds to pay ministerial salaries. This will limit clergy to those who are in relationships with people earning enough to support them both, or to those of independent means. Young, single people on low incomes who wish to pursue a vocation to the priesthood in churches like this one could be at a significant disadvantage in the future as a result.

Later this week – after the Synod vote - a group called ‘the Alliance’ of largely conservative evangelical churches will meet. Among them a significant number of ‘complementarians’ – Christians who believe that men and women are called to serve God in different but ‘complementary’ ways. They would probably play down the importance of Phoebe’s position in the early church.

The Alliance have announced their intention to appoint new ‘overseers’ of what they have described as a ‘parallel province’ within the Church of England – like that of Canterbury and York. Creating a separate group within the church while maintaining control of their financial assets and housing and creating their own training programmes for ordinands and clergy who ascribe to their views.

While splits and schisms are nothing new – as Paul and Phoebe found amongst the first Christian communities, the events this week are being described by some as the Church of England’s ‘Brexit’ moment. Mercifully, the portmanteau “Sexit” hasn’t yet caught on.

In this congregation I know there are a range of views on these matters - including amongst people of the same sexual orientation.

Whatever your view, I urge you to pray earnestly in the next few days for all the delegates at the General Synod; and especially for our Bishop, Sarah as she and her colleagues seek – like Paul and Phoebe – to maintain the diversity of the church and to urge tolerance amongst those who have been united in Christ.  

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink [or same-sex marriage]; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.


Image : Handprints, Andy Warhol, 1982 

Links : My review of 'Phoebe' by Paula Gooder is at this link.