7th November - Venerable David Lowman, Archdeacon of Southend

The sermon preached by the Archdeacon of Southend, The Venerable David Lowman at the Re-Dedication Service for All Saints Maldon 7.11.2010

“It is a palace, not for man, but for the Lord God” (1 Chronicles 29, verse 1)

At last it is done. After years of thinking, planning, praying, frustration, changing ideas, fund-raising, negotiations, we have finally got there. Today we can celebrate over a job well done, a vision fulfilled and a new chapter in the history of this ancient and fascinating building.

This summer, during my holiday, I visited Rouen in Normandy. To get into the city you have to negotiate the road system from hell. It is easy to see the cathedral, but getting to it is another matter. No wonder the city does not have as many tourists as it deserves! The allies almost bombed it out of existence at the Normandy invasion, but enough of the old city remains for it to be a stunning place.

The cathedral, painted by Monet so often, is a triumph of the early gothic period, very tall, very long and deeply impressive. Sunday Mass was beautiful and spiritually uplifting.

Amazingly, 400 yards up the road, there is another church dedicated to St. Ouen, that’s ‘Rouen’ without the ‘R’ and this building is larger than the cathedral. Built in a later and more flamboyant gothic style, it is even taller, longer and lighter than the cathedral. It has an even better organ and is altogether stunning.

However, St. Ouen is now only very occasionally used as a place of worship. It is there for concerts and as an art-gallery and a place where pure gothic architecture can be admired. It was wonderful, but unlike the cathedral, it was not holy. Prayer is hardly ever said there nowadays and it feels like it. It was almost as if God was absent.

1 Chronicles. “It is a palace, not for man, but for the Lord God.”

If what has happened here is to be of real value, then it must be a palace, not for man, but for the Lord God. The two buildings I have spoken about in Rouen are spectacular and utterly worth visiting. Technically and aesthetically, St. Ouen is better than the cathedral, but then I like gothic architecture. The trouble is that St. Ouen has lost its primary purpose, to be a house of God, a place of prayer and a sign of God’s presence to His people.

All Saints, if it is to be something other than a beautiful building, modified for use in the 21^st century, needs to recall its primary purpose, to be a house of God, a place of prayer and a sign of God’s presence to His people.

This church is where bread is broken, wine is shared and where we are in awe of the presence of the living God. This could be enhanced by the beauty of the worship, the glory of the music and, above all, the response of the worshipping community in the presence of God.

It is a place for prayer. Thank God you are able to keep it open in the week. People come in here and naturally open their hearts before God. A praying church is a living church. May this building continue to be a place of prayer.

The church is also a sign of God’s presence to His people. Situated in the heart of the town, it is so much more than a treasure house and a museum. There is a living body, a church that meets here regularly. Our task is to be the church. We are the people of the Beatitudes, showing the whole world what it is to be living with at least one foot in the Kingdom of God. We are to be people who are excited and transformed by God’s presence and who want to be a transforming presence within the town. We can use this church in a greater variety of ways now, as a place of prayer, of worship, of music, of welcome, of education, of social care and concern and of fun. It can be a place for remembrance, of sadness, of commitment and of joy.

The building has been re-ordered. Now, the continuing task of re-ordering all of us who belong here, is taking place.

It is right that today in the sight of God we re-dedicate ourselves to His service. Perhaps the challenge we all face is whether we want to be like St. Ouen, beautiful, but dead, or like the cathedral at Rouen, alive for God and a focus for His work in the world. I know which route I am following. Will you re-dedicate your life to the praise and glory of God?

When the writer of 1 Chronicles said that “it is a palace not for man but for the Lord God”, he did not simply mean the building. It also and mainly refers to the people of God and that includes us at All Saints Maldon.