February 10, 2002

Ian Lawton

Last Sunday after Epiphany     Philippians 3:7-14     Matthew 17:1-9 

Because it is AGM day, I want to reflect on St Matthews and our future together, and particularly in the light of the Philippians reading which offers a wonderful guide to right attitude. In effect this reflection will be the first half of my annual report, with the remainder at the AGM.

We the people of St Matthew in the City have the privilege of being the greatest church in Auckland, no the greatest church in New Zealand, dare I say the greatest church in the world. We have the sexiest building, by far the sexiest congregation, a location to die for, and the Vicar, well what can I say! We are the greatest! "When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete everybody will respect you." (Lao Tzu)

Jesus lived a great life, yet did not consider his greatness something to be exploited. He said greatness is weakness, which I understand to mean greatness is humanity. Greatness is being fully present, honest and with nothing to prove to anyone. This I guess is why a child is held up by Jesus as the model of greatness; children at least to a certain age care little about the impression they leave, live for the sake of the moment and the joy they can extract from life.

Jesus being in his very nature God like, was so secure in himself that he was able to see the needs of those around him and inspire greatness in others. Greatness which is conscious of its status, is not greatness at all, rather it is insecurity. We have seen it I believe in the comments from George Bush, claiming to be the President of the greatest nation on earth yet with all the global muscle flexing going on, displaying deep insecurity. This is not greatness.

So, our charge as the people of St Matthew in the City is to be so secure in who we are, sure in where we have come from, and confident in what our strengths are, that we are able to inspire greatness in those we connect with. Without comparing or competing, being fully present, without controlling outcomes, without prescribing the shape of the greatness we inspire greatness in others.

Our charge is more what Nelson Mandela pointed to when he said, "As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others!"

The two keys words are unconsciously and automatically. Be yourself, live fully and that will be the inspiration without even realising it. As soon as you think you are helping, you become patronising. At least that is my experience. As soon as you think you are great, you become insecure. Within that charge, there are some more particular programs we are attempting to launch at present, all of which I hope will carry the attitude of Jesus.

There is SMACA, which has had quite a reaction. The hope there is to raise issues for a wide audience which inspire full lives in those who read it. They are issues of local and global concern, personal and social, and there is a spiritual connection made in all of them. You won't agree with everything you read, but it will offer a spark for thought.

There is the use of our church, which is increasing and still manages to maintain the sense of sacred space we have. We have made connections with other community groups through the space which are long lasting and significant. In particular we have connected with some groups concerned with young people in the city and this will be important as they establish themselves.

There is our connection with people of other faiths, and we have made a strong beginning in our dialogue with Buddhists in Auckland. There has been some criticism of this, but I am not the slightest bit put off by that. It is too important for the sake of a safer more peaceful planet.

St Matthews has traditionally attracted a number of people concerned with social justice, but not necessarily many who want their church to be a place of social action. This is an ongoing issue, however some strong connections have been made in belonging to other groups which explore these issues. So there is the Anti Bullying Centre which is currently being established as a research and resource base for school communities. There is the Future Youth team who are exploring programs for young people at risk. There is the Domestic Violence Centre and there is a consistent theme in all these connections; that of non violence and offering all people opportunity to dwell in possibility.

Our Fundraising group continues to toil away at the task of raising the $700 000 to relocate and refurbish the Organ and relocate the Thomas Chapel. It is a huge challenge, and one in which they will need to know what level of support they have from us as the regular users of the space. This will be one of the challenges for the new Vestry.

The looming centenary is an exciting opportunity to celebrate our past and launch our future. We had one very successful night to launch this 3 year party. David Grove has guided the process of setting up Jack Lee to write our parish history. There will be much more to come.

We will be great. Our greatness will not be something to be exploited. Our greatness will be measured by our ability to inspire greatness in others. We will seek the attitude of Jesus, as we are unselfconscious and free from the need to compete. In that we will gain the respect of all around us.

Ian Lawton, Vicar, St Matthew-in-the-City