REDEDICATION OF SAINT GEORGE'S PARISH CHURCH, BELFAST
FOLLOWING EXTENSIVE RESTORATION WORK
ON THE 184TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDATION
OF THE CHURCH
ADDRESS BY THE MOST REVEREND DR ROBIN EAMES,
ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH, PRIMATE OF ALL IRELAND
The theme of this service this evening is thanksgiving -
and
few could doubt such a theme is fully justified. The restoration and repair
of Saint George's represents a magnificent effort on the part of parishioners
and friends - as well as those who have so generously supported the appeal.
I congratulate the Rector and his people and in particular I congratulate
your Fund Raising Committee. While so many were involved special tribute
I feel is due to Belinda Stewart, Liz Waring and Garth Devenney. I thank
Almighty God that we have reached yet one more great milestone in the
history of one of Belfast's most historic buildings. As Primate it is
my privilege to be with you, your Bishop and Rector this evening.
When I look back through the history of this parish church
I cannot escape the conclusion that tonight we worship in a church which
has truly been the mother of so many Belfast parishes. As the ancient
parish of Belfast, Saint George's has seen her sons and daughters separate
to evolve church life of their own. Today many established parishes in
this city trace their origins back to this city-centre parish. Since 1816
Saint George's in the High Street has symbolised Christian worship and witness
in the heart of the city. In our life-time through years of disturbance
and terrorism it has been an oasis of spirituality, worship and witness,
surviving what could have been mortal scars inflicted by city-centre bombing.
Through all those years faithful parishioners, many living many miles
away, have come to this building to offer praise to Almighty God and to
seek His blessing. Their affection for this church is well known. Tonight
we re-dedicate it in its magnificence to serve generations yet unborn
and we pray that its heritage and traditions may continue to be an inspiration
and blessing to many. On behalf of the whole Church as Primate I bring
the greetings of your fellow members of the Church of Ireland and offer
our congratulations to all responsible for this work of renovation. It
has been a great privilege to act as a Patron of your appeal.
Tonight I want to affirm all that we associate with this
ancient place of worship. We belong to a Church which is Catholic as well
as reformed. We contain within our membership all aspects and attitudes
of Anglicanism. From what we normally call the 'evangelical wing' to the
'Anglo-Catholic' traditions our membership embraces every identifiable
worshipping tradition. Such diversity could be a weakness so far as identity
of any Church is concerned. But I have never viewed this fact as a sign
of weakness - to me it is what the heart of Anglicanism is all about.
It is a sign of our strength. It is a sign of our comprehensiveness -
and it is a sign of what I believe is God's call to the Church of Ireland:
a call that we can worship the one God and Father of us all as a people
who come from different starting-points to seek the one spiritual destination.
In that spectrum Saint George's has always symbolised the dignity of worship,
the discipline of spiritual practice and the devotional approach which
we associate with the historic catholic tradition of Anglicanism. At times
such tradition must have felt it was somehow on the margins of Church
of Ireland life. We are in fact a Church which has manifested so much
of the enthusiasm and fervour of the evangelical approach. In the years
that are past we saw periods when the two arms of Anglicanism were in
direct opposition to each other. While the Church of Ireland never experienced
the extremes of churchmanship visible elsewhere in the world Church we
can look back on years where there were historic divisions between the
two.
Today I thank God that labels do not identify our membership
to the same extent as generations ago. But I believe that in our pilgrimage
both as a Church and as individuals we ignore the characteristics of both
our wings at at our peril. Neither tradition can be exclusive. The evangelical
must recognise the dignity of worship. The Anglo-catholic is charged
with the call to evangelism. Tonight I affirm and thank God that we are
a Church of diversity and that we are a Church of many starting-points
with the same destination.
May I presume therefore to emphasise tonight what I personally
believe the traditions of this historic parish must continue to remind
the Church of Ireland?
Firstly: reverence in worship.
In our time no factor in Church life has undergone such
radical change as the forms of worship. Today I am sometimes told in my
journeys north, south, east and west that unless worship is spontaneous
and based on individual expression it is something less than it ought
to be. I recognise the value of such spontaneity and individualism. I
have found such an approach refreshing and moving. But we must never forget
that we are a Church in which Word and Sacrament are the hallmarks of
our worship. Order, dignity and solemnity are their own vehicles of true
spirituality. They take their true value from their approach as much as
their content. This approach has long characterised Saint George's.
Second: worship is the highest expression of our love
for God.
Each of us has a different expectation of the highest level
of communion we can have with God. Too often we imagine that others should
reflect precisely what we find as that level of spirituality. Too often
in this community of ours we adopt a judgmental attitude to another person's
spiritual pilgrimage. Such judgement is a denial of the sacredness of
God's all to people and people's response to God. I find in the traditions
of this parish a reverence for worship which reminds us of what our Catechism
tells us is the highest expression of our love for God : reverence in
word and action.
Third: the worship at Saint George's speaks to us of a most
vital aspect of our history as a Church.
The Church of Ireland has sometimes found it awkward to
maintain a position truly reflective of its historic tradition as the
Church of the middle way. We are often accused of not being a truly biblical
Church. Such condemnation cannot be justified in doctrine or practice.
Alongside our biblical basis lies our truly sacramental emphasis of worship
and practice. The balance between Word and Sacrament is a delicate one.
But if we ever allow this balance to slip too much either way we will
fail to provide the Christian community with that unique opportunity our
tradition can and must contribute to people's understanding of the God
and Father of us all.
So tonight we thank God for that diversity which allows
the two great pillars of Anglicanism to co-exist to the benefit of both.
Catholic and Reformed, the enthusiasm of the approach of the evangelical
and the dignity of the catholic approach - together we seek the wholeness
of our approach to God in its fullness.
May God who calls us all through the diversity of life's
experience and welds the diversity of our approach to the Cross of Christ
accept our worship and grant to Saint George's the vision of worship and
service for which we offer thanks this evening.
Last Updated:
Monday 14 February, 2005
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