04.02.2014
Generous Gifts Enable Parish Life to Flourish at Holy Trinity, Killiney
A range of gifts which will enhance the practical and worship life of Holy Trinity Church, Killiney, were dedicated by Archbishop Michael Jackson on Sunday February 2, the Feast of the Presentation.
The gifts, which range from Advent candles to a piano, were from parishioners. Church wardens, Linda Peters and Stephen Rhys–Thomas, sought their blessing from the Archbishop.
In his sermon, Archbishop Jackson spoke of the dedication of Jesus and Samuel and said that things changed drastically and radically through both dedications. He said it was not possible to live without the joy of change and new life. “Every day is a gift from God; every day is a radical day; and every day is a day of change because night and day, day and night of themselves speak wonderfully of change and return change to us as a gift to do with change what we will and what we must,” he stated.
While celebrating the Presentation of Jesus in The Temple, the parish was also celebrating the generosity of its people in the gifts they have given for others to enjoy and in memory of people and situations which matter deeply to them, the Archbishop said.(The Archbishop’s sermon is reproduced in full below.)
“As well as the things themselves that people have given, we celebrate the gifts which lie within the gifts. There is the gift of commitment, by which people have decided to offer something of themselves, in memory of someone who means so much to them, for the enjoyment of others. This is a commitment on their part to others and it is a commitment to their desire that the life of this community will flourish and develop in new ways. There is the gift of generosity, because always it is possible for people to do otherwise with their money. People who want to be generous are thinking of other people first and are genuinely delighted when others enjoy what they receive. This is what makes a day like today so special in the life of this parish. It is when people whom we know and people who know us are generous with themselves and with what they want to have others enjoy and share,” he said.
The gifts which will be used throughout parish life include: Advent candles from Stephen and Linda Franck, a bench in the Garden of Remembrance presented by Wendy Airey in memory of Richard Airey, CDs for the church from Anne Peters in memory of Frank Peters, a cabinet for notices and the refurbishment of the vestry presented by Cynthia Hughes in memory of Ben Hughes, chairs for the Carry Hall by the Day family, copies of the Church Hymnal from Edgard and Daphne Hall, crystal cruets by the Duncan family in memory of Maurice Duncan, a notice board by Ernest Smythe in memory of Lillian (Babs) Smythe, a piano for the Carry Hall by Eileen McCracken, an Alter set by Betty Burdett in memory of John Burdett, recovering of chairs and stool from Henry and Marianne Irvine, refurbishment of the choir area by Helen Irwin in memory of Sam Irwin, reordering of the baptistery and creation of a children’s area by Helen Middleton in memory of Ian Middleton, steps to the Garden of Remembrance from John Course in memory of Patricia Course, a storage heater for the vestry from Stanley and Pamela Clarke, a wedding kneeler from Paul and Ruth Stewart and a wooden coffin stand by Nicholls Undertakers.
Other gifts were donated anonymously including: a CD player, curtains and rails behind the choir, a fridge for the Carry Hall and a microwave for the Carry Hall.
Photo caption: Church warden, Linda Peters; lay reader, Nigel Pierpoint; Archbishop Michael Jackson; rector, the Revd Niall Sloane; and acting church warden, Stephen Rhys Thomas in Holy Trinity, Killiney, where the Archbishop dedicated gifts which were presented to the parish.
Killiney Holy Trinity, Diocese of Dublin
The Feast of the Presentation February 2.2014
Readings: Malachi 3.1–5; Hebrews 2.14–18; St Luke 2.22–40
A sermon preached by the Archbishop
St Luke 2.22: When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord…
I am sure that this particular dedication of Jesus, the firstborn of Mary and Joseph, reminds all of us of the dedication of the infant Samuel, when his mother Miriam brought him to the Shrine at Shiloh. Miriam did so to dedicate Samuel to the Lord; Mary did likewise in order to dedicate the child Jesus and to declare the Messiah. Things changed radically and drastically through both dedications because, in no sense, were the two holy places ever the same again. In each case, we have firstborn children; in each case, we have prophets; in each case, we have priests; in each case, we have people who change everything in their generation. And this is still who God is and who we are in our generation. This may indeed seem far, far away from the mind–set of those who would rather live the future by the rhythms of the past and the present without any of the joy of change and new life. It just does not work like this. Every day is a gift from God; every day is a radical day; and every day is a day of change because night and day, day and night of themselves speak wonderfully of change and return change to us as a gift to do with change what we will and what we must.
In both Shiloh and Jerusalem we have people who work within the system, The Law of Moses. The most amazing of creative things happen and come out such obedience and loyalty for the future. Dedication brings joy and fulfilment and the recognition that a God of power is present in the life of the child of Bethlehem now proclaimed as the Messiah of God. The dedication is most clearly of the child Jesus. This is the focal point of today’s Gospel. Simeon takes Jesus, does for him what The Law requires and then sings the Song of Simeon which we know as Nunc Dimittis. The Messiah will give salvation to all peoples as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.
Many people are giving and receiving in this central interchange. Mary and Joseph are given the assurance that their son is within The Law of Moses and is honoured as such. Mary, like Miriam, is in fact giving him away. Simeon and Anna are given the assurance that their watching and their waiting over many years has not been in vain. Jesus is given the work of Messiah as a life’s work, to save his people from their sins. All who are present are given the very precious gift of being in the presence of God when something of importance and significance happens and they are part of that action.
But let us dig deeper. Mary is also given the gift of realism without any sentimentality. The saving of souls cannot be done on–line; it requires the sort of spiritual battle most of us have decided does not happen any longer. I suggest that we are terrified that, left to our own devices, we may well be on the wrong side. The way in which is it expressed shows such realism also to be a gift, but a gift with consequences. The child will be a sign to be opposed. The opposition will be precisely because the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and believe you me, people don’t like those who reveal their inner thoughts, precisely because they have not got the nerve to do this for themselves. And, as in all things, the gift of love itself brings with it the pain of loss. There is no avoiding this, sad indeed as it, in life as we know it. It leads us, and Mary, from The Presentation in The Temple to the Foot of The Cross.
As well as celebrating with joy and delight The Presentation of Jesus in The Temple today, we celebrate the generosity of people of this parish in the gifts which they have given for others to enjoy and in memory of people and situations which matter deeply to them. As well as the things themselves that people have given, we celebrate the gifts which lie within the gifts. There is the gift of commitment, by which people have decided to offer something of themselves, in memory of someone who means so much to them, for the enjoyment of others. This is a commitment on their part to others and it is a commitment to their desire that the life of this community will flourish and develop in new ways. There is the gift of generosity, because always it is possible for people to do otherwise with their money. People who want to be generous are thinking of other people first and are genuinely delighted when others enjoy what they receive. This is what makes a day like today so special in the life of this parish. It is when people whom we know and people who know us are generous with themselves and with what they want to have others enjoy and share.
The gift of thanksgiving lies at the core of both commitment and generosity. I say this because it could all have been otherwise. It is the thanksgiving which turns hearts and faces and eyes and hands to God and to the future. And in this turning we are instinctively turned towards our neighbour, as have those who are generous benefactors of Holy Trinity Killiney and its parish and community today. God is central to the gift of thanksgiving and God is central to the gift of celebration.
Malachi 3.1: See. I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.