01.10.2018
How Might We Live If We Pay Attention to the Whole Purpose of God? – The Annual New Law Term Service
The annual service to mark the commencement of the Michaelmas Law Term took place in St Michan’s Church of Ireland, Church Street, Dublin 7, this morning (Monday 1 October 2018). Each year the service gathers a wide range of people associated with the law including members of the judiciary, legal practitioners, representatives of the Garda Síochana, the Defence Forces and the Prison Service as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps. A similar service takes place in the nearby St Michan’s Roman Catholic Church on Halston Street at the same time.
The Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, presided and with him was the Archdeacon of Dublin, the Ven David Pierpoint. The address was given by the Revd Barry Forde, Dean of Residence, Queen’s University, Belfast and the choir was from the King’s Hospital School.
The congregation included visiting judges from Northern Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales as well as political leaders, members of the Irish judiciary, An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and the Diplomatic Corps.
In his sermon, the Revd Barry Forde looked at our place or role in the world, our relationship with God and the components that make up identity.
Drawing on the reading from Hosea [Chapter 1: 1–11], described by Mr Forde as “a minor prophet from the 8th century BC, whose vocation in life was to marry an unfaithful woman, as a metaphor for God’s relationship with the unfaithful nation of His people, Israel”, he said that Hosea entered into the mess of his own world, embraced an unfaithful wife, to symbolize God’s judgement on a people who had walked away from him but also to point to God’s ultimate redemption for an unfaithful people.
“How might we live, who might we be, how might our nation be shaped, if we pay attention to the whole purpose of God?” he asked. “Surely it must include the coming of Jesus to live among us. The moment that reminds us of the dignity and value and worth of every human being. Those you want to see this day. And those you would rather not. That reminder of the fundamental equality of personhood that we should seek for all, and not just a greater share for ourselves. That humility is amongst our greatest strengths. That walking away from the mess is not an option. That being present, sticking in, being faithful for what is right, is better than being faithless for the sake of what is easy.”
He added that it must include the life Jesus lived among us, the death of Jesus on a cross, his rising from the dead and his ascension.
He continued: “Is this whole gospel not the better way? It may not yet be the one that you have chosen beyond all reasonable doubt, but on balance, is there not enough of a ring of truth in it to suggest that this picture of life is a world that we would choose to shape, to live in, to hope for, in our time, our land, our generation? The whole purpose of God that calls us to image Christ in:
Affirming the dignity, value and worth of all humans equally
Seeking the good of others and not just ourselves
Daring to be present through thick and thin
Speaking up for truth,
Living marked by compassion
Destroying our enemies by making them our friends
Showing mercy when all we want is retribution
Bring honest about our faults and the imperfections of the day ahead
Bringing hope, being light, releasing joy
Reminding ourselves that the day we are in is a gift, and
By the grace of God, we will bring the grace of God even when others do not deserve it, because here is the rub, neither do we.”