THE Church of England must “walk the talk”, the Archbishop of York said in a Christmas Day sermon at York Minster, wherein he urged the entire Church to “come again to the manger, strip off her finery, and kneel in penitence and adoration. And be modified.
“Don’t just discuss justice, don’t just discuss joy, don’t just discuss service, don’t just discuss love. Show me.”
The Church needed to have a look at the vulnerability of the Christ-child, he said, “at this emptying out of power to exhibit the facility of affection; for it’s on this tiny, vulnerable child we’re invited to see God.” It must embody and exhibit love by its actions, he said, and “do it straight away”.
He continued: “This is what we learn on the manger in Bethlehem: to place the needs of others first — for many who are cold and hungry and homeless this Christmas. Those who’re victims of abuse and exploitation. Those who, just like the little Holy Family, should flee oppression and seek refuge in a foreign land.
“We, the followers of Jesus today, and all of you who’ve found yourself on this cathedral church this morning, now we have nothing to boast, except what we see and receive in Jesus on this manger. And is that this not a message for the world as well, in all its need, confusion and sadness.”
The story of those that encountered the embodiment of affection within the person of Jesus Christ and were modified by it included “peasant fishermen, religious officials, political zealots, Roman centurions, tax collectors, prostitutes, young children, and, very especially, those that know their need.
“And we will come, too. Whoever you’re, nonetheless hard life has grow to be, nonetheless difficult it’s, nonetheless much you are feeling you could have messed things up, nonetheless broken it’s, absolutely all are invited. The door is open.”
Earlier within the sermon he had reflected on a few of the songs of protest about “the inadequacies of those that talk game, but whose words are never embodied in motion; who don’t, as they are saying, ‘walk the talk’” — alluding to Eliza Doolittle within the musical My Fair Lady as one “utterly exasperated by the empty guarantees of her would-be lover”.
The Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, who led the calls for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation (News, 15 November), and who’s now questioning Archbishop Cottrell’s ethical and moral authority to guide the Church after his handling of the David Tudor sexual abuse case (News, 3 January, 20 December), dismissed elements of the sermon in a posting on social media as “empty words”.
“I don’t have any more words than that to explain their meaning,” she said.
