St George's Cathedral, Cape Town

A sermon preached by the Very Reverend Rowan Smith in the Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr on 14 June 2009

"Jesus also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it.'" Mark 4 v 30

Early in May 1976, impelled by his experience on a Retreat the previous week, the Dean of Johannesburg addressed a letter to the then Prime Minister of South Africa, J.B. Vorster. He wrote:

"I am writing to you, Sir, because l have a growing fear that unless something drastic is done very soon then bloodshed and violence are going to happen in South Africa almost inevitably" p.154 Rabble Rouser for Peace." (John Allen)

Desmond Tutu was preparing to be consecrated Bishop of Lesotho and when he wrote those words he could not have known how prophetic he was being. Six weeks later, on 16 June that event began, sparked off by the student uprising in Soweto and by the time the other schools returned from the winter holidays, it had spread to the rest of our country. Working then in Grassy Park, I was made aware of police activity in our area, down the road from Grassy Park High School, when a group of students would suddenly burst in through the kitchen door to take refuge in the rectory. It became a living out of the parable of today's Gospel about the mustard seed because this wood and iron house became a safe place for the protesters.

"With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it."

Our observance of Youth Day on Tuesday 16th should always begin by telling the story which lies behind this public holiday. Included in that story is the fact that the first student killed in Cape Town was Christopher Truter a parishioner of the parish of Bentehewel, whose mother Betty died just last year. While the protest was about the imposition of Afrikaans as a language of instruction, it ran deeper to the destructiveness of apartheid which put a person's worth on the colour of her/his skin. And we must never forget that story because then as now it denies that everyone is made in God's image and so as St Paul reminds us:

"from now on, therefore we regard no one from a human point of view ..." 2 Corinthian 5 v 16

Christians by virtue of their baptism must from now on have a totally radical way of seeing the world – we have no excuse because: again St Paul writes:

"if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, everything old has passed away, see everything has become new." 5 v 17

This is how we become what Our Lord came to reveal in us and through us, that the kingdom of God is among us, that the Kingdom of God is about our present and the Church is called to embody that kingdom. Everyone of us matters, our story matters and our experience of God matters above all. Here the story of the young and the not so young matters and there is no discrimination allowed. In particular today here in our Cathedral we want to say that our young people matter and the challenge to all those in leadership, especially those being admitted today as Cathedral Councillors is to make this real for all our young people, including the young couples. The challenge comes in the Gospel today when Jesus says:

"With what can we compare the kingdom of God ..." where would you see signs of God's kingdom? And we should be able to say, 'come and see.' Here we should all feel that sense of belonging, of being important, of really having a part to play so that all who enter these doors and, by the natural extension, our homes and our hearts, may encounter the Christ who is in us. Then our hearts will go out to our young people in South Africa today whose lives seem to lack the passion of those of 1976 or those weighed down by the burden of poverty, lack of education and HIV/AIDS. The Old Testament lesson today (1 Samuel 1 v 17 – 27) begins with those deeply resonant words:

"David intoned this lamentation."

We would want to intone a lamentation for the young people of Africa, but let it be not from a sense of hopelessness, but from the very heart of God or as St Paul puts it:

"for the love of Christ urges us on ..." 2 Corinthians 5 v 4

From the Eucharist we are all sent, in the power of the Holy Spirit to live that new creation in Jesus Christ, proclaiming the reign of Christ and celebrating that we are all together the Body of Christ, bringing healing, hope and reconciliation.

"Lord of all, of Church and kingdom
in an age of change and doubt
keep us faithful to the Gospel,
help us work your purpose
Here in this days dedication
all we have to give, receive.
We who cannot live without you
We adore you, we believe." (AMN 464)

Let us now pray together the Collect for this week the 11th Sunday of the year.

Father of justice and love
you call your Church to witness
that you are in Christ reconciling the world to yourself:
help us to proclaim boldly the good news of your love
that all who hear it may be reconciled to you
and work together for peace and justice;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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