Sermonising St Benedict

 

On the 11^th of July last, I fulfilled an ambition to lead worship and preach at Tintagel Methodist Church in Cornwall. Although I live in the Black Country, I spend quite a bit of time on the North Kernow coast and have been fortunate enough thanks to my good friend, Huw Huntley, to be added to the local Methodist circuit preaching plan.

 July 11^th marked St Benedict’s Day, he of the order of monks that bear his name. You may ask how I come to link a roman-born saint of the catholic church with a dissenting faith like Methodism. How were they even remotely connected? The answer lies in the written word, not only the written word of the bible but in the written words left behind by both Benedict and John Wesley. Words which if we understand the context in which they were written, and many of which have stood the test of time, can also prove inspirational in our own lives and which can influence of own literary outputs. As one of my tutors from my old theological college (The Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham) succinctly put it, “A text without a context is a pretext!!”.

 Writing sermons as any preacher will tell you is one devilish job, especially when it has to be delivered to a congregation not known to you and who may not understand your perhaps idiosyncratic way of doing things.

 Just like any other piece of writing I hear you say!

 So, like any piece of writing, I determined my text drawing on the chosen bible readings (Psalm 34:8-22, Romans 15:14-21, and Matthew 7:24-29) and linking them with the life of Benedict and his contribution to Western Christianity including, Anglicanism and the saying of the daily office, and how this may have influenced Wesley and his followers seeking a more methodical way of practicing their faith.

Benedict created a form of monastic life that would make it possible for ordinary men to follow every day and creating communities which would be guided by daily practice of work and prayer. Benedict founded several monasteries during his lifetime, the most famous one being at Monte Cassino between Naples and Rome.

 Wesley by contrast, travelled across Great Britain and Ireland, helping to form and organise small Christian groups based on an intensive and personal accountability, discipleship, and religious instruction. He appointed itinerant, unordained evangelists – both women and men – to care for these groups of people. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the abolition of slavery and prison reform and social justice remains at the heart of Methodism today.

 Benedict’s most famous work is his Rule consisting of 73 short chapters designed to ensure the monasteries he founded remained true both in spirit and in practice best summed up the quote, ora et labora (pray and work). Wesley published several notable works the most important of which were his Articles of Religion, which set out in twenty-five articles the official doctrinal statement of Methodism and which have remained largely unchanged since 1808. Both sets of works set out the beliefs and practices required of those who chose to follow that way of life, and both drew inspiration from adherence to Holy Scripture.

The common factor underpinning both doctrines is the essence of community and which was the main theme of my sermon. For it is in community that we are made into the people we are, where we learn our values of love and support to those around us. Where we build our respective lives based on the solid rock of firm foundational belief, as opposed to the shifting sands of mainstream culture all too prevalent in this world today.

 At ACW we are a writing community, seeking inspiration in our writing lives from several sources but most importantly from each other. Two of Wesley’s quotes[1] could have been made for writers, especially Christian ones. Firstly, we should be rigorous in judging ourselves and gracious in judging others, and secondly; proceed with much prayer, and your way will be made plain.

Not bad advice, especially for writing sermons.

 

Michael Cronogue originally from London now resides in Walsall in West Midlands region of UK. Writer, occasional poet and Worship Leader, can be found discussing matters of faith and theology on his website www.michaelcronogue.com . When not in the Black Country, he spends as much time as possible among North Cornwall’s rugged shore, finding stimulation in its rich history of Celtic Christianity and the spread of Methodism.

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[1] https://www.azquotes.com/author/15507-John_Wesley