9 April 2024 St Olave Hart Street, in the presence of HRH the Princess Royal, Master of Trinity House.
Text: 1 Corinthians 3: 9 to 16.
Sir John Betjeman described St Olave Hart Street as “a country church in the midst of Seething Lane”. There is something timeless about country churches, church towers, soaring majestically above the quiet hills and plains. Here in the midst of Seething Lane, St Olave’s stands, in contrast, surrounded by gigantic buildings that come and go, yet this church has stood here as a constant for almost 1000 years, a powerful symbol of God’s eternal purposes, a place of peace, spirituality and sanctuary amidst the bustle and busyness of the City.
Today we come in thanksgiving before God, for the prayer, the generosity, and the courage of the church community which enabled this beautiful place of worship to be rebuilt after untold war damage.
The Rector in 1954, Augustus Powell Miller, affirmed: “Thanksgiving to almighty God for his good hand upon us in the restoration of our beloved church, for His presence with us at the re-hallowing Ceremony and for the privilege which once again is ours of offering him our worship, in His house, on this ancient site”.
For, as St Paul elucidates in the reading from the first epistle to the Corinthians, the church is to be built upon the sure and certain foundation that is Jesus Christ. To be a place of worship, of prayer, a place where the love of God, revealed to us through Jesus Christ, can be made known to everyone who enters into this hallowed place.
To continue the analogy, the church is built of living stones, the church is its people, it is we who are God’s fellow workers, building something beautiful together. The beauty lies in the gifts and talents he has given each of us, and how we use these to spread the grace and the glory of God, into the brokenness of the world. Churches are not museums, but places of grace.
As the Archbishop of Canterbury highlighted in his Easter Sermon, we show love-in-action and word because of who God is, revealed in Jesus. We act because of what God says, found in the Bible and lived out by the church. Today in England in over 30,000 social projects, in 8,000 food banks, we proclaim the righteousness of God with love and perfect justice for all.
I end with a story about living stones. One day in 1671 during the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral, after the great fire, Sir Christopher Wren observed three bricklayers on a scaffold, one crouched, one half-standing and one standing tall, working very hard and fast. To the first bricklayer, Christopher Wren reportedly asked the question, “What are you doing?” to which the bricklayer replied, “I’m a bricklayer. I’m working hard laying bricks to feed my family.” The second bricklayer, responded, “I’m a builder. I’m building a wall.” But the third brick layer, replied with a gleam in his eye, “I’m a cathedral builder. I’m building a great cathedral to The Almighty.”
Today we recollect the testimony of every person who prayed, sought God’s vision, and found the resources and the skills to see this church rise up again out of the ashes. The church is built of living stones, may each of us serve him faithfully.
The Revd Canon Arani Sen
Rector
