On 22 October 2023 the BBC R4 SundaySunday Observed by Christians as a day of rest and worship. Traditionally regarded as the first day of the week, the day on which Christ's Resurrection is believed to have taken place. For this reason it replaced the Jewish Sabbath in Christian practice. Service was led by Paul Butler, the BishopBishop Bishops exercised pastoral care over a diocese and authority to confirm and ordain of DurhamDurham Durham Cathedral has its origins in the small church built in 995 to protect the relics of St Cuthbert. A century later, construction began on the church of the Benedictine Abbey, and Cuthbert's remains were transferred there and placed in a shrine in 1104. In 1242 the bones of Cuthbert were once again moved, this time to a shrine near the entrance of the Chapel of the Nine Altars., from St Peter’s Chapel, Bishop Auckland.
He introduces the UK’s new Faith Museum at Auckland Castle in the historic home of the Prince Bishops of Durham, bringing tourism and spiritual renewal to the area.
In this sermonSermon A talk which provides religious instruction or exhortation, Bishop Paul also speaks about the recently created Northern Saints Trails, routes of pilgrimage to Durham CathedralCathedral (Latin cathedra' throne') Church which contains the throne of the bishop and hence the mother church of the diocese in the North East.
The sermon follows in full:
Approaching the FaithFaith 1. Belief and trust in someone or something. 2. Acceptance of particular religious teachings. Museum entrance feels like an invitation to an unknown journey. You slope down into what is a semi subterranean space. The doors are closed, yet inviting you in. The lighting is subdued. As the doors slide back ahead lies a long corridor calling you in to explore and discover. The whole experience is a journey into faith. There is the history that unfolds through the dazzling array of wonderful objects from 4000BC through to our own day. But all along as these are pondered the questions that are posed at the very beginning; ‘Am I alone?’ ‘How do I live?’ and ‘Where do I belong?’, are being explored and all visitors invited to ponder their own response.
This journey has some unexpected twists and turns but it is far less demanding than God’s call to Abram. ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’. How Abram heard this call we are not told, but we do know that he responded saying ‘Yes’ to God’s call. So began a long journey of trusting God. It was a physically long and demanding journey where Abram and his family never settled into a permanent home. It was a lifelong journey of trusting God meant what God said and could be relied upon. Abram certainly never got the business of following God right. He made mistakes along the way. Some were costly to his family and household. But follow God’s call he did. He knew he was not alone; God was with him. He journeyed in faith with others. He knew that above all else he belonged to God.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews gives us a clear definition of this faith which we heard read so movingly in the original William Tyndale version; in a more modern translationTranslation Refers to the act of moving the body or other relics of a holy person. it is ‘being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’ It rests not on our own human effort but on trusting God the Creator and Redeemer to be entirely trustworthy. It means taking risks with God. It involves letting go of our own security and safety and relying on God to uphold us, and bring us home.
The new Faith Museum stands on the route of the English Camino pilgrimage. Over the past few years here in the North East four new pilgrimage routes to Durham Cathedral have been developed; The Way of Life, The Way of Light, The Way of Learning and The Way of Love. Together they are the Northern Saints Trails. They are journeys to be enjoyed but also journeys of exploration and discovery.
Israel / Palestine, the land of the HolyHoly Set apart, sacred, especially implying coming from or consecrated to God. One, is a land of pilgrimage for Christians, Jews and Muslims. Right now such pilgrimage is impossible because of the horrific and tragic events that have unfolded over these past days. Pilgrims do not hold easy answers but they hold on to God, and trust God will hold on to us. Pilgrimage is an invitation to walk in the steps of Abraham as people of faith. We are invited to walk with the living JesusJesus (Greek form of Hebrew 'Joshua' meaning 'Yahweh [God] is salvation') Also given the title Christ, meaning 'anointed one' or Messiah. His life is recorded mainly in the Four Gospels although he is also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus (c. 37-c.100) and the Roman historian Tacitus (c.110). who still calls us saying, ‘Follow me’.
Jesus invited people to follow him personally, but also to do so together. He called the brothers Peter and Andrew, James and John, together. Matthew he called alone. Yet they then followed Jesus together.
The journey of faith is always deeply personal. Each one of us responds to God’s call. But this call is never meant to be alone. Followers of Jesus travel together as the household, the family of God.
Right towards the close of the tremendous Faith Museum there is a sculptural piece in glass by Rachael Woodman called Gathering: Joyful Assembly. Her own description of this is that, ‘Joyful Gathering is about worshipWorship 1. Doing homage and giving honour and respect to God. The Bible includes a wide range of physical expression in worship, including bowing down, lifting hands, dancing, processions and singing. The main day on which Christians gather for communal worship is Sunday (the day when Christ is believed to have risen from the dead). 2. Christian liturgy including sung material and prayers of thanksgiving and praise.. Each glass element is unique… it expresses my sense of wonder and joy as a human being born to worship the divine It is a response to the questions posed at the beginning of the journey. What Rachael says in response to ‘Am I alone.’ Is, ‘When I began my faith journey 35 years ago, the sense of being known and loved was overwhelming. It was as if I had come home. …The joy of that first homecoming has matured into an assurance that I’m not alone and a longing to know more of the one who knows me.’
Faith is an invitation from the God who made us, knows us and loves us; it is a lifetime journey of exploration. It is always full of times of joy, and deep sadness. It has questions, some answered, some not. It is one in which we are all called to join, both personally and together. Since God invites us to it in Jesus, and because of the CrossCross Instrument of torture and execution used in the Roman Empire. The means by which Christ was put to death and therefore the primary symbol of the Christian faith, representing the means by which he is believed to have won forgiveness for humankind. The Cross may be represented as Tau-shaped (like a capital T); with a shorter cross-bar or with a circle enclosing the upper intersection (Celtic). In medieval art a cross made of living branches signifies the Tree of Life. St Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, is said to have discovered the True Cross (i.e. the Cross in Jerusalem on which Christ died) in 326. and resurrectionResurrection That Jesus rose from the dead, thus conquering death, and that everyone will rise from the dead for the Last Judgement is a central Christian belief. it is one where we can hold on to God’s faithfulness.
As the writer to the Hebrews declares, ‘Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, … let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith …’
Living God thank you that you call us to walk with Jesus as the people you have made us to be, and as pilgrims together. Help us to live lives filled with faith, trusting you who hold our lives and eternity in your hands. Amen.