The Second Sunday of Easter, 11th April 2021
Back when it was still possible to do this, the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, whilst waiting for a coffee he’d ordered at Paddington Station, was asked a question by a young woman beside him in the queue. ‘What,’ she asked him, ‘made you become a priest?’
He later revealed that this was exactly the question which he had been asking clergy interviewees for many years. And here it was, his own question, coming back to challenge him about his faith and what it meant to him. He was on the spot and his train was soon leaving, so he gave the young woman two necessarily brief but revealing answers to her question, and since then he has composed a longer answer in the form of a book recently published, called Dear England, described as ‘a letter he'd like to write to a divided country that no longer sees the relevance or value of the Christian story. … a short, beautiful book, at once both contemplative and deeply practical, which speaks to both Christians and those on the edges of faith.’ [1]
Today let us give thanks for those who ask questions. For those whose curiosity is unbounded by decorum; who follow hunches to reveal wonders; who dare to bridge the gap between their doubts and a truth they are keen to uncover.
Let us give thanks for the questioners, who dive headlong into waters where others barely paddle. Look at Caravaggio’s portrayal of the disciple Thomas, at Jesus’ invitation placing his fingers into the wounds of his Lord. These two men are not alone in this scene. For over Thomas’ shoulder are two others, their facial expressions united with his own. Could they be his fellow-disciples, and could it be that the doubts Thomas voiced had been in their minds also, but they had been too timid, too scared to say? Or might these figures represent you and me, those who have followed on, who, as Jesus said, have not seen but yet have believed? For our belief also has been strengthened by this episode in Jesus’ resurrected life. For these onlookers owe much to the incredulity of Thomas. If he had not been bold enough to speak his doubts out loud (and John had not recorded them in his gospel) then we would not have known with the same certainty we do know, that Jesus rose from the dead, flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone, scarred but recovered enough to walk and talk and eat again with his friends.
Let us celebrate those who probe the physical world for new discoveries - for where would we be today without the acute questioning of the epidemiologists, whose wisdom has informed our understanding of the condition of the world we’re in, and helped shape our response to the spread of Covid-19; and where would we be without the resolute research of the virologists and biologists who we now thank for those reassuring vaccinations we’re receiving.
Let us give thanks for those scientists who ask open questions about God, and those theologians for whom science is an arena for more and deeper revelations about the divine. Today I celebrate the life of the Revd Professor John Polkinghorne, a physicist and a priest whose recent ‘death at the age of 90 brings the passing of one of the most influential figures in the field of science and religion.’ [2] I was privileged to serve in the same church as he, on a housing estate in Cambridge whilst I was in training for the ministry, and it is a measure of the warmth and humility of the man that, on the occasion I was asked to deliver a rookie sermon on the theme of creation in his learned presence, I was encouraged, not overawed. Among John Polkinghorne’s many books is one with a title which well defines his life’s work: Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Kinship; and in that book he writes, “If we are seeking to serve the God of truth then we should really welcome truth from whatever source it comes. We shouldn’t fear the truth. Some of it will be from science, obviously, but by no means all of it. It will sometimes be perplexing, how this bit of truth relates to that bit of truth; we know that within science itself often enough and we find it outside of science as well. The crucial thing is to be honest.” [3]
And let us give thanks for those within the Church who - with integrity - raise important and challenging questions about the Church and its conduct. Let us remember today the Roman Catholic theologian Hans Küng who died this week, for his rejection of the doctrine of papal infallibility, for his tireless work in ecumenism and dialogue between religions, for his conviction that (I quote), ‘Humanity today possesses sufficient economic, cultural and spiritual resources to introduce a better global order.’ [4]
I am struck by the passage of the Acts of the Apostles which we heard today. Luke describes these early followers of Jesus united in care for each other, sharing possessions, many giving sacrificially to ensure that no-one else in the group was in need. Their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was powerful, and this is how Luke sums them up: ‘the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul’. Admiring their unity I’m struck by one word which Luke could have used but misses out. He might have said that they ‘were of one heart and soul and mind’ - but he doesn’t. Almost certainly because they were not always of one mind.
There’s plenty of examples in the New Testament of the first followers of Jesus disagreeing on practical matters of how they should live, and on spiritual matters of what they should believe. In these formative faith groups questions would have abounded. Where they were addressed in honest open discussion, underpinned by common worship and prayer, they led to that unity of ‘heart and soul’ which Luke describes. But where these questions led to distrust, suspicion, wariness then things began to fall apart, as we see in so many of Paul’s letters to the early churches, who needed constant correction and encouragement - not to stop raising doubts and asking questions, but to do so in a spirit of unity and love.
I’m delighted that Stephen Cottrell did not miss a beat when that young woman asked him such a personal and probing question on that station concourse a couple of years back. For he models for us the way we too should react when our Christianity comes under scrutiny. With openness, honesty and care for the one who asks the question.
I’m glad also that her question led to a small and very readable book which is of particular help to any of us who have unanswered questions of our own about the Christian faith and the way it relates to today’s world. What two answers did Stephen Cottrell give the woman on Paddington Station, and how does he expand those in his book? I encourage you to buy a copy of Dear England to find out for yourself - and to join our discussion group on the book which starts next Sunday evening [5] so we too can explore and grow together.
Notes
[1] Stephen Cottrell, Dear England: finding hope, taking heart and changing the world (publisher’s note).
[2] The Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Obituary: The Revd Professor John Polkinghorne. Church Times, 26 March 2021.
[3] John Polkinghorne, Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Kinship.
[4] Wikipedia: Hans Küng. Quotation: source unknown but widely quoted.
[5] Dear England: a Conversation. Discussion group each Sunday between 18 April - 16 May, 6.00pm. Join by Zoom link: bit.ly/johndavies.
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