Readings: 1 Peter 2: 1-9 & Matthew 16: 1-19
It is very good to be here with you today, amongst many longstanding and faithful friends, and with the opportunity to meet and make new ones. And it is always a privilege to stand in this pulpit here in the Church of St Hilda, but especially so on this day, the Sunday of your patronal festival, the day this Church reflects on your great patron Saint.
There has always been a tradition in this place of inviting people who once served here to return, and many have been given the honour of returning at the patronal service. Of course, if you couldn't get someone who had actively served here before, then you have been known to settle for the odd Bishop now and then!
A patronal service is a good time to reflect not just on the life story of the patron Saint, but on how their character continues to inspire the Churches that carry their names.
Just what was it about Hilda that spoke to the founders of this and other Churches that are dedicated to her, and what does it mean to follow Hilda’s example today and into the future?
There are so many things I could say, but I think if we look to the Collect prayer then this gives us a good start.
Holiness
So the Collect for Hilda tells us that she was holy, and she blessed the church with new life and unity. Holy, new life and unity.
Now holiness can be a difficult word to define and easy to misunderstand. On one extreme the phrase ‘holier than thou’is used to describe an unattractive attitude of moral superiority; and on the other, something of almost unattainable divine beauty and meaning, like Holy Communion.
But a good way to define ‘holy’ is as being ‘set apart’ particularly to follow God’s calling and to carry out God’s purposes.
Using imagery from the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, St Peter encourages his congregations to become a ‘holy nation, God’s own people’ – communities dedicated to following Jesus Christ, illustrated by the way they lived, worshiped and encouraged others to do so.
Hilda became one of these people. She dedicated her life to Christ, and committed her time, energy and gifts to following him and serving him. But she didn't lock herself away from the world, and didn’t encourage her communities to do so either. Holiness doesn't mean that you hide away and don't get involved in the mess of everyday society, even if that feels safer.
Hilda lived in a violent and dangerous society. The values she espoused: love, generosity and inclusivity, amongst many others, stood in direct contrast to the values that governed the courts of the warrior kings who ruled over the realm. She didn’t conform, she was different. That’s not to say she was a pushover, far from it: Hilda demanded that those who came to her community were committed to learning, to contributing, and taking their faith out with them.
And people flocked to her community to grow in faith – and they went out all over Britain and Europe to proclaim it! Hilda would want any community that carries her name to be committed in coming together for worship Christ, and equally committed to going out to tell others about Him.
In other words, to be holy, is to be set apart to be salt and light in the communities in which you live and move, and to be good witnesses of Jesus Christ.
New life
Hilda is said to have blessed the church with new life.
As someone who was learned and wise, her communities were places of education and creativity - where anyone could come and flourish.
It may not have been uncommon for monks and nuns to be in the same monastery, but it was for them to mix and get equal education as they did in Hilda’s. She was able to ensure thatthose who had senior responsibility in the church were equipped with what they needed, whilst never overlooking the gifts of those born into very different circumstances in life.
History records how five of her monks went on to become bishops, but also how Caedman, the ‘illiterate cattle herder’, as the English historian Bede called him, became the founder of Anglo-Saxon religious poetry. This, because Hilda saw in him a gift given by God, and then provided him with the encouragement and environment, to use it.
Hilda cultivated a community of true inclusivity, where prejudice gave way to equity. In her monastery, wrote Bede, ‘no one there was rich, and none poor, for they had all things common’.
So a church community dedicated to Hilda, is one which is inclusive to all, and also, one where people’s gifts are sought out, identified and nurtured. When this happens, new life springs forth and unimaginably wonderful things happen.
Unity
The third quality that the Collect mentions is unity. And unity is one of those concepts that has been the subject of much discussion in the national church over many years. Althoughthe national church has dedications to many Saints, I think that everyone in the Church of England can take something from Hilda's example and leadership, especially after the events of this week.
Famously, Hilda presided over the Synod of Whitby in the year 664. As a reminder, this was a meeting which helped determine the future of how the church in England was governed, organised, and how it expressed itself in worship. It came down to a choice of continuing in the Celtic way or following the Roman way. Against what would have been Hilda’s preference, once the king of Northumbria had had read to him the very passage we heard today from Matthew’s gospel, he decided the church should become Roman.
So although Hilda is given credit for helping bring unity to the church, it certainly wasn't without it’s problems. Many of the Celtic Christian leaders walked away and left, having nothing to do with the established Church. It was a time of great tumult.
The national church is living in a time of great tumult: alreadyhorribly divided about whether it's heresy to bless and marry same sex couples, or whether it's heresy not to! And now,more appalling and major safeguarding failures have been uncovered, which have led to the failure to prevent abuse from happening, and victims and survivors being let down. The Archbishop of Canterbury - who had dedicated himself to unity - has resigned.
And although we no longer live in times of warrior tribes fighting battles with swords and spears, the words used in the press and social media against the whole Church of England have been wounding. Many people doing good work are caught up unfairly by the actions, or non-actions of others.
It has become clear that a grotesque kind of misguided attempt at keeping unity was what prevented action being taken in the early 1980s which would have prevented much of this abuse from happening. Unity cannot come at all costs, and certainly not at the expense of justice and safety.
Going back to Hilda, it must have pained her when people left her community after the Synod, perhaps just as much as the decision of the Synod itself. However, she found the dignity to accept these things. She found a way of blending her Celtic traditions with the Roman ones. In times of opposing beliefs and traditions causing divisions, Hilda’s ability to hold the unresolvable is something inspiring. Just as she showed courage and dignity in times of great tumult, so must we.
Because, ultimately, unity is found not in the church but in Christ, as is justice and safety. After all, there have been many more divisions of the worldwide church since 664. But in Christ, all are united. And Hilda continued to lead her communities faithfully preaching this, and leading by example.
Rocks that shine
So what does it mean to be a community that is inspired by Hilda today?
Can I suggest that it is a community which is holy – where people commit to gathering together as well as reaching out.
One where new life is nurtured by welcoming all people and releasing gifts; and one which knows that, whatever challenges are around, it is united with Christ.
So, in times of joy and tumult, may St Hilda’s Church Warley Woods continue to be a living stone, a rock, on which Christ is building his Church, and one which, like its patron Saint, continues to shine like a jewel in the land. Amen
Rev’d Richard Haynes, 17 November 2024