One of the secrets of the life of Jesus is that he enjoyed parties. It's not so much a secret, the evidence is plainly there in the gospel records, but it's not the kind of thing you hear much about. Church-going is meant to be serious we think, so having a party is not usually uppermost in our minds on a Sunday morning.
We're having a party, can you come? Jesus received many invitations - to the homes of the reputable, like Simon the Pharisee, and to the homes of the disreputable, tax collectors and sinners, people who lived on the margins of society. He wasn't a comfortable guest: all kinds of people came along with him, like the woman of ill repute who lavished upon him a jar of expensive perfume, anointing his feet and drying them with her hair. Sometimes, in the middle of the party, he would tell a story....and it didn't always make for easy listening. There were many who thought he wasn't behaving as he should. They made unfavourable comparison with John the Baptist and complained about the behaviour of Jesus' disciples: "John's disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink!" (Luke 5.33)
Even the parables of Jesus talked about parties. In the fifteenth chapter of Luke's gospel there are three stories: the sheep is lost and the shepherd goes to find it, the woman loses a coin and searches for it, the prodigal son goes away from home. In each story, when what was lost has been found there is a party, a celebration, to which friends and neighbours are all invited.
In the gospel of John, the ministry of Jesus begins with a party, a wedding feast. When the wine runs out, he turns water into wine -gallons of it - and those who drink it commend the host on its quality. This miracle is described as a sign, the most important sign, of all that Jesus had come to teach us about the kingdom of God. A sign of God's love and generosity; a sign of the joy of the kingdom of heaven.
It's very subversive, all this emphasis on partying. Not a bit like we think religion should be! Isn't religion supposed to be about rules and regulations, about behaving 'properly', about doing things we don't really want to do? This religion of Jesus sounds more like being set free - from narrow-mindedness, from fear, from worrying about what others think of us. Definitely something to celebrate!
So we're having a party! Can you come?
Next year we celebrate our 600th anniversary. In 1405 the Pope granted a dispensation for the people of Moseley to worship in a 'chapel of ease1 in the village, instead of having to walk to Kings Norton as had been the custom. So 2005 is not simply the 600th anniversary of St Mary's but of the establishment of the first place of Christian worship in Moseley. This celebration is much more than, something which looks only at our own church life through the centuries. We want everyone to join in the party, to celebrate 600 years of life in Moseley.
In November there is the new publication of A history of Moseley; half of the book is the original history written by Alison Fairn in 1973, the other half a fascinating collection of contributions from many who are involved in the life of Moseley and which reflects on the changes that have taken place in Moseley in the past 30 years, bringing the original history up to the present time.
On 4 December we have a particular celebration when the parishes of St Mary's and St Anne's will be re-united in a shared ministry team. We are delighted to welcome the Revd. Rosemary Donovan as Associate Priest for the team, with particular responsibility for worship and pastoral care at St Anne's and for youth work across both parishes. I will take overall responsibility in the team, and be licensed as Priest-in-charge at St Anne's on that day as well as being Vicar of St Mary's. Rosemary has served her curacy at All Saints, Kings Heath; for those of you who do not know her, she writes about herself elsewhere in this copy of St Mary's News. Joining once again with St Anne's (which was originally a daughter church of St Mary's) is an event of particular joy as we approach the celebration of our 600th anniversary. We shall launch our year of celebration in January 2005 and there is programme of events planned throughout the year. Elsewhere in this issue, Jan Miller, our events coordinator, has written about these in more detail. Our thanks go to Jan and to many others involved in preparing for the celebrations. As well as social events there will be special services, to which we shall invite back clergy and other friends who have been so much a part of the life of this church over the years.
I want to emphasise that our celebrations are a party for everyone, not just for those who consider themselves to be members of the church. In another of the parables of Jesus he spoke of a banquet: many were invited, but on the day people made their excuses and few of those invited came. So the man who had prepared the banquet said to his servants: " Go out into the streets, to the highways and byways, and invite everyone you find." (Luke 14.21) Jesus made particular reference to those who were poor, or blind or lame. The feast of God's kingdom is a feast to which all are invited. Our celebrations would be hollow if they did not reach out and include those who are in need, those who live on the margins of our own society.
At any party, any family gathering, there is also a touch of sadness. We remember those who have been so much a part of our lives but are no longer with us. We remember with love and gratitude our Readers, Robert Laslett and Denis Preston; we remember the Revd. Roy Brookstein who gave so much to St Mary's in the years of his retirement. And there are many others, members of the congregation and relatives and friends, who will not be sitting at our earthly table of fellowship in our anniversary year. To all those who have been part of the history that is St Mary's and Moseley's through the generations we give thanks. And I can't help thinking that all these parties that Jesus enjoyed so much were teaching us about the banquet that awaits us in heaven, when all will come together once again in a time of great rejoicing.
We're having a party! Can you come?
Celebrating 600 years of life in Moseley.
St Mary's 1405-2005