You were warned: this is a long service. But it is a rare service because it gives us a chance to think about who we are in the church. And in the church we really have two choices, both of which are right. We are equal. When the church was founded, the disciples gathered together, broke bread together, lived together, and shared everything between them. We share a common baptism in the Lord and that makes us equal. As the church developed, there were things that needed to be done for the community and so there developed the positions of deacon, priest and bishop. Things became unequal. The first to appear were the bishops who celebrated the eucharist as they had been taught to do. But they found that preaching, running around and all the things they had to – Lord have mercy! It was too much. And so deacons arose, who came to serve at the table: the table of the altar and the sanctuary, and the food table as well. The deacon’s position is a servant position. All our positions are servant positions. The deacon is there to assist the priest in the celebration of the eucharist – and to serve the people who need our attention, time and care. In the ordination service you are told so many things to do but the simplest one is ‘be humble’. This is not a great job. It is an important job but it doesn’t make you special. It puts many demands on you. We tremble when we offer this service making you a deacon, a servant. As a person you are being changed by Christ for the service of humanity. Today we welcome you into the ranks of the deacons. We pray that you will be strengthened for service to the community, may you be humble. You know you will fall, we know that we all fall. We all try to do impossible things. So beside ‘be humble’, I give you another saying: ‘the Lord supplies the deficiency’, God gives what we do not have, do not do, forget to do – whatever is lacking. The Lord is on our side. All will be well. Bless you, Anthony. Go well in your duties as a deacon. Go well in life. ++Harry Aveling 10 September 2022
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