Confusion decoded

I celebrated the Eucharist at St John's with nine others this morning. Emma joined us and sat in the congregation. Afterwards she told me that she's expecting her second baby, end of November. That'll  give the Parish as much joy and delight as her family, no doubt!. She also said that I can preach, on the third Sunday in September when I'll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of being made a Deacon and starting in public ministry. Apparently the church wardens want a hand in making this, as Emma says "An occasion with cake and bubbles". I already have in mind a sermon to preach, quoting the words of the Bishop to the ordinand when handing over a copy of the New Testament following the Laying on of Hands: "Take thou authority to preach the Word of God if thou be thereto licensed by the Bishop". It's the first gift which the Church offers to those whose call to public ministry is recognised in the rite of ordination. 

Any baptized person may preach, if they realise they have a story to tell or personal testimony to give, or an insight to share. Some should, when the occasion is right. Some have the gift to preach, as Paul says "In season and out of season", when their insight into scripture has something relevant for others, for the occasion. In traditional mainstream churches, nobody appoints themselves as a preacher, rather the community discerns and invites people to take on a role, which they may not be keen to accept to start with. Even if a person relishes the possibility of being a preacher their sense of calling and conviction must be tested by others. There are self appointed preachers too, who believe the Holy Spirit has called them without consulting others. This is not without problems, to my mind. 

The community needs to have a say in who will offer service, for the good of all. I'm grateful to have been nurtured in and followed the path of catholic church tradition. For me preaching, has remained an adventure of exploration and discovery of God's Word for two thirds of my mortal existence. Being made a Deacon was a unique milestone on this path, and one which I'm glad to celebrate now as a Parishioner in Canton. I may be retired from holding public office in a Parish, but am entrusted with a 'Permission to Officiate' which enables me to take services, and most importantly, to preach as a recognised minister of the church. 

After church I popped in to Stavros for a summer haircut. While waiting, I had a call on my mobile from an un-named official, either at UHW or from the LHB's 'Concerns' team in response to the email of complaint I'd sent on Monday this week. It seems that the 12th July outpatient appointment with a senior nurse is nothing more than a repeat of the pre-op medical assessment procedure, as the last one, done in January, has just expired. There should have been a briefing paper with the letter, which would have explained all, but there wasn't. My 8th August appointment to follow is with Mrs Cornish the surgeon, for the pre-op examination around which the next surgical intervention is planned. Phew! At last! Not knowing has lost me a lot of sleep this past fortnight, but all's well that ends well.

Ann arrived from Felixstowe at tea-time. She's coming with us to Tenby for a long weekend break. At last we're having some genuine summer weather, so we're looking forward to all the pleasures of a very special Welsh seaside resort - even if it is a lot more English in character and style than Welsh. The last time we were there was in 2003, I think, when I was asked to baptize the child of a couple I'd met and blessed the marriage of when I was working in Monaco. That was in Penally church, though we stayed in Tenby overnight, and delighted in most excellent local marine cuisine at the party after the service.

It's Kath and Anto's 27th wedding anniversary today, and they're off to Sta Pola for the weekend to celebrate in a favourite place. How did those years slip by so quickly?