Sermon Tone Analysis

tospace:none'>I speak to you in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit –Amen  

 

Today as you know by now we are celebrating All Saints Day – The actual day is November 1st which this year is Tuesday, however it is a day to be celebrated and not to be missed.

I say not to be missed because it is a wonderful opportunity in this harvest season, this thanksgiving season, to make claim to the Saints that have gone before and ministered in the Lord

So I want to start off this time by briefly retelling our story

And I want you to specifically imagine the cloud of saints around us all, those that have gone before to specifically partake in Farringdon’s history

 

Benjamin Ingham, who is consider the founder of Farringdon – as a seminary student was a member of the Oxford Holy Club – alongside John and Charles Wesley and George Whitfield

Each of them, in their own right, greatly laid the foundations on which thousands upon thousands of people have come to faith and grown in discipleship in our Lord

The Oxford Holy Club was known to hold deep and earnest discussions daily on various matters pertaining to religion and doctrine and devised for themselves a rigid plan or ‘method’ for conducting their lives

A definite schedule allotting a specific amount of time for prayer, for reading, and for teaching was their pattern

This gave birth to the term “Methodist” so closely associated with the work of the Wesleys.[1]

Post seminary, Ingham accompanied John Wesley to Georgia as missionaries to the Indians.

En route, amid a fierce storm, where most of the passengers feared for their life, they met a party of Moravians whose simplicity of faith and trust in God greatly influenced them

Our patron saint’s faith was lead to greater depth by those Moravian saints

 

Upon returning to England, Ingham was ordained into the Church of England in 1735 and his posting was in London in the parish of Farringdon.

However, it was not long after taking up his ministry that Ingham began to feel an interest in the people in the outlying districts who were without adequate opportunities for hearing the Word of God…

Ingham’s ministry became directed chiefly to his native Yorkshire and to Lancashire.[2]

This move in ministry began in what we would call today, a home church, and many became established

Ingham initially called the groups “societies”, and there developed some eighty or ninety of these groups

Involving many thousands of people, and eventually chapels were erected in many locations

In England, at the time, by an act of Parliament, only the ‘Church of England’ could be called a church, and all other similar establishments were considered “chapels”

Following the Battle of Waterloo, in the 1830’s, there was a severe trade depression in England.

The textile trade in Yorkshire and Lancashire, where the Inghamite chapels were chiefly located, was especially hard hit, with the result that many people immigrated to Canada.

Many of these people settled in the vicinity of Brantford.

These people "deemed that Divine permission under the New Testament was given to any sincere group of believers to meet and organize a Church of God,

If led by the Spirit of God, and without the sanction of any Church Court or other ecclesiastical authority, and in this belief they founded this Church".

Thus Farringdon Church was founded in 1833.

The first church building, a simple clapboard building, was erected in 1839 upon land that was part of the farm of Mr. Richard Brooks and his wife.

He was given the opportunity of naming the church, which he called Farringdon after his native town in Berkshire, England, and also Ingham's first parish.

The terms of an agreement between Richard Brooks and his wife in the sale of the land for the church stated the following…

Land, for the sole use of the church of Jesus Christ… (While) maintaining the scriptures of the old and new testament (as) their only rule of faith and doctrine…

Acknowledging Jesus as their only Lord and Law-Giver every first day of the week…

Continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers...

Acknowledging themselves and their infants subjects of King Jesus…

Their form of church government being congregational or independent, that is the church has the right of transacting its own business, in choosing Elders and Deacons from amongst themselves only, and deciding in cases of discipline and all other matters…

Making contribution every first day of the week chiefly for the relief to the poor

 

It would appear that their services of worship continued in much the same manner as was practised in England with emphasis being placed on simplicity of worship and doctrine.

They held firmly to the doctrine of the inspiration of the Old and New Testaments…”

And consequently the Scriptures stand for everything as the supreme authority to govern the life of the Church, as well as of the individual Christian”

Particular emphasis was placed on the principles laid down in the Ten Commandments.[3]

The saints that have gone before us in founding ‘this church on the hill’ had a clear straightforward rule of life which carried with it a vision for life

 

The first minute book of Farringdon Church describes its founding in this way:

“In 1833 (July) Miles Coleman and his family emigrated from the Peartree Church at Kendal to Brantford and there on the first Lord’s Day after their arrival they assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and attended to the Apostles doctrine

In company with James Cockshutt and his wife who were on a visit to their son Ignatius Cockshutt

And this was the commencement of the Church of Christ now assembling Farringdon nr.

Brantford.

First they assembled at James Cockshutt’s house at Brantford for a few weeks,

Then at Miles Coleman’s house at Farringdon and afterwards in the house of Isaac Poole, residents at the same place until the year 1839

In 1939 the Meeting House being built, they began to assemble in it.”

The church was without a central body but organized as a Church of Christ after that of apostolic times.

The members believed in justification and redemption only through the sacrifice of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit;

All were expected and deemed duty-bound to use their talents and ability without remuneration for the work of the church and for the good of their fellows.

The congregations selected Elders and Deacons and informed their own members on the basis of those best qualified to carry out the gospel both within the church and in the community.[4]

One of the outstanding characteristics of the leaders at Farringdon was their concern, interest, support and encouragement of one another - those at home, those working in other lands, and those who were continuing the work in England.

In personal letters we find such counsel as:

/“I was sorry to hear that some others have left your church.

But this is and always has been the case even in our Lord’s sojourn in this world.

/

/They did not like his doctrine and walked no more with him…./

/Our churches seem to be nearly run out….our

order and doctrine seem to be unpopular.

/

/A learned preacher and a stylish congregation seem to have more to attract the people.

/

/Associations and worldly influence have far too much to do in the church, and God’s Work far too little.”/[5]

Upon reading this passage from over 150 years ago – I was struck at how this could have been written today – I was at a conference this past Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

It was a conference lead by the United Church, in the Halton Presbytery and was specifically for pastors, priests and ministers

And I can tell you that the lament of ministers today shared this past week, is aligned with the saints of Farringdon’s history

 

During the early history of our church, the importance of missionary work in the spread of the gospel was stressed, as was also a concern for the poor and the helpless in the community.

Some results of these concerns can be seen in the fact that members of this church were instrumental in the founding of such community services and organizations as:

Widows’ Home (now Sheridan Place), The Orphans’ Home, The House of Refuge (on the property now occupied by the John Noble Home),

The Jane Laycock Children’s Home,

The Brantford Branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society

and the Farringdon Debating Society.[6]

Consider again those saints – consider what they valued – consider what they did for our community of Brantford

Consider that all that was done in the name of our Lord Jesus, was done with a vision in mind 

It is a vision that is aligned with Christ’s teaching, especially in the betterment of society with the prayer that we most commonly know as the ‘Lord’s Prayer’

And the ideal and vision for the present and future that we pray for and want to take part in the Kingdom of God – on earth as in heaven

 

Our reading from Revelations speaks of the vision of St John

It is of the point where the heavens and the earth touch each other

            It is principally a vision of the Kingdom of God

 

And our Gospel passage today is from the beginning of The Sermon on the Mount

And we hear the Beattitudes – Blessed are you when…

And for today – this All Saints Day – we are again given this vision of the Kingdom of God

We are given it both the realities of the earth, and contrasted with how God in the heavenly realm views life of His people

It is our Lord’s way of presenting a vision of the world as seen with God’s eyes

It calls us to a deeper understanding of the reality we see

It written to us as descriptive – to declare those described by the attributes as blessed by God

For us, still on our journey of faith, these are a call to action – these attributes are more than God declaring blessed - they are Be-Attitudes

 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We are "poor in spirit" or "meek" or "hunger and thirst for righteousness" - when we walk humbly with God.

We see our need for Jesus Christ and a longing to be filled with His Word.

We are blessed – we are given that vision of the Kingdom of God on earth

 

We are "merciful" or "pure in heart" when we love kindness.

When we show compassion and mercy, putting others before ourselves

We are "peacemakers" or "mourners" or "accept persecution for righteousness' sake" - when we do justice.

When we stand with the oppressed, when we strengthen the weak and mediate for peace

The Beatitudes invite us to be instruments of God in the world.

They represent the diversity of our response as he calls us to walk with him in justice and kindness

They are a clear, straightforward message of “God’s heart and desire” for His people

            It is a vision of the Kingdom of God

 

We, present day Farringdonians, developed a vision statement almost three years ago

And I believe it too carries with it a vision of the Kingdom of God on earth

It goes as follows:

By 2012, we will build a more inclusive committed and caring church