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St Mary’s Clergy Letter December 2011
As Advent and then Christmas approach, and at the time of writing this letter two things are on my mind: the recent death of the
late great Jimmy Saville and the leadership course I and other clergy are having to attend next week in a hotel near Scarborough
(Jim’s favorite holiday location).
I actually spend quite a lot of time thinking about how my personal call to be a Christian leader should take shape in Middleton.
At Christmas time I’ll be once again thinking about the shape Jesus’ leadership took – the lord of Glory born in the poorest and
humblest of circumstances. The nativity stories are of course a kind of prelude to the rest of the Gospels- they set the theme
for what we are to expect later. So Jesus isn’t going to be the kind of leader the world values. In fact Jesus re-defines leadership
in terms of radical love and servant hood and self-sacrifice.
But more than anything else the nativity stories are about a God who comes down from above and (in the words of John 1: v 14)
“pitches his tent amongst us” (or if you like came to live in Miggy!).
Tremble establishment of St Paul’s cathedral (with due respect to St Giles Fraser!).
Now at Christmas time every baptized Christian (not just Priests!) is called to think about the kind of Christian leadership they
are called to in our community, following the model of the poor man Jesus who associates himself with the oppressed and marginalized.
Now we won’t all be called to do exceptional things like Rev Charles Jenkins . He was the Vicar of St John and St Barnabas in Belle Isle (and
before this in Holbeck) who worked himself to death for his community as a local councilor. Without him we wouldn’t have the council houses
many of us were bought up in in Middleton; Belle Isle; Gipton and Seacroft and Moortown etc. (incidentally I’ll be writing an article soon
about him for an new publication of a group called “Belle Isle and Middleton Together” which has just formed which wants to promote pride
in our wonderful communities and promote community harmony .)
But it might be that you are not called to do great public works of charity like Jimmy Saville. However you might be interested to hear
a few personal anecdotes about Jimmy which put him up there with all the great local Christian leaders like him and Charles Jenkins of
our community in the past whose example lift up my heart and make me feel so proud to be a part of this tradition. I hope they will
provide every one of us ordained and lay inspiration at Christmas to renewing our commitment to follow the prince of peace.
Now I’m not going to tell you about Jim’s great public fundraising efforts- which indeed deserve great respect but perhaps don’t speak to us
ordinary mortals looking for inspiration as to how our Christian lives should take shape in the new year. It’s the quiet loving things he did
which maybe only those who experienced them may know anything about. I want to end this letter with two little personal experiences. Hope you
can think about them as you pray for Jim’s soul and find inspiration for how you might follow the Jesus you once again worship at the crib this Christmas.
In the 1970s my father, a very unsentimental man (to put it mildly!!!) – a man of his generation who didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve was very ill
and spent some time in hospital. As many know Jimmy Saville did voluntary work as a porter in our Leeds hospitals- he didn’t want to do voluntary work
as a manger or other status role and this says so much about the man’s understanding of service which without doubt came from his lifelong exposure to
the Lord born in an animals feeding trough.
My father had hit quite a low point in life , but the thing which got him through a terrible dark night of suffering was the fact
(which he often recalled) that Jimmy Saville sat with him throughout the night listening to his story and holding his hand to reassure him!
My second story about Jim was when I was conducting a wedding at All Soul’s in Little London. It was the kind of do we were used to in that part of Leeds- a
packed church of Leeds West Indians all turning out to support the wedding of a young man who had told me his job was as a barman at Roundhay. He’d told me
Jimmy Saville often came to the bar where he worked and the young man naturally invited him to his wedding.
Now no one was more surprised than me when he turned up – in full tracksuit and smoking his characteristic cigar. It meant so much to the congregation to see
him - almost the only white face apart from mine in the church- supporting a man, who no doubt had served him on many an occasion, on his very special day.
So a few of examples of true Christian servant hood – ordinary but radical ways we can take heart from and perhaps feel inspired by at this Christmas time.
If you’re moved by the stories the challenge is to find out as a Christian leader how you can go and do likewise.
May the joy of the incarnate servant Lord be with you all this Christmas dear sisters and brothers in service.
Love and peace - Andy
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