Institution of the Revd Nicolette Segeel at St Luke’s Church, Diep River

Readings: Isaiah 49: 13 -18; Psalm 36; John 5:30-47

May I speak in the name of God who calls, informs and transforms us. Amen.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, dear family of St Luke’s in plurality with St John’s Wynberg, it is a joy to be with you this afternoon and celebrate this important day – the institution of your new Minister-in-Charge.

It’s very good to see you all, and thanks especially to Bishop Josh, Archdeacon Mkhuseli, other clergy present and your spouses, as well as the guests who are here to grace this occasion. And of course a warm welcome to the Revd Nicolette Segeel, as she comes to this Parish and our Diocese from Johannesburg.

Thank you to everyone who has worked hard to prepare this service. Thank you, Church Wardens, for your arrangements and your warm welcome on our arrival here this evening.

In the Gospel passage from John today (5:30-47), Jesus asserts to the religious leaders of the day that he is one with God, but he doesn’t do this through self-testimony, meaning that he cannot witness to himself, since self-witness would be false witness. Instead he points to evidence from a number of different sources, from John the Baptist and what was foretold in the scriptures, to the evidence of his own miracles, the evidence from Moses, and indeed that from God.

Jesus first cites John, described as the “burning and shining lamp” whose evidence, because it was true, led people to Jesus. But although John’s testimony came through a brilliant lamp, it had nevertheless to be distinguished from the light itself. So although people rejoiced at John’s message – and had they believed John, they would have been saved – he was not the source of the light.

Jesus then turns to the testimony of his miraculous works, underlining how they works were of a special nature because the Father had commissioned them. The works bore witness, therefore, to the One who commissioned them. As someone has said, because Jesus was doing things which we see in the scriptures that God previously did, that is by doing the works of God, Jesus proved that he is God. So the testimony provided by what Jesus actually did in the world is greater than that of John’s words.

Yet, these indications of the divine nature of Jesus had fallen on unproductive soil when it came to the religious leaders of the day. Despite God having spoken through the Son’s deeds, they had not heard it nor seen any evidence of God in those deeds. The blunt truth was that, through unbelief, God’s word was not accepted by those leaders.

Sisters and brothers, those who love God will seek God’s glory, not their own. However, by their attitude to Jesus, it is clear that the religious leaders to whom Jesus was addressing his message were not doing this. It goes without saying that it is a moral impossibility to seek one’s own glory and God’s glory at one and the same time. Those leaders did not lack enthusiasm in studying the law, but they lacked insight into its true significance. It was no wonder they did not believe the words of Jesus.

As people of St Luke’s and St John’s, what are the implications of this Gospel story for us today, in Diep River, in Wynberg, in Cape Town, in our beloved country? What does Jesus say to us as we contemplate the challenges we face in our daily lives as individuals, as a community and as a country? We see around us every day the consequences of joblessness, of addiction, and not too far away from us in Diep River, we hear or see reports of extortion and gang violence. Almost every day, we read evidence of nepotism and corruption as the well-connected line their pockets. Abroad, we read of the suffering of the people, just to take a few examples, of Sudan, of Gaza and the West Bank, of Ukraine, and in recent days of Minneapolis in the United States.

To respond to these challenges, we must above everything be rooted in a firm faith in God, in a loving God who cares equally for each one of us, of a God who says in Jesus that each of the hairs of our heads are numbered (Lk 12:7; Mt 10:30). Once we accept that, once we actually feel it and know it deeply in ourselves, that gives us the confidence, the energy and the certainty that in God no problem is insoluble, no challenge is too big for us. It empowers us to deploy the science, the expertise and the capacity for analysis and creative thought that God has gifted us with to come up with practical programmes and solutions to our challenges.

Today’s reading from the Psalms (Ps. 36) reinforces this message, presenting to us as it does the loving-kindness of God. If we apply the first four verses of the Psalm to those in our world who are currently causing the suffering I have enumerated, the following verses go on to assure us wonderfully of God’s care and love for us and for all of creation.

Listen again to some of those wonderful words from the NRSV translation:

"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains;

your judgments are like the great deep;

you save humans and animals alike, O Lord."

And the following:

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light."

The psalm ends with a prayer for deliverance, and the assurance through faith of the overthrow of the wicked. The psalmist also looks forward in prayer to the glories awaiting God’s people. The keynote is one of certainty.

Revd Nicolette, it is my prayer that your life here at St Luke’s should be like a new song – full of new possibilities, with the re-assurance that God will provide for the needs of your congregation and bring you the prospects of greater blessings yet to come. You do not lack experience, but you will nevertheless need God’s help and support to advance his will for St Luke’s Church. As you take up your new responsibilities, on behalf of the Diocese and the wider church, I bring you our congratulations on your appointment.

At times, your and the church’s calling will require tough discernment and discipline. For God requires us to practise self-examination to correct our faults. God’s discipline is evidence that we are God’s children. Far from being a reason for despair, discipline is a basis for encouragement and perseverance. Received in the right spirit, it provides a framework for wholesome individual and corporate lives.

As you all know, this church and parish seek to challenge and inspire parishioners to advance the kingdom of God through teaching ministry and evangelism. To achieve that objective requires a discernment that produces good decisions based on divine principles. It is therefore our shared prayer and hope that you, together with your team, will discern the common good in whatever decisions you take.

The concept of the common good is one rooted in God’s desire that humans may flourish, each according to their own particular circumstances, and that all will enjoy spiritual growth and strength, as well as having a liveable standard of material well-being. In its widest sense, a society organised for the common good is one which is stable, safe and just, a society which accords everyone respect materially, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually.

Once again, congratulations, Revd Nicolette on your appointment, and as I institute you in this church, I pledge my support for your ministry here for the common good.

God loves all of you and so do I. Amen.

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