Sermon offered by Reverend Hilary Savage at the United Service on 23rd January 2022 

I need to begin with a joke.

“Who was the shortest man in the Bible? -Yes it was Knee-high-Miah! Amen.

I understand that Roland can put together a mean Drystone wall! In fact he's done one outside here somewhere I believe. I know it takes a lot of skill, not less his skill with the Lego bricks.

Walls can give a sense of security and safety representing in our homes, a place of shelter and a sense of belonging and a barrier against storms and thieves. When places in Syria were devastated there were tons of rubble and chaos, some homes had been annihilated and no one felt safe. However, it is encouraging to see that slowly the country is rebuilding itself.

In Nehemiah’s time, the walls of Jerusalem, which was God’s city, were devastated. The gates had been destroyed by fire and the walls were rubble. Nehemiah prays fervently and he's granted leave of absence and letters to procure materials and steadily the walls are rebuilt, in spite of much opposition, plenty of night duty and even more prayer,

It is truly symbolic, as well as historical. The work of God is to repair and restore and mend broken things and broken people - to bring wholeness to those who have been rejected or abused or think of themselves as rubbish. The church on behalf of God, reaches out to bring grace and reconciliation to those in need.

A few years ago there was a big old Church in the middle of inner city Birmingham, which had been converted into a hostel for homeless men. There were plenty of beds, cooked evening meals and breakfasts, a clothes cupboard and a washing machine. There was also counselling and help to find local accommodation. In addition, to offer to meet their spiritually needs, each week a different Church denomination came to do a simple Church service. The men were warm and safe within those walls – it was a place of rehabilitation and recovery for the men. We are called, in the name of God’s love, to offer repair and reconciliation for people’s inner turmoil.

Trevor Huddleston, who was a white bishop, was serving in South Africa, around 1937, and was organising to build schools for black children and was passionate about building up the status of black Africans, shook hands with a small boy. This was a white bishop shaking hands with a black boy in the cruel times of Apartheid. The boy became Bishop Desmond Tutu and Trevor’s action had a profound effect on him and taught by Trevor, he started on his journey of faith.

There is also a place in our Christian faith and lives to break down walls to shatter them and to reduce them to nothing. The Berlin Wall for instance. I've actually got a piece of the Berlin Wall which someone brought back from Germany for a group of us as theological students. It feels very symbolic having a fragment of the wall which caused such sorrow and division.

Jesus went about breaking down walls left, right and centre - touching unclean lepers, dining with prostitutes, healing people on the Sabbath, ministering to the poor and struggling, healing a woman who was considered unclean because of her bleeding and chatting to a Samaritan woman.

Very slowly over the years, the church has broken down the wall between men’s and women's roles in the church. Slowly, it came to the realisation that ‘unmarried mothers’ and their babies are not sinners. It took years to break down the Victorian principle of the rich man in his castle and the poor man at his gate. The church has been quite slow in several aspects keeping itself safe within its thick stone walls, keeping its respectability, its traditions and ceremonial stuff - blinkered in some ways to its calling to bring repair and reconciliation. We need to replace ‘walls of judgement’ with compassion.

Times began to change but I still remember in my 30s suddenly realising I didn't have to dress up to go to church but actually that I was accepted just as I am. My daughters may tease me now for making them wear dresses and straw hats to wear at church.

We are called to continue to break down walls of discrimination and prejudice, to break down ‘them and us’ attitudes and to come outside of our routines and our stone walled churches to help repair where needed. We have already made a start such as the Food Bank, children’s groups, the tranquillity Garden and Praise in the Park in The Square.

Yes, our Church buildings give a sense of belonging, history, perseverance, stability and protection, but we need to be the Church outside in the World as well.

Jesus came to mend the relationship between ourselves and God, His death on the cross broke down the barrier so we can all access forgiveness, reconciliation and repair.

For us, personally, sometimes we need to simply sit in God’s presence and let Him repair and restore us mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Just soak up God’s ‘Building up’ like when as children, we used to be given cod liver oil and malt and orange juice. So what kind of repairs might we ask God for? Perhaps a new hip, a new heart, new teeth or new memories?

We can ask to be restored or repaired, maybe asking for a closer walk with God, or a healing of any sour relationships, or a patching up of a bad experience which leaves us with sad memories. We are welcomed by God who whole-heartedly builds us up and renews us and whole-heartedly wants to build up all people, as well as breaking down barriers.

Amen.