Yesterday at 11am, Reverend James Cruddas delivered this year’s Soper Sermon, reflecting on how the context of our faith and ministry has evolved since Lord Soper’s time and how we can face these changes together. We also received guests not only from the Soper family, but also the family of Mary Aggrey Ekumah as we gave thanks to God for her life following a funeral on Friday.
Drawing on the day’s readings, James explored the shifting nature of the public square and the ways we share God’s word. In Nehemiah 8, God’s word is proclaimed beyond the walls of Jerusalem, reaching people in the square before the Water Gate – a public space where men, women, and children gather to listen. If the public square already looked different from this in Lord Soper’s day as he addressed crowds at Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner, today we find ourselves navigating an even more radically transformed and challenging space.
As the public square has moved online, faith has largely become a matter between God and the individual, and as institutions (including the church) are increasingly mistrusted, James urged us now more than ever to take our faith to our communities, including those we engage in online, and regain confidence in our mutual relationship with God. God’s voice can cut through the cacophony of ever-more polarised online discourse and guide us through so that we may advocate for all of His people. It is this voice that calls us to ministry, each in our own way, using our unique gifts, graces, and talents. As we reflect on the legacy of the work of Lord Soper, let us then also reflect on our own work – what is God calling us to do?
Thanks to all who attended, and thanks to Rev James Cruddas for his thought-provoking sermon – if you missed it, you can now listen to it on Sotify here or directly on our Worship page here.