Apostolic Church

Today in 1971 I was ordained priest by Bishop John Moorman in Ripon Cathedral.

Gospel
Mt 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippihe asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”Simon Peter said in reply,“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my Church,and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Sermon at St Martin-on-the-hill

Today we celebrate the feast day of two of the Church's greatest sons - St Peter and St Paul. The liturgy calls them 'the princes of the Apostles from whom we derive our Christian faith.'

When we recite the Nicene Creed together as an expression of this faith we declare that 'we believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church'. When we claim to share a common nationality it is because we share a land, a language, and a loyalty to queen and country. When we affirm our common faith it is because we believe in, and belong to, this 'one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church'. The Church is apostolic because it is founded on the apostles, our Lord Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone. Peter and Paul are chief among those apostles. The Church we belong to is 'apostolic' because it teaches the apostolic faith, continues the apostolic mission, and exercises the apostolic authority. Let me say a few words about each:

1. Apostolic Faith
When Peter recognised Jesus at Caesarea Philippi as 'the Christ, Son of the living God' Jesus told him 'you are Peter and on this rock of your person and faith in me I will build my church'.
When Paul was writing to Timothy he wrote 'keep as your patter the sound teaching you have heard from me, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us look after this precious thing given in trust'.
The Church is Apostolic because it proclaims Jesus the Son of God and because it holds in trust and passes on the faith of the apostolic creeds.
We are called to cling to this apostolic faith and not deviate from it.

2. Apostolic Mission
Peter and Paul, along with the other apostles, were called and commissioned by Jesus 'to make disciples of all nations'. The very name 'apostle' comes from the Greek for 'an emissary' 'a sent one'. The first apostles were delegated by Jesus to represent him and his gospel in all the world. The thrilling stories of their post-Resurrection, post-Pentecost, lives reveals them doing this across the globe with their faithful missionary witness resulting in martyrdom in most cases.
The Church is Apostolic which in each successive age and place continues the divine mission first entrusted by Jesus to the first apostles. As Emil Brunner said 'the church lives by mission as a fire lives by burning'. No person in any parish is to be sidelined or excluded. No place on earth should lie beyond this remit.
We are called to engage in this apostolic mission and bear the cost of it.

3. Apostolic Authority
The shrines of Peter and Paul are in Rome. They suffered martyrdom there during the persecution of the Emperor Nero and their remains are contained in two great basilicas. The universal primacy of the Bishop of Rome draws authority from the fact that it is the city where they died. That authority in the church has come down to us through ordination in the apostolic succession. Truth and unity in the church are to be maintained by the collective authority of the bishops in communion with the Bishop of Rome. This authority is impaired by disunity over ordinations and deviations from gospel truths.
We are called to return to apostolic authority by renewed unity with its source.

So, as we thank God today for the apostles Peter and Paul, let us pray for the Church's renewal in their apostolic faith, mission, and authority.