Vocational Preaching

Many blessings upon the Rev Cedric Blakey, the Cathedral’s Vice Provost whom I still think of as my new colleague, even though he has been here since the start of December. It is Cedric’s anniversary of priesting today, St Peter’s Day. Many congratuations to him on the anniversary.

He was preaching about it on Sunday and it is a sermon worth hearing again if you were there, or listening to if you didn’t catch it the first time.

I think that often, the kind of preaching that is the most enjoyable and fruitful, is preaching where the stories and images that relate to the preacher intermingle with both the stories and images of the biblical text in question and also those of the community amongst whom the sermon is preached. It takes a little while to find those images when you move to a new congregation. However, I got a sense of that happening, when Cedric was preaching last Sunday.

So, blessings upon Cedric today. I’m delighted he is here and I know that members of St Mary’s are appreciating his ministry hugely. One of the best blessings you can give a priest is to listen to their preaching and engage with it from your own place and think about it in the context of your own stories and images.

So, here’s last Sunday’s sermon.

Take a listen and have a ponder yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeX-mtufpYc&feature=player_embedded

Can you help me find a Vice-Provost?

I’m currently looking for someone to come and work at St Mary’s as Vice-Provost. There is an advert in the Church Times today for the second week advertising the post. The vacancy was circulated around the Scottish Episcopal Church a couple of week’s ago. The cathedral website has full details of the post.

So, we’ve done just about all we can to advertise the position in appropriate places. What I’m wondering now is whether readers of this blog can help me find just the person we need.

Perhaps think you are that person – in which case, if you have not already sent in an application, please do so. Those who don’t apply don’t get anywhere.

Perhaps you are not sure and want more details about St Mary’s. Well, take a look around the website. If you’ve any enquiries about the post, I’d be happy to try to answer them. You might also take a look at what one of my colleagues has written about being at St Mary’s and what its like working with me. AKMA has brought a kindness and a graciousness to St Mary’s which we are all enjoying and I’m grateful to him for using his own blog to get the message out about this appointment.

Perhaps you’re are not interested in being the new Vice-Provost of St Mary’s but you know someone whom you think would be ideal. If that’s the case, now is the very moment you can help the cause. Could you have a chat with that person and point them towards the details and persuade them to apply. There is a week to go until the closing date.

St Mary’s is an exciting place to work and the time has come to find the right person to join in and take a share in leadership as we move forward together.

If you know that person – please let them know.