Our journey in life: listening to God's Call

Our journey in life: listening to God's Call

By William Lyon Tupman. Preached at the Sunday Eucharist at St. Paul´s Estoril and St. George´s Lisbon, Portugal. 

15th July, 2018. Bible readings: Amos 7:7-15, Psalm 85:8-13, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29. 

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and redeemer. Amen. 

We are all on a journey; as individuals in our daily lives, as families, as friends, as our Church gathered here today, as well as the wider Christian Church, and beyond. Here I am; this is where I am, on my journey at the moment, here on placement as I explore what my vocation is, or what my vocations are, in the Church. It is a real pleasure for me to be here, to meet you, and to have this opportunity to serve God and serve you in this way; thank you all. Fr. Philip, who is the curate at the Church I´ll be serving at from September for a year (St. Michael´s Church in Croydon, South London), is being ordained priest today -  a significant milestone in his journey in faith and in life. Many of my friends from university are preparing for the next stage in their lives - whether that´s continuing on to the next academic year of their studies, or graduating and moving on to a career, further training or study, or taking some time to relax and maybe also travel. Many of you will have been on journeys which have taken you to several different parts of the world; and what a variety of different careers, lifestyles and stories everyone here today will be able to tell! 

Our journeys in life have many features and characteristics - quite like a long road trip. Our life-long road trip, comprising of several different sections. Sometimes the journey is easy, and the road is free-flowing; other times, it is not, with unforeseen circumstances causing a delay or other hindrance in our journey. Sometimes we may be progressing along our way for ages before the next resting point or landmark; other times our next chapter may be just around the corner. Sometimes the route is obvious, and well signposted; other times it is less so. Most of the time, we´ll probably be able to follow our planned route; but, even when we think we have everything planned out, occasionally we might need to take a diversion, and the new route may well be unfamiliar and unknown. Or, some might be on a journey where they have no idea at all where they are going; perhaps with ideas, yet perhaps also totally unsure, and wondering what to do when a fork in the road meets us. 

But still moving. We are all moving. We are all travelling. And we are all making progress. 

Sometimes you might come to a signpost along the way that directs you in a particular way. It may or may not give you a choice. Some may say "Dual Carriageway ahead," or maybe even "Motorway ahead." "Next destination 300km to go," followed by a gentle reminder that there´s "No stopping" even if you want to. These may be fine for most drivers - if you´re experienced and comfortable with what you´re doing. But if you´re new to the road - starting a radically new chapter in your life - they may be a little daunting. 

Some signs are such that we do not need to particularly worry about them. In England we have these somewhat hilarious signs which read "Plant crossing the road" - I assume this refers to tractors moving from one field to another, because I must say I´ve not yet seen trees uprooting themselves and walking across the road! Other signs are more helpful, like a roadworks sign in advance of a set of traffic light; even if it looks like a person having an argument with their faulty umbrella. 

But if we deliberately ignore important signposts along the way, we could be headed for trouble. There´s suddenly a speed restriction in place on that motorway, and your lane has been unexpectedly closed just ahead; you´ll need to change lanes. Another road has just been closed due to roadworks, and you´ll have to take a detour. And there is a traffic light, which is lit red. It would be ridiculous to ignore signs like these; and I think we would all follow these signs and signals whenever we see them.

These signs are often in the form of commands. Some examples of these in the Bible are the Ten Commandments received by Moses and the people in Exodus, and Jesus´s command to us to love one another in St. John´s Gospel. As we saw in our first reading today from Amos 7, the people did not listen to God, and deliberately ignored His important commandments - and were punished by means of exile. 

Some signs are obvious; as are many in life. But many other signs are less obvious, and we have to look more carefully. We have to listen more carefully; that´s certainly something I´ve found at times. I attended a Benedictine school, which was attached to a monastery where the monks follow the Rule of St. Benedict. St. Benedict, who is revered as a patron Saint of Europe, began his Rule book with this crucial word: "Listen." 

Psalm 85 today reminds us of the importance of this. If we listen to God, and if we seek His ways, He can inspire us, by the grace and direction of His Holy Spirit, and He will give us reward. God asks that we listen to Him and follow Him, as best as we can; He does not expect perfection. We are not perfect; I`m certainly not perfect, although of course we can strive to live as well as we possibly can, with the help of God. For us, some things may be impossible; but nothing is impossible with God. Psalm 85 also reminds us that we have forgiveness, and that our sins are pardoned; this is something that is opened to all of us, by the works of Jesus Christ, and is manifest in us in many ways - from the moment of our Baptism onwards, and especially every time we receive Christ - who is always present, at all times and in all places, and especially when we meet Him in the Eucharist. We may always receive His direction by being open to the grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He always increases what is good, and this is something He will continually bring about in us. 

We all know that we are on a journey, together and as ourselves; and so do many others. But do others know exactly what kind of journey they are on? Maybe. At the end of our reading from Amos, we have a commission to prophecy. Yes, this is a historical text, intended for the audience and recipients at the time; but it is also a call and commission for us today, since God´s word is eternal. We can both give and receive help to and from each other, since God is at work in us. I am a keen runner, and yesterday I took part with Fr Frank and Jim in my first Hash run in the countryside nearby; and we all finished the course by helping each other, navigating the course and the directions laid out for us. We followed the signs; we appreciated them; and we helped each other. 

So, we try our best to listen to God, and to how He is directing us in our journeys in life. But does God listen to us, when we pray? Indeed, He does; because He knows us. In our reading from St. Paul´s Epistle to the Ephesians today, we learn how Jesus Himself chose us. Just as Psalm 139 details how God knew us as He knit us together in our mothers´ wombs, Jesus has always known us - and still does - and always will. And that´s very reassuring! He knows us throughout our whole journeys, and even when we do not know where we are headed on our journeys, He does; again, this can be very reassuring. We are adopted as His very children from the moment of Baptism, into His life, death and resurrection - and, as a result, our inheritance - our salvation - is indeed ours. This is a free gift from God to all; a relationship with Him. 

God has a plan. He is omniscient; that is, He is all-knowing. This is especially reassuring, especially when we remember how we don´t know everything. All we need to do is listen to Him on our journey in life. 

So, let us freely accept God’s free invitation, and to look for opportunities to love and serve Him and our neighbours, empowered through having faith in Him. Let us always abide by this, and encourage our siblings in Christ to do the same. In the name of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Nothing is impossible; everything is possible. Realise your potential; achieve your goals.

Nothing is impossible; everything is possible. Realise your potential; achieve your goals. 

By William Lyon Tupman. Speech at the ELAC Virtual School Graduation Ceremony, North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton. 

Suggested Bible readings: Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37. 

I'm delighted to be here with you today to bring to you my message and story, as we celebrate all of our great achievements. 

First, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to you all, for what you have done; we are all here today to celebrate our own and each other's achievements, and – especially considering what some of us have been through – these are hugely significant. 

I'm twenty-three years old, and used to be in foster care from the ages of thirteen to eighteen, and then also staying put for an additional year with my foster family. I'm now a Master's student at university, and I'm currently on the road to becoming a vicar in the Church of England. 

My message to you is this: nothing is impossible, and everything is possible. Realise your potential, and achieve your goals. 

My Father passed on very shortly after my fourth birthday, in 1999, and this was one of the reasons why my Mother decided to educate me at home. I lived at home with my Mother, until she passed on in 2008 when I was thirteen. I then moved in with my Godparents, and later that year I moved into foster care, and I also started school. 

While I have always been a Christian, it was at this time that I realised my absolute dependence on God, and became a more fully practising Christian. 

So, there was a lot of change in my life, in a very short space of time. In the space of just a few months, I'd been orphaned, I'd started school, and I'd moved homes twice. To help me come to terms with, and to understand, everything that had happened, I had five years of counselling, and my social workers were also particularly helpful at this time. I'd say I relied quite heavily on the first three years of my counselling; the latter two years were still very helpful of course, but by that point I'd processed and worked through a lot; I'd become much happier, and therefore the remaining counselling sessions became more of a safety net. 

I had a lot of fun at school; I discovered one of my favourite hobbies (cross country running), I made lots of friends, I learned how to play the flute, I continued singing in choirs, and it is also where I discovered my love of academic study. It was also the first time someone – the late Fr. Francis Dobson OSB, monk of Ampleforth Abbey and College, York – told me I may have a vocation to ordained ministry – and he continually encouraged me in my journey until his passing a few months ago. 

My teachers were all extremely helpful and encouraging in helping me to prepare for university. By this time, I had also moved to live with a different foster family, who were instrumental in encouraging me in aiming high and applying to some universities I'd never have even thought of applying to. At first, I had never even thought of applying to Cambridge University, but my foster family and teachers all said I should. 

And so I did. And, as a result, I studied my BA Degree in Theology and Religious Studies, at Girton College Cambridge, from 2014-2017. I absolutely loved it; I met lots of new friends, I worked in the Chapel, I sung in the Chapel Choir, I served two terms on the Freshers' Committee, I ran for the University's cross country team, I captained the College's cross country team, I wrote a few essays, I went to lots of parties, and I even became involved in a bit of student politics! 

During my time at Cambridge, I began my Discernment Process with the Church of England, and my College Chaplain (Fr Malcolm Guite), vocations advisor (Fr Geoff Dumbreck) and my Diocesan Director of Ordinands (Rev'd Anna Matthews) all helped me embark on my vocational search within the Church – and still do so today. 

I also filmed a short documentary for Fixers UK, a charity which works to make young peoples' voices heard on a variety of topics, and crucially therefore raising awareness. Filming in Cambridge, they interviewed me as I told my story and set out my message of encouragement to everyone who is in foster care or adoption, as well as foster carers, adoptive parents and members of staff in local authorities across the country. The story was aired on ITV News Anglia in April 2017; if you'd like to see it, here is a link to the feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiLaNXr2ELY 

I enjoyed my time at university so much, I decided that I'd like to study further, and that's where I'm now at today. I'm studying for a Masters in Biblical Studies and Theology, at King's College London, where I'm having a great time. I've also met many wonderful new friends, and I've joined more societies – political, athletic, and ThinkMental, which is an organisation which campaigns for and raises awareness for mental health. I'm very shortly about to submit my dissertation, which is a thesis on the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, ecumenism, and Biblical interpretations and ideas relating to the subjects. It's very interesting, and I'm hugely enjoying it! 

Next year, I will be a Lay Pastoral Assistant at St. Michael's Church, Croydon, Greater London. The journey I am now on with the Church is indeed a very exciting one, and I will be also serving my next parish placement in Portugal at St. George's Church, Lisbon, and St. Paul's Church, Estoril, for a fortnight. 

Finally, I would like to thank all my wonderful friends, my family, my foster families, the Church, all the team at North Yorkshire County Council, my teachers, lecturers and everyone else for helping make and develop me into the person I am today. Even at times when I thought such things were impossible for me to attain, it was the continuous support, encouragement and help I received along the way which helped make these things possible, and I love my happy, blessed life. I am so grateful, and I really hope that this shows that nothing is impossible, and everything is possible. 

Nothing is impossible; everything is possible. Realise your potential; achieve your goals. Good luck to you all, and God Bless.