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First Church


As we continued to "Make Our Way by Walking" at Methodist Conference, we took a slight detour to Writers' Square opposite St. Anne's Cathedral, where in an area literally paved with excerpts from local literature, I was not arrogant enough of offer any of my own writing. 

From here we proceeded through an historic but chronically run-down corner of our city, to Rosemary Street and arguably what is the oldest place of worship in the original town boundaries of Belfast, having been founded in 1644. The current building merely dates to 1783, by which time there were 3 Presbyterian Churches in Rosemary Street, a second formed because the first building wasn’t big enough to contain all who wanted to attend and then a third because of a theological split. But as such, the original building and congregation goes back to the days before splits in the Presbyterian church over doctrine culminating in the rise of Henry Cooke, whom I mentioned earlier, and the ultimate formation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church to which this congregation is affiliated…  “Subscribing” has nothing to do with financial subscriptions, but rather ministers and congregations refusing to accept the 17th century “Westminster Confession of Faith” (dating from the era of the English Civil War) as an absolute confession of faith, preferring to embrace prevailing Enlightenment principles. Indeed many went further in rejecting all formal confessions of faith as requirements for membership. As such they have members and ministers who are trinitarian and non-trinitarian… Historically, particularly in the late 18th and early 19th century they were also centres of political revolution with a blue plaque marking the birth here of William Drennan one of the founders of the United Irishmen and later Royal Belfast Academical Institution.

Laudably the current congregation want to play down the perceived divisive, negative side of their history and emphasise their status as “First Church.” They were also one of the first in the city to practice a radically inclusive approach to sexuality.

An early visitor to this building was a certain John Wesley who on his last visit to Ireland in 1789 said in his journal for the 8th June 1789 that is was “the completest place of worship I have ever seen…” describing it as “beautiful in the highest degree.”

But against the background of this history my mind went back to the foundations of THE first church and a dialogue I wrote for a previous conference in Ballymena many years ago, based on the format originally devised by John Bell and Graham Maule and a number of passages of scripture, including Matthew 16: 13-20 and 1 Peter 2: 4-10, which I have posted here before.

Peter:     Eh... Jesus...?

Jesus:     Yes, Peter?

Peter:     Its about that church...

Jesus:     What church Peter?

Peter:     The church... your church... the one you’re going to build on me.

Jesus:     Oh that church... What about it?

Peter:     I was just wondering what it was going to be like...

Jesus:     That depends...

Peter:     Depends on what?

Jesus:     The building material...

Peter:     Oh right... See I fancied a big cathedral, a basilica... Made out of marble. I’ve been and seen the architect and he says...

Jesus:     No I think you misunderstand me Peter...

Peter:     Oh, you fancy something smaller... More cosy and comfortable... Made out of bricks and...

Jesus:     No Peter... What I’m saying is that my church will not be made of bricks and mortar, or polished stone, but from living stones...

Peter:     Living stones? Is that some sort of environmentally friendly stuff... Biodegradable building materials?

Jesus:     I suppose you could put it that way... But I’m actually talking about people...

Peter:     People!? Oh, I see, “living stones” that’s one of your parable things again, isn’t it... I like it... Very poetic... have to write that down to use that myself some time...

Jesus:     Recycling my words... You are getting to be environmentally friendly!!

Peter:     So you’re not really going to “build” a church building... You’re really going to form an organisation... Can I be the Chairman... John could be secretary... he writes well, but should we have Matthew or Judas as treasurer? And what about the constitution? Do we need to get legal advice? The lawyers aren't too keen on you, you know...

Jesus:     No... its not an organisation either, Peter.

Peter:     What? If its not an organisation or a building what is it then?

Jesus:     Well, I suppose you could call it a body... or maybe a family...

Peter:     Well, how can you become part of this family?

Jesus:     Same way as ever... You’re born into it...

Peter:     Oh so this church will only take people if they have the right father...

Jesus:     I suppose you might say that... When you are born again as a child of God...

Peter:     Born again?

Jesus:     Yes... Go and ask Nicodemus... I explained all that to him...

Peter:     So can anyone be part of this family, this church?

Jesus:     Yes.

Peter:     Gentiles as well as Jews?

Jesus:     Yes.

Peter:     Women as well as men?

Jesus:     Yes.

Peter:     Children as well as adults?

Jesus:     Yes. Yes. Yes. Everyone. Anyone. All sizes, shapes, colours, cultures, languages and inside leg measurements...

Peter:     No restrictions?

Jesus:     No.

Peter:     But then how do you keep the riff-raff out?

Jesus:     They are the very ones I want in...

Peter:     Sounds like a pretty dysfunctional family if you ask me...

Jesus:     I didn’t...

Peter:     But Jesus... You said you were going to build this church on me... Yet you haven’t given me the slightest clue how its supposed to work... You haven’t told me how it should worship... What songs it should sing... How it should be run... What we will call its leaders... What costumes we should wear...

Jesus:     What does it matter?

Peter:     What does it matter? Well, what happens if you disappear off the face of the earth, and I drop dead? What will happen then? Will the whole thing just disappear in a puff of smoke?

Jesus:     Well, that would be an interesting way of choosing your successor?

Peter:     What?

Jesus:     Never mind... And never mind about the church... You’re not the builder... God is. Just you concentrate on following me.

Peter:     That’s hard enough...

Jesus:     I suppose it is... But its only when each living stone is following me, that they will fit together into a church which is useful and attractive.

Peter:     A church that is useful and attractive... That’s a nice idea... A multipurpose building with pastel colours, soft seats...

Jesus:     Peter... How many times do I need to tell you? the church is not a building...

Peter:     Sorry Jesus... Its hard to think of it in other ways...

Jesus:     You’ll not be alone in that Peter...

Peter:     But I do like the idea of it being made of living stones...

Jesus:     I’m glad... Actually, that reminds me of a joke... What would you say to a member of the church who practices medicine if you met him in the jungle?

Peter:     I don’t know, what would you say to a member of the church who practices medicine if you met him in the jungle?

Jesus:     Dr. Living Stone I presume...

Peter:     I don’t get it...

Jesus:     Don’t worry, it’ll make sense in about 2000 years...

Peter:     Yes but will this church you’re talking about still make sense in 2000 years?

Selah

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