From the Dean's Desk
Some serious fun on St David's Cathedral Big Day Out.
Cathedral Dean Richard Humphrey and Bishop John planning their three-legged race strategy.
Stone monument in St David’s Park marking the site of the first church in Hobart and Governor David Collins’ grave.
Open air, opens skies, open to all - St David's Big Day Out
As you may have seen in the media recently, the Cathedral held a Big Day Out in St David’s Park on the last Sunday in February.
The genesis of the event is rather convoluted. It started as picnic in the park to mark our Patronal Festival as St David’s Day is on the 1st of March. (Put it in your diary for next year).
Then with ongoing renovations it appeared that we may need to close the Cathedral for one weekend so it now became a full service in the park, our Big Day Out.
Next I saw a stone monument in St David’s Park marking the site of the first church in Hobart which it claimed was built in 1810 over the site of Governor David Collins’ grave. So this would be a bicentenary celebration, something to make a big noise about.
This led to some confusion, with some mistaken claims that it was the bicentenary of the St David’s Church. It was then drawn to my attention that despite being written in stone the date was almost certainly wrong: 1811 was much more likely. The church was, as far as we know, not called St David’s, was never consecrated and blew down in a storm in 1812: apparently it was not properly attached to its foundations. (Now there is a sermon illustration – didn’t Jesus say something like that?)
Finally, I was told of its proximity to the date of the first church service held obviously in the open air at the site of what is now the Hobart Town Hall on 26 February, 1804. There is a plaque commemorating the event near the entrance off Macquarie St. This was a date definitely worth celebrating.
To mark these two historic events our Bishop John and members of the Cathedral community processed from St David’s to the site of the first service and then to the first church, with a special prayer for each place, before starting our service in St David’s Park. (Prayers written are here).
In preparation for the service I read the sermon that was delivered by the Revd Robert Knopwood 206 years before. (His sermon was introduced with a drum roll to get people’s attention, a custom that we should perhaps reintroduce.) He spoke on Psalm 107:43, calling on those assembled to recognise all of God’s goodness in creation, in good government and he called on them to give thanks to their Creator and particularly for the salvation that is in Jesus Christ.
In many ways the message of the Church is the same but often people cannot hear because it is locked away in church buildings.
By going out into the park we not only reminded ourselves of that first service, but we are also reminded that we have a great message which is not just for us but for all the people of Hobart and of Tasmania. It may have been different, a little unusual, even risky but if we do not do things that people do not expect we are simply ‘that lovely building’ in the heart of Hobart.
Regularity may be comfortable for us but in truth it leads to invisibility. By trying something different we are beating the drum so to speak and calling attention to the message that we have to celebrate.
So we went out in the open – open air, open skies and open to all. What can you try in your community to bring your message out in the open?
God bless
Richard Humphrey