From The Goldfields
God-Talk: Tower
The Revd Dr Elizabeth J Smith AM, Mission Priest, Parish of The Goldfields
On the outskirts of town, the tower soars above the salmon gum. It slides along the horizon as my walking trails curve around the bushland park. It’s a steel needle, pointing skywards, with a dish at the base, and it provides my TV and phone reception across the city. On windy days, the cables that hold it in place sigh in the breeze in a mournful monotone.
I could regard the tower as a high-tech intrusion into the beauties of nature, the visual equivalent of traffic noise or the rumble of mining equipment. But I’m not that romantic about being in the bush. The tower is a comforting sight, reminding me that even in solitude, I am connected. If I fell and twisted my ankle,
I could call for help. When I’m sitting at my desk, I can rely on the tower to link me with episcopal guidance, diocesan helpers for finance and property management, and partners in prayer in many places. And when I have something I want to tell a friend, or shout to the world, that tower makes it possible.
In the Easter season, I absolutely do have something I want to tell the world. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! Thanks to modern telecommunications, I can make an ‘alleluia’ meme and put it on social media, or upload a sermon or a prayer for the world to read.
As I preach, teach, and tell stories, in whatever medium, I am adding my voice to the generations of women’s apostolic voices across the centuries. We are doing what the risen Christ told Mary Magdalene to do: ‘Go, and tell.’ They were disbelieved at first, those women, before they became beloved, trusted witnesses. I owe my faith to them. They spoke the truth through their tears, insisted on it despite their terror, and persevered when they were dismissed by men who knew better.
The church, at our best, is a communication tower that God uses to broadcast hope to the world. Together, we can amplify a whisper of what God has done in Christ, until it becomes a soaring chorus of proclamation.
There may sometimes be hackers, trying to get in and distort the message. They would like to fudge the cost of our cosmic rescue, sell cheap grace, offer cut-price discipleship, downplay the radical strangeness of resurrection. So we must be honest about the full story of God’s dealings with us. I’m not hiding ‘take up your cross’ in the fine print for people to scroll past and ignore. I’m not offering an opt-out clause if you’d rather keep your faith quiet. And I’m certainly not advertising perpetual health, wealth and happiness for a chosen few.
But I am saying: Jesus Christ died, and now he is risen from the dead. I am saying: the Spirit powers the church’s enterprise, breathing peace and singing justice. I am saying: your voice, and my voice, matter. Let’s be heard from here to the ends of the earth! Alleluia!