Our Sermons
3 May 2026
One thing I have learned since I joined the Church of England ten years ago is that I am here to serve the local community. First and foremost, I am a deacon, which literally means one who serves. Diakonia is a Greek word meaning service.
Interestingly, when the apostles needed a word to describe those appointed to serve the community, they chose a Greek term. This was not a random decision. It tells us something important about how universal and outward‑looking the Church had already become during the time of the earliest Christian communities.
The passage we heard this morning from the Acts of the Apostles recounts a crucial moment in the life of the Church. The community is faced with a serious crisis which reveals discrimination against non‑Jewish Christians—the Hellenists, as they were called. Those of Greek background felt wrongly and unjustly treated and raised their complaint.
At this point, the apostles recognise that the community is growing rapidly and that its charitable ministry now requires better organisation. This is a decisive and fragile moment for the early Church. If they had responded badly, they risked alienating many recent converts from across the then‑known world.
We can see how high the stakes were simply by looking at the names of the seven deacons appointed by the apostles, which reveal just how diverse the early Christian community already was.
Philip was from Ethiopia;
Prochorus from Nicomedia (an ancient Greek city in modern‑day Turkey);
Nicanor from Cyprus;
Timon, a Hellenised Jew, later became a bishop in Greece;
Parmenas was from Macedonia;
and Nicholas was from Antioch (modern Antakya in Turkey).
Even without a map, these places help us grasp how incredibly diverse the early Church was. People from different ethnic, linguistic, and social backgrounds had already embraced the Christian faith. For that reason, appointing those entrusted with charitable ministry was no minor administrative matter—it was essential for the future and unity of the Church.
In response, the apostles act with wisdom and creativity. They establish a new group of people dedicated entirely to serving the community: the deacons. This practical solution allows charitable work to flourish while enabling the apostles to focus on their primary calling—the proclamation of the Good News.
What is striking in this account is its honesty. There is no idealised picture of the Church here. Instead, we see real tensions, real injustice, and a real decision that profoundly shaped the life of the Christian community.
Sadly, we must also acknowledge that over the centuries the role and meaning of the diaconate have changed dramatically. The clericalisation of the diaconate has, in many places, reduced this ministry to something largely symbolic. Today, deacons are often those preparing for priesthood, with the diaconate serving as a brief transitional stage.
In other Christian traditions, permanent deacons do exist and play important roles, yet these are often still closely tied to the sacramental life of the Church. Very little remains of the original calling of deacons as servants of the community, guardians of justice for the most vulnerable, and leaders of charitable action.
This morning’s reading challenges us. If we truly follow Jesus—the way, the truth, and the life—how can we creatively re‑imagine our service to the community?
I know that we already do a great deal to serve those around us. Yet the question remains: can we do more?
There is a clear urgency to care for the most vulnerable people in our local community. There is an urgency for diakonia. The New Testament invites us to be creative, to find new ways of reaching out to those in need.
We are people who have encountered the risen Lord and cannot ignore that experience. He has shown us the way. Filled with enthusiasm, we follow him—and we are renewed and re‑energised every time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist together.