![]() ![]() He had, and like a flash of lightning came the insight that for all my failures and faithlessness, my gifts were to be put to service in the Church of the One who had bestowed them on me. As Jesus says to his disciples shortly before his crucifixion, "You did not choose me but I chose you." (John 15:16) And then came a realisation, deep, clear and inescapable, that everything that had happened in my life so far had been preparation for this moment. A priest? Me, of all people? How could anyone suggest such a thing? I did not feel I was giving particularly impressive answers, but then came words I never expected but which were to change my life: "Have you ever thought about becoming a priest?" The priest received me with courtesy into his parish office, and asked me about myself and my Christian faith. My schedule was frankly heavy (ask my wife!) and I was not looking for "heavy lifting." I was already serving my own local parish as a churchwarden (responsible for the church, its worship and administration), and was commuting weekly from my home in rural southwest England to CNN’s London studios. I had been invited to a meeting with a priest I had never met before, ostensibly for advice on "vocations." My own parish priest had suggested I should consider some ministry, and I imagined that would mean occasional lay preaching and worship leading. The Church of England does that kind of ceremony rather well.īut as I put on my "dog-collar" and drape my white stole around me sash-style for the first time that morning, I shall reflect on a four-year journey which began more quietly, albeit in a moment of pure surprise. There will be great pageantry that summer morning in Wells Cathedral, its soaring spaces filled with the singing of the choir and the prayers of the hundreds of people crammed into its nave, led by Bishop Peter with his mitre and crozier. It will be about God and his Church to be called to serve them in love and humility through ordained ministry is a privilege beyond imagination for a Christian, and I hope and pray that my future service to all God’s people will reflect that trust. It will be a moment without comparison in my life, and yet it will not be about me, or about any of the dozen others kneeling beside me to be ordained by laying-on of hands. Send down the Holy Spirit on your servant Henry Charles Hodsonįor the office and work of a deacon in your Church. this coming Sunday, in one of England’s most beautiful medieval cathedrals, Peter, Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, will lay his hands on my head and pronounce these words: ![]() Editor's Note: CNN International business news anchor Charles Hodson charts the journey that has taken him from the studio to the brink of ordained ministry – and explains how he plans to combine priesthood with his 34-year career in broadcast journalism.Īt about 11 a.m. ![]()
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