Harold Nutter: We are only as important as God thinks we are
by Ana Watts
With humility, honesty and humour, Archbishop Harold Nutter (retired) said farewell to his friends and colleagues in the Diocese of Fredericton
last Saturday (Oct. 30). Extra chairs were required in order to accommodate them all at a special noon-hour service in Christ Church Cathedral. The dainty sandwiches and sweets provided by the Cathedral ACW for the reception that followed at Cathedral Memorial Hall were more than welomed by the long line of well-wishers waiting to greet him. And everyone missed Edith. A recent fall prevented her from being there at her husband’s side as she has been for more than 60 years.
Archbishop Nutter began his message during the service with a tribute to her from Proverbs 31. “A good woman is strong and graceful,” he said, and then lost his composure. After a moment he continued, “She takes good care of her family. Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says ‘There are many good women, but you are the best.’”
When Harold Nutter was ordained a bishop the then Bishop of Montreal advised him to “Take the low seat when you are preaching.” He took
that advice to heart and often sat to preachduring his long ministry, as he did at this farewell service.
He admitted he had not written a text or made any notes for his talk. “I may not talk a long time, but maybe I will,” he said from his chair at the top of the chancel steps. “I didn’t prepare a sermon because nobody wants to listen to me and I still don’t know what I am going to say. Thank you for being here. If I am emotional, bear with me. The Holy Spirit will give me a sign that says ‘Harold, you’ve had enough, stop talking.’”
He praised the cathedral choir and organists for the wonderful music that made the worship meaningful. And then he spoke lovingly of nature and the small things of this world that have so much to tell us. He recalled a recent encounter with a Black-caped Chickadee in his back yard. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“You’ll see, follow me,” he heard the bird say in his mind. He bent to
pick up the bird and it “clamped” his finger and stayed with him for some time, eventually he had to pry him off his finger.
“God was trying to tell me something through that bird,” he said. “He was saying ‘Look after the little things, keep an open mind to all creatures. Look at creation, support and protect it. If we want to see beauty and wonder, look at little things, hear God speak in simple terms.
“There was a time when I was too intrigued with my job and with what people might think of me. When I realized I was no more important than any other person in creation, it released the shackles. We are only as important as God thinks we are. We can only fulfill our roles when God leads us.”
He finished his talk with an Internet story, and although he admitted most of them are not to be believed, he chooses to believe this one. It involved a pastor on an airplane that ran into a fierce storm during his flight. There was a time when the passengers, including him, believed the plane was going to crash. He looked around and saw the different ways people coped with that stress and fear — some prayed, others wept, but a little girl curled up in her seat continued to read her book. Her life remained calm and orderly; she remained composed and unafraid. Fortunately the plane did eventually reach its destination. The pastor held back and spoke to the child.
“Why weren’t you afraid,” he asked her.
“Because my daddy is the pilot and he is taking me home,” she said.
“Who is taking you home?” Archbishop Nutter asked his audience.
He and Edith are moving to a new home in Ontario in order to be near their daughter.
