“Building Bridges of Hope”

SAF 050716-1 July 16, 2005

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane’s Charge to Provincial Synod

[SAF - Southern Africa] 

Introduction

‘May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer.’

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, members of Synod, honoured representatives of our sister Churches, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen; I greet you all and welcome you all to this, the 31st session of the Provincial Synod of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa. This date, the day of St Thomas, is the 31st Anniversary of my Ordination to the Priesthood in 1974.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We give thanks to him for bringing us together once again. We ask his blessing on us and our time together – both in our work, and in the fellowship we share – praying that he may strengthen and inspire our common life, for the building up of his Church, and for his mission in the world.

We offer a particularly warm welcome to our new members, and look forward to the new life that you will bring to our gathering.

We also remember with thanksgiving those who have contributed so much to the leadership of the Church in the past – especially those who have left us for that better home of heaven. Their names will appear in the record of this Synod.

Synod Theme

The theme of our Synod is Building Bridges of Hope.

Christians are called to be bridges of hope, because we are Jesus people. We are called to follow Jesus, and to become like Jesus – conformed to his likeness.

And Jesus is God’s bridge of hope to God’s world.

He is God’s bridge to the ungodly. While we were still sinners, while we were cut off from God, from life, from hope, he died for us.

Fully God and fully human, he bridges the unbridgeable.

He is the bridge between heaven and earth.

He is the bridge between the death of sin and the life of forgiveness.

He is the bridge between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.

Jesus is our bridge of hope. Throughout his life, he reached out with the gift of hope to those who were on the other side – the excluded, the marginalised, the outcast, the unclean, the despised, the rejected. Jesus still opens wide his arms, and makes outsiders into insiders.

He is still the bridge that offers the way to restored humanity and the freedom to enjoy the life for which we were created.

Every generation and every culture is challenged to incarnate afresh that restored humanity and freedom of life – and this is our challenge in the twenty-first century.

It is not the freedom, or should I say ‘licence,’ to live selfishly, to dominate, control, exploit or manipulate for our own ends – as practices of colonialism and even so-called free-trade packages have often done.

It is the freedom of the whole human family to flourish as God intended – living holy and wholesome lives, fulfilled in body, mind and spirit; in harmony with him and his creation.

This is the gospel good news of hope that Jesus brings. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus sets out his manifesto as he reads those famous words from the prophet Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives,
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
(Luke 4:18,19)

Jesus is the bridge of hope for the poor – whether poor materially, emotionally, spiritually.

He is the bridge of hope for all who feel trapped and held captive by the conditions of life; to all who cannot see the way ahead; to all who are oppressed by circumstances.

He is the bridge that brings the promise of the Lord's favour to everyone in need.

He is the bridge of hope who offers:

Peace in place of conflict
Forgiveness in place of enmity
Reconciliation in place of division
Acceptance in place of rejection
Confidence in place of fear
Faith in place of doubt
Joy in place of sorrow, and
Hope in place of despair.

As Jeremiah said, in the midst of his lamentations,

‘This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, for great is your faithfulness, O Lord.’

Yes – this is the Lord’s Good News for all who lament. He sends us out with his faithful message of mercy and hope, into our Communities, our Countries, our Continent, and indeed, into all the World.

Jesus calls us to be his bridges of hope.

God’s Hope for God’s World

Over the coming days we shall discuss what it means to build bridges of hope in the situations that confront us. There are three main areas of challenge.

The first is the question of what it means to be the people of God today.

How shall we be formed for this task? What sort of leadership do we need to build bridges of hope? What sort of theological education is required to produce such leadership – among our clergy and our lay leaders? How are we raising new generations of faithful Christians, who can take the gospel into our changing world?

The second issue is our part in God’s mission to his world. He creates us with body, mind and spirit – and the Church must be at the forefront of bringing Gospel values to the physical, mental and emotional, as well as spiritual, life of our countries.


We cannot bring Jesus’ good news to the poor, without tackling poverty as part of that message of hope. HIV/AIDS remains a huge challenge – in fighting stigma, in caring for the infected and affected, and in bringing up our young people so that they can live flourishing lives, in relationships that are healthy – physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Because God cares, we will glorify his name by being living icons of that care.

This is not a job for the Church alone, and this brings me to my third theme – the Church in the world. This has two dimensions.

The first is our calling to bring God’s prophetic voice of hope within the world of politics and government – whether criticising what falls short, or support godly initiatives, such as the Millennium Development Goals.

The second is our part within the wider body of Christ, the whole communion of saints – both as a member of the Anglican Communion, and in our ecumenical relationships.

1. Building Bridges of Hope: Building Bridge Builders

Let me turn to my first theme: the nature of the Church we need for today, and for tomorrow, if we are to be God’s bridges of hope.

It goes without saying that it is the ministry of all the baptised to become such bridges: bridges that have one end firmly, strongly, securely, deeply, embedded in the life of Christ.

Our lives must themselves be grounded in the living hope who is Jesus if we are to be living stones, built into those bridges.

Servant Leadership

For our people to live like this, our leaders must live like this: following the example of Christ, ‘who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.’ Living out the hope that does not disappoint, comes from the character that is forged by endurance, self-giving, even self-sacrificial suffering. We can only preach Christ’s hope if we live his life.

Our countries and our continent are growing in democracy – leaders are elected to serve everyone, and not to become rich and powerful at the expense of others.

Abusive and oppressive authority are behind us – in the world, and so it should be in the Church.

Prince Bishops who are dictators in their Dioceses, Headmasterly Clergy who treat laity like infant children, Lay Ministers and Wardens who lord it over their neighbours – they should stay in the past where they belong!

Our leader ‘came not to be served, but to serve – and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ The second person of the Trinity did not become incarnate thinking ‘What is in this for me?’ He came, and he gave his life, so others might have life and live it richly and abundantly. So must we.

As Paul says, ‘nothing must be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus.’

Leadership is about equipping and empowering God’s people for their journey to rich maturity in faith and mission, not about giving orders. It is a leadership of coming alongside, training, encouraging, mentoring and modelling the life of faith.

As bridge builders, we need to be master masons who train others in the same craft.

None of what I say is intended to undermine the authority of our leadership. But, like Jesus, and in contrast to the Pharisees, our authority does not come from our status or position or title. It should flow from the qualities of our authentic Christian life.

Theological Education

What are these qualities, which we need for the future, especially among those we ordain? Certainly not ones which make them invisible six days of the week and incomprehensible on the seventh!

We need clergy who:

· ** are dedicated people of the Lord
· ** are theologically competent and liturgically literate
· ** pursue holiness in all things
· ** have disciplined lives of prayer and deepening spirituality
· ** have the wisdom and humility to share the practical tasks of leadership with experienced laity
· ** and who know they must always keep growing and learning.

Is our training focussed on delivering such excellence? Remember: a Church that does not prepare its leadership adequately for the future, dies on its feet.

We must reflect together about how we can best use the complimentary resources of residential training and tertiary study, diocesan schemes and parish learning.

As I said at our last Synod, I often imagine them as our integrated theological health system: the residential hospital at the centre, surrounded by satellite clinics – the Dioceses – and the care of each family in its home, the parish.

I must admit that I look back with nostalgia to the days when we had three residential colleges, with buoyant numbers. Some elements of the priestly life can only be taught well through residential training. If I had not developed deep habits and disciplines of daily prayer, bible study and attentiveness to God in my early days, I would never have coped as ordained life grew in responsibility and busyness.

We must be able to say, with Jeremiah, that ‘the Lord is my portion, says my soul – therefore I will hope in him.’ We need the practice of our lives to demonstrate that ‘the Lord is indeed good to those who wait for him, for the soul that seeks him.’ Yes, indeed, ‘it is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.’ It is only the Lord’s saving power which can direct and fuel our ministry.

There are other important benefits of residential training. At the College of the Transfiguration, our future leaders can get to know each other – meeting people from all across our vast and diverse Province, and from every walk of life. It is an important counterweight to the tempting insularity of Diocesan life.

Of course, there is some excellent training at Diocesan level. We have motions before this Synod that invite us to consider further our programmes and the material we use, for both clergy and laity – and especially within the context of Africa.

Lay leaders also deserve the best training that we can give – and, as with clergy, there should be both expectation and opportunity for continued training, updating and learning.

Maintaining standards and focussing training on our real requirements is vital. I shall recommend to the Synod of Bishops that we consider re-introducing, for all our ordination training, the five-yearly inspection programme that we borrowed in the past from the Church of England.

‘Inspection’ sounds far more negative than it is in practice – a knowledgeable team who come with ‘fresh eyes’ to walk alongside those with the on-going responsibility of fine-tuning residential and diocesan training to the demands of God’s mission in God’s world. When I was principal of St Bede’s, we were greatly strengthened by having such companions.

Excellence is not elitism – I am well aware of differing educational resources among those who are exploring vocations, and that these must be catered for. Nor must we forget our wider commitment to the Transformation process.

But we need excellence of character and calling – and especially we must encourage young people who can give a life of service.

We must also be courageous in saying ‘no’ – gently, but firmly – to those who are not called. In the long term, we cause pain and heartache to them, and to those to whom they are sent, if we allow them to be ordained or licensed.

The Church and Education

Our responsibility to develop leaders for the future goes far wider than the walls of our churches.

The Anglican Church has a long tradition of involvement in education.

We established schools and provided society with many leaders – in fact almost all of today’s black leaders, whether in politics or business, civil society or the church, are products of church schools.

In 1954 with the introduction of Bantu education, the Church’s formal involvement ended. Now a new initiative to build on our tradition is being launched. A resolution is before Synod, which challenges us to consider how we can once again become involved in shaping young minds, and raising a cadre of thinking, compassionate, future leaders who are firmly rooted in the teachings of our Saviour.

Growing the Church

Reading reports from the Dioceses, I have been so encouraged by the many places where we are growing quantitatively and qualitatively. These reports are available for those who are interested to read – there is far more going on than I have time to mention in this Charge!

Do not let anyone ever tell you that the Church is dying! We are alive and well, thriving and expanding – because Jesus is alive! This is despite the difficulties which many face.

The Missionary Diocese of Angola – which did not even have a Bishop last time we met – now has its Bishop, 38 priests, a deacon, 280 catechists, and 37,000 baptised members in 48 parishes. Isn’t that wonderful!

Many Dioceses report new parishes, and some are expanding into new areas – for example the Rundu Mission in Namibia’s Okavango, with plans for the Kaprive Region; and the Maputaland area of Zululand, from which the Anglican church withdrew five decades ago because of malaria.

We welcome the brand new Diocese of Mpumalanga to our Synod.

And Cape Town Diocese, after more than 30 years of talking, has finally heard words like those God spoke to Moses in Deuteronomy: You have been long enough in this position: Break camp and go forward!

We shall soon become three new Dioceses. Moving forward in faith and hope has released amazing new energy and confidence in the Lord. What was close to financial crisis three years ago has been completely turned around. This is just one symptom of the new excitement and momentum.

Our Provincial finances are another area of vibrant growth. The investments of the Pension Fund have more than doubled from R180m to R370m in the last four years, under the guidance of Novare Actuaries and Consultants. The employer contribution is among the best in Southern Africa; a review has shown our monies are well administered and compliant with financial legislation; the layworkers pension fund is similarly healthy; and we have been able to launch a housing loan scheme, to enable clergy to buy a home at advantageous rates during their ministry to prepare for retirement.

I congratulate Bishop David Beetge, Mr Rob Rogerson, the Provincial Treasurer, the other members of the Provincial Pension Fund Trust Board, the Investment Sub-Committee, and all who work with them, for steering our finances so ably.

2. Building Bridges of Hope: Bringing Good News for the Poor

Solid finances, leadership and training all serve one goal: to equip the people of God to be bridges of hope, in his mission to his world.

This is my second theme.

The Jesus who came to bring good news to the poor, is the Jesus who left the glory of heaven, and took on human form. In his incarnation, he dignified the human life – body, mind and spirit. In his ascension he incorporates this human life into the life of the God-head. And he feeds us at his Eucharist, so that, in body, mind and spirit, we may be preserved to eternal life.

As bridges of hope, we are to be agents of that fullness of life, in body, mind and spirit.

This is the context in which we address poverty in all its dimensions.

HIV/AIDS

Let me begin with HIV/AIDS.

The worst of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is still before us. In Swaziland, the average life expectancy at birth has fallen to 33 years for men, 36 years for women – AIDS, compounded by poverty, is the chief cause. Infections, and death rates, continue to rise throughout our Province. It is almost too terrible to comprehend.

The three key concerns remain the same:

· ** the scourge of stigma
· ** the responsibility of care for the infected and affected
· ** education for change.

Remembering that above all, our Lord walks with us and weeps with us, what does it mean to build his bridges of hope in the face of the pandemic?

The enormity of tackling HIV/AIDS must not blind us to the wider message of the gospel.

Preaching and living the fullness of the gospel, we find a broader hope for confronting the pandemic in all its aspects. We find greater resources for opposing the factors which contribute to its spreading growth.

The Scourge of Stigma

Take stigma. At our last Synod, I condemned the stigmatisation of AIDS. It distresses me that I must still give the same message.

Yet the gospel imperative is this: in Christ there is no difference between Jew and Greek, male and female, slave and free. We must add ‘In Christ there is no difference between positive and negative.’

That is the ground on which we embrace, not ‘those out there who have the disease’ – it is the ground on which we embrace one another as children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, ‘for in Christ there is no condemnation.’

That is the basis on which we declare AIDS is a disease that is preventable and manageable.

We must fight stigma

· ** by learning to talk honestly about sex, sexuality and relationships – and how God gave us this gift to use wisely and enjoy
· ** by making sure that people understand the facts – that we can’t catch the virus through sipping at the same chalice, or by sharing the peace
· ** by letting those who are HIV+ve talk about how they live with the virus – and often live healthy, productive, fulfilled lives; how they can, with support and treatment, continue in work and raise their children. How they are normal people just like everyone.

The Responsibility of Care

When we care for people, we declare the truth that God cares. Through our actions we give him the glory.

I am proud that the Anglican Church has one of the most comprehensive programmes in Southern Africa. What we are achieving, and developing, through the Provincial Aids Office, the Diocesan structures, and at parish and community level, is remarkable.

We applaud those who dedicate themselves so tirelessly to this work.

We must also keep praying for steadfastness and continuing strength. As Paul said, ‘Let us not grow tired of doing good.’

Christians have a particular vocation to be bridges of hope to orphans – whose numbers are set to grow dramatically in the next decade. ‘Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress,’ wrote James. When we reach out in faith, God will pour the caring love we need into our hearts.

I also commend to you the website, anglicanaids.org. It has the most amazing breadth of information and resources. There are Province-wide and international programmes. There is information on what is happening in every diocese – practically every parish. You can seek advice, exchange experiences, find project partners, and look for ideas for whatever situations you face. We are working to make this resource available to all our parishes – especially those in outlying rural areas.

Education for Change

Even if we fight stigma, even if we care for the infected and affected, we will not win the battle unless we turn the tide of new infections. Our goal remains a generation without AIDS – and through good education and changed behaviour, this is certainly achievable.

The Rev Rachel Mash, of Fikelela, the Cape Town Diocese Aids Programme, has recently completed research with the young people in our Confirmation and Youth Groups.

Her results are startling, even shocking – yet they also indicate how we can offer hope to our young people – indeed, to all our congregations who are of sexually active age. The results and recommendations are given in a booklet which is available at this Synod.

This comprehensive survey found that, frankly, the sexual behaviour of church-going children is little different from the rest of society.

Around 30% of the 12-19 year age group are sexually active – this is in the Diocese of Cape Town, but I would be surprised if the case is not much the same over most of our Province.

Far too much of what we do and say in church does not connect with our young people. There is a high level of HIV/AIDS awareness, there is a high level of knowledge that the teaching of the Church is ‘no sex before marriage.’

But the children themselves reported that they were not getting the practical knowledge, nor the life skills, that would enable them to negotiate the transitions from childhood to adolescence and to young adulthood.

We are too embarrassed to talk specifically and relevantly.

Often we use spiritual language which is beyond their emotional maturity to grasp. We fail to address the dominant pressures that come from the media and peer groups – to be cool, attractive, sexual, successful.

Too often bad behaviour is seen as glamorous. The ‘thou shallt not’ approach of the church can actually enhance that sense of excitement. The church must get away from negativity (and this applies far more widely) – the gospel brings hope in place of condemnation – Jesus is the bridge from every darkness into light.

What is the message of hope? The children wanted love and affirmation from their parents: supportive, honest teaching about the realities of growing up, the choices people face, the consequences decisions bring. They wanted to learn about emotional changes and how to aspire to the best in relationships, learning how to love and be loved.

We all need that. At every age, we need to know what is God’s best in caring families, faithful friendships, loving communities – and to hold out for the very best that God has to offer in the covenant mutual self-giving of marriage. Because we are worth it. Because God loves us, and we should have nothing less than his best.

This is the gospel hope of abundant life we have before us. When we live like this, then abstinence and faithfulness will be intrinsic parts of the life to which we aspire – not merely infection avoidance techniques.

I intend to say more on this subject later in the week – when, in my ‘Thoughts for the Day,’ I shall be reflecting on how the theme of the charge provides a context for the daily business before us.

Empowerment of Women

Paul wrote ‘In Christ there is neither male nor female.’ However, this survey was one more example of the continuing gender inequality with which we live.

Among those who had had sex, 50% of girls either ‘didn’t want’, or ‘really didn’t want’ it the first time. Why is it so hard for them to say no, and be heard? We must offer the concept of ‘secondary virginity.’ Just as stealing once does not make one a thief for life, so having sex once does not mean that one is for ever branded immoral or condemned to promiscuity.

The vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS reinforces, and is reinforced by, the wider difficulties women face in our society, not least in the economic sphere, where they have been disproportionately excluded from land ownership, access to credit, educational opportunities and skills development.

The church must declare that the gospel hope of abundant life is as much for women as for men.

· ** We must repent of the historic patriarchy of our faith, which so often colludes with discriminatory attitudes in our cultures.
· ** We must expose and oppose the gender violence and all forms of inequality in our midst.
· ** We must build girls’ and women’s self-esteem and assertiveness, and inter-personal and leadership skills.
· ** We must declare and demonstrate the dignity, respect and honour of all, regardless of gender.
· ** We must support family life built on mutual faithfulness, respect and support, partners together in the trials of life.
· ** We must work to redress the inherited imbalances of society.

One way of doing this is through the micro-enterprise schemes which many of our Diocese are already running. Hope Africa is fully committed to supporting, strengthening and spreading this important work, especially as it draws women into viable participation in the economic sphere.

Poverty

Experience shows women are so often successful in these projects, which often use and extend the skills of the home – and, more than men, recycle their income for the benefit of family and local community.

Let us grasp these opportunities to bring the gospel good news to our poor.

Widespread, endemic poverty is a feature of so many of our Dioceses. Yet often these same Diocese reported the most vibrant activity and the most faithful giving. We thank the Lord for the hope he brings in such situations. We thank him too for faithful clergy who resist the temptation to move to easier posts. May the Lord continue to bless you richly, and others through you.

3. Building Bridges of Hope: Bridges of Hope for the World

Thanks be to God, the Church is not alone in its battles against poverty, disease and inequality.

This brings me to my third theme – that the Church should align itself, and lend its weight – indeed, be in the lead, with wider initiatives that share our goals.

Christians have a responsibility – and the potential – to bring gospel values into the policy making and practices of government, business and civil society.

We must keep pressing for openness and honesty in public life. Tangible hope comes when elected representatives – at national, provincial and local level – and the officials who support them, are there as public servants, not to play with power and pursue self-enrichment. Only the highest ethical practice is acceptable. Corruption and wheeler-dealing must have no place – neither in public life nor in business.

God’s vision of human flourishing is far broader than mere material prosperity. We must declare this hope in the world of economics. Whether it is local business or the reform of the World Trade Organisation, people should have courage to make commerce the servant of humanity – and not people the slaves of profit.

Similarly, our understanding of the human vocation as stewards of creation is a vital contribution and alternative morality in right-thinking people’s attempts to save the world from ruthless economic exploitation. Some scientists are predicting that global warming and environmental degradation will soon be causing more deaths than the 3 million a year from HIV/AIDS. We have to speak out, and be engaged.

The Church in the Political World

This is why I am devoting such time this year to promoting the Millennium Development Goals. Global poverty is at the top of the international agenda, and the world-wide church must help put the maximum pressure possible from global opinion on global leaders to make these goals a reality. We must pray that the G8 summit, meeting this very week, and the UN summit in September, rise to the call further to increase aid, eliminate debt, bring trade justice, and realise the Millennium Development Goals.

The target is to halve global poverty by 2015 and with it to tackle hunger, infant and maternal health, education, HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, gender equality and environmental sustainability; and to develop global development partnerships.

All these are gospel-shaped goals – and many directly relate to the needs of our Province. All have tremendous good-will from donors. Dovetailing our projects to these goals will unlock tremendous resources, domestically and internationally. Malaria, a terrible scourge in several of our dioceses, is one area where we can benefit significantly.

So we must be ‘innocent as doves and wise as serpents’ in cooperating with other institutions and with governments.

In this spirit, I have given a ‘cautious welcome’ to the announcement last month by the G8 industrialised nations that they would write off more than $40 billion of debt. I welcome this further step to eliminate the unpayable burden so many bear.

But I am cautious, because more remains to be done. Until all such debt is written off, countries pay in debt servicing money that is far more urgently needed for basic human requirements, such as clean water, food, shelter, education and health. Debt has created an inescapable cycle of poverty. It must be broken.

On a more local scale, last year I initiated a meeting between faith leaders and the South African Social Development minister. Plans are now advanced for formalising this partnership. We must take similar steps across our Province.

Ecumenism has an important role here, going far wider than merely theological dialogue and shared worship.

Let me, however, add that I am hugely encouraged by the strong commitment Pope Benedict XVI has made to ecumenical dialogue at the start of his papacy, including giving fresh momentum to Rome’s dialogue with Anglicans.

Christian unity is not an option – it is something for which Jesus prayed. Our relations and cooperation with other ecumenical partners like the CUC and SACC remind us of our calling to pursue unity in obedience to our Lord’s desire that ‘they may all be one.’

I have held talks with Bishop Mvume Dandala, General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, about strengthening our links, especially where churches can cooperate in development, and help in conflict management on our Continent.

We have growing links with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Their head, Archbishop Jukka Paarma, will visit us next April – this follows my visit there last year. Practical collaboration is central to our relationship and Hope Africa is facilitating and developing tangible areas of cooperation – and may I here pay tribute to the tremendous work of Delene Mark and her team.

We too can do our bit in the battle against poverty.

Since 1980 the developed countries have been challenged to give 0.7% of gross national product for development purposes. Most are still failing, 25 years later. Now we are challenging them by showing we can do it – it is a challenge I have put before the Anglican Communion, and it is one that comes before our own Church too.

The Church in the Christian World

Let me speak to you now about the life of the Anglican Communion and our place in it. What is the bridge of hope we can build here?

It is true that there are sharp and painful disagreements, especially within the Episcopal Church of the United States of America.

Some of those divisions go back decades. In many ways, the disagreements over homosexuality are only a symptom of longstanding differences about liberalism, doctrine and culture; about power and property; and about personalities and politics.

All this has become a fertile battle ground – and once again, the lesbian and gay Christian community has become the political football.

Human sexuality is a difficult issue for us – let us be honest about this.

But as we pursue the Lambeth Resolution and study the Windsor report, we are not bound to engage with them according to the terms of other people’s battles.

Indeed, I will go further: we must not allow ourselves to be dictated to by the agendas of other parts of the Communion – on the contrary, we can be a bridge of hope to them.

We have our own ways of dealing with difference. Let us recognise what we have been through: we have even faced issues over which people were being killed. We survived those times and God blessed us through them.

He helped us stick together – so that when we disagreed, even intensely, we did so face to face, knowing that we were beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. We learnt to make space for one another – as we have now also done over the ordination of women.

Our experience is something we can offer to the global Communion for their enrichment.

Indeed, there is more hope we can share.

Our Province is a microcosm of the whole Communion, and of today’s global world – we are almost a microcosm of heaven, where Revelation speaks of every race and nation and language and tongue being present!

No other Province has the same breadth of diversity. Here anyone and everyone is welcome, and fully one of us.

Our ability to live united in our diversity is a very special gift. Let us not become so focussed on differences that we fail to see what riches we share. Let us go forward in hope together, and offer our life to the Communion – and indeed, to the world-wide church – as a beacon of hope into the shared future of the whole Christian family.

Conclusion

The Archbishop of Canterbury describes Christians as ‘prisoners of hope.’ This is a wonderful way to think of ourselves, as we look to the future.

He says, ‘As we seek to live out the apostolic calling, we have to see ourselves as bound, bound up, in him, and bound up in each other… We are bound together, because we are bound in Christ; bound in the one hope of our calling. Prisoners of hope, together.’

May that be so for us. There are not always easy answers.

Sometimes our call is just to walk faithfully, hopefully, alongside people in their suffering – as Jesus walks with us.

His presence is the rod and staff of comfort, so we may find hope even if we walk in the valley of the shadow.

Sometimes the bridges that we are called to build will be difficult and demanding. But God will not set us any task for which he will not send the grace to complete it.

So with confidence and thanksgiving, we echo Paul’s words from his letter to the Romans, and make his prayer our own:

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So be it Lord! And build in us your bridges of hope! Amen.


Readings:
Lamentations 3:19-26; Psalm 46; Romans 5:1-11; Luke 4:14-21