The Holy Spirit Fills Us Not With Optimism, But Hope

The first day of conference took place today and the concept of Indaba was put into practice. The initial responses are positive. One journalist asked me: "Are you optimistic?” I answered that because this was God’s church and as the Holy Spirit is at work in us as the same power that rose Jesus Christ from the dead, I was not optimistic but full of hope.

The evening worship reflection from +Winston was very helpful to tuck my end-of-day reflection into. He used an imagery of waves, both literally and metaphorically. As the effects of global warming become real, the sea is rising and the vulnerable Islanders are thrown into deep despair. But they know that God will never let them down.

Here is a physical, literal example of lack of good stewardship of creation creating a human disaster but also allowing the Islanders to see God in this hopeless situation.

A response to our intercessory prayers: "We do not proclaim ourselves Lord; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord," was a further reminder of what our identity and mission should be about, revealing the Son of God in the tumultuous waves of our mortal life. These prepare us for our session for tomorrow, "Proclaiming the Good News; the Bishop and Evangelism."

God bless,

++Thabo