Archbishop's Message to Confirmation Candidates at Anglican Schools

A sermon preached at a Combined Confirmation for Anglican Schools at Bishops Memorial Chapel, Cape Town, 7 September 2014:

Readings: 1 Kings 2:1-4

When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying: “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. Then the Lord will establish his word that he spoke concerning me: ‘If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.’

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Mark 7:1-23

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
    teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God)— then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.”
Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”

When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

May I speak in the name of God, who calls us all to a life of worship, witness and service.  Amen.

I acknowledge the presence of all the heads of schools and chaplains here this morning. A special thanks to Mr Guy Pearson, head of Bishops, and the chaplain, the Revd Terry Wilkie, for hosting us. It is as always a joy for me to come to Bishops for confirmations.

May I welcome you all here today – most especially all who are being confirmed today; but also to parents and guardians; families and friends; as well as educators, learners and the wider communities of these three great Anglican schools, Bishops, Herschel, St Cyprian’s and St George’s Grammar.  It is a joy to have you all here.

This week on the 1st September, Anglicans in Southern Africa celebrated the life and ministry of Robert Gray – the first Bishop of Cape Town. As I follow in his footsteps I continually thank God for the great foundations he laid, in so many areas of life, and from which we continue to benefit. When he arrived in Cape Town in 1848, he set himself three tasks: to preach the gospel, build churches, and plant clergy. Well, he did all these, and far more besides.

Education was one of his great priorities – with both Bishops and St Cyprian’s owing their establishment to him, and Herschel and St George's Grammar following in the same strong tradition of Anglican commitment to excellence in education. So we thank God for Bishop Robert Gray and for the lessons we learn from his life of witness.

To all of you who are to be confirmed today, I encourage you to let your confirmation be the foundation of your future as you journey in life and follow in the traditions laid by Bishop Robert Gray. One can imply such a foundation to be a lifestyle of worship, witness and service as God invites us to embark on the journey of life.

Confirmation is a rite of passage on our Christian journey and it is like receiving a passport, so you are ready for travel, ready for adventure! You are responding, saying, ‘Yes, I am ready for the path ahead – and my allegiance is to God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.’

Confirmation is not the end of a process – it doesn’t mean that you have "arrived"; that you have somehow become "fully a Christian" and can now put your feet up and relax and wait for heaven! Not at all!

From today onwards, you are making your choice to follow God’s way which is the best way for yourselves. Take responsibility for your own life, for your choices about how you will live, what you will do and where your life will take you. We are on a journey of discovery, trying to explore:  What do I want to do with life?  Who am I really?  How shall I become that person?

Tap into the yearning that God has placed deep inside of you:  a yearning to live an authentic life, a meaningful life; a desire to "be real", to be "connected".

Our first reading is about the advice King David – very old, about to die – gave to his son Solomon, on how to live well. "Follow God’s commands, obey him, and you will prosper in all you do," he said. Following God, and the prosperity God offers, are a far less superficial, a far more profound way of living. This is what our Gospel reading is all about. Jesus taught that it is what is inside us which makes us who we really are. Our attitudes, our thoughts, our dreams, our imagination – these are what shape our words, our actions, and the sort of person we become.

One may ask the question. Now how do we get it right? What if we make the wrong choices?
We are to be in regular Christian training which will help us live a life of worship, witness and service, to which you pledge yourselves today.

Worship means coming regularly to chapel or Church:

• to learn about God’s amazing love, and experience it for yourself;  
• to hear Scripture read and explained, so you can grow in knowledge of God and of how to live the Christian life 
• to encounter the holy mystery of God’s presence; and be fed, and strengthened, in the deepest core of your being, by receiving the body and blood of Christ.

This also means regularly reading your Bible for yourself – preferably daily. Regular prayer is keeping in touch with God, by speaking to him about all that we are doing in our lives; and being open to learn from him.

It is also good to spend a little time each day, just being quiet before God. If we just calm down, and wait, and tell him we are listening, often an idea will come into our heads – often a solution to a problem or sense of encouragement – and because it connects so deeply with us, we learn to recognise this is God’s way of speaking to us.

We need God’s guidance so that we can live the lives of witness and service. A witness is someone who gives evidence about what they have seen, about what they know. Our lives – through our words, actions, and attitudes – should give evidence that we follow the most wonderful and amazing God of love, who created the whole universe, and who cares for us more than we can ever imagine, and who wants to lead us to be the best we can be!

The closer we come to God, the more clearly our lives will reflect him, as true witnesses. Service is about demonstrating God’s love and care in very practical ways. Some of us are called to do this through ordination and special ministries. But actually, all of us are called to serve others, in every part of life – by being loving and honest and generous-hearted, in all our dealings with other people.

This is true of our relationships in the home; in relationships in the church, the neighbourhood and the community. It should also be true of our work relationships – being honest, fair, and trustworthy, with our colleagues and with those with whom we do business, as well as with our employees. There is no room for corruption, and no room for cutting corners, or cheating in any way.

And all of us can strive to bring greater social justice: we can throw our weight behind initiatives that promote fairness and the good of all.  Perhaps we are called to do something particular – and I know your schools have various programmes through which you can develop community involvement.

In Dr. Sylvia Rimm's book See Jane Win, which reports on research on the success of over 1,000 women, she says:

"Expect the best from all children, including post-high school education.
- Encourage the exhilaration of taking risk...    
- Learn from the success of others.
- Don’t let birth order get in the way of giving our daughters leadership opportunities and responsibilities.                                              
- Spread the wealth resources you have.
- Set a good example.”

Mark Shuttleworth is the first African to travel to space and he is from Diocesan College. Jonathan Shapiro, the South African cartoonist is from St George’s Grammar. These are but some of the successful people of our schools who have made a difference.

Around the world, let's be conscious of the situations in which others live. There are the continuing senseless killing and violence in Gaza. There are tensions in the Ukraine. We continue to say ‘Bring back our girls’ kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria. And with the Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa, let us pray for God’s blessing and healing of those afflicted by Ebola, which has killed almost 2,000 people in Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Also, in the year when we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, we need to find innovations and new applications to stop war in the future.

As you contemplate God's call to you, the key question is: What one action inspired by one value, constitutional and biblical, will you pursue to make your world safe and equal after your confirmation? I pledge to be a disruptive leader as I advocate for a renaissance of trust in order to build a just and equal world. What about you?

Pray that God will help us discover what his particular call is to each one of us, as we take time to walk closely with him and listen to what he has in store for us. Like sport and study and music and everything else worthwhile, it takes effort to get to do that effortlessly.

Our second reading tells us something of what that effort looks like. It tells us to develop good habits that shape our imaginations, attitudes, thoughts, dreams – it tells us to set our hearts and minds on the good things of God. Then they become foundational for us – like a soldier’s armour and equipment, says St Paul. Or we might say like the tools in a toolbox; like the ingredients for the recipes from which our lives feed and we feed others; or like the software on which we run, like God’s ‘apps’ for living.

Base your lives on truth, on love, on faith, on trust – and do it with prayer and reading the Bible.
Get into the habit of having a conversation with God about all you do – it is better than talking to yourself inside your head!

Focus on the good stuff.  That’s God’s message.If we let problems shape our lives, we will always be dragged down. If we focus on all that is best, it will shape our lives. So find time in your life to converse with God.

Dear confirmation candidates, may God give you the gifts of the Holy Spirit as I lay my hands upon you. May you walk before God in faithfulness with all your heart and with all their soul, as you keep on journeying.

May you grow in faith and in the love of God, as you obey his commandments to be faithful servants within his church and in his world, the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen!

To the Laos - To the People of God

Dear People of God,

I am writing this on Ash Wednesday, knowing that it will almost certainly reach most of you during Lent. In my homily at St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town, today, I referred to Lent as a time of rededication and recommitment. It is a time for all of us to step aside, for ‘prayer and fasting’, as Jesus did.

As individuals, families, churches, we need to make space to ponder the big picture, and to listen to God’s ‘still small voice’ leading us – perhaps in the immediate changes and choices that are before us, perhaps seeking longer-term direction. Jesus’ three temptations (Matthew 4:1-11) indicate the key areas to which we can direct our reflections this Lent, especially when looking at the big picture or taking stock. Essentially, they raise questions for us about our attitudes towards resources and possessions (exemplified by turning stones to bread); our image among others and our influence over them (adulation at the spectacular stunt of leaping from the temple without harm); and power and status (ruling the nations). We all need to ask ourselves how these temptations are present in our lives – whether in our homes, families and personal relationships, or in our churches, our work or other areas.

So far it has been a busy year. It began with a 5 day retreat with the clergy of the diocese of George and then I spent almost a week, including travel, at the Anglican Communion Primates’ Meeting, which was held in Dublin (see the reports at www.anglicancommunion.org/communion/primates/index.cfm); and just a week ago I returned from the Holy land, from a conference organised by the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (see www.sabeel.org). I am therefore looking forward to spending this Lent with a minimum of travel and meetings, and instead praying intently and reflecting on what might Jesus’ temptations of resources, influence and power mean to me, to us a college of bishops, and to the Anglican Church of Southern Africa as a whole.

Preaching at The Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane (you can find a report of this at http://www.fosna.org/content/archbishop-thabo-makgoba-sabeel-conference-bethlehem-god-faithfulness-and-resistance), and, later on the same trip, visiting Jerusalem’s St Georges Cathedral, was both inspiring and evoked within me a welter of positive emotions, and the sense of a deeper connection and closer walk with God. I am aware that it costs a lot of resources to travel to the Holy Land but if at all possible, I would encourage each Christian to make a pilgrimage there in their life time.

Following this visit, I have recommitted myself to praying persistently for the peace of Jerusalem and Holy Land. In my sermon at Gethsemane – which followed after visits to the Church of the Nativity, the Wall of Separation, to refugee camps and to villages where settlements are encroaching on Palestinians’ land – I re-echoed the call that Israel will not be free until Palestinians are free. There is no short cut to peace. Serious dialogue is needed and pressure must be brought to bear upon all sides until lasting peace is attained. As the Psalmist urges us, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Ps 122;6). Indeed, do pray untiringly, for I encountered a sense of real fear and real oppression there.

Closer to home, please pray for the Diocese of Niassa. I have recently read two articles reporting how the forestry partnership set up between the Diocese and a forestry company, which was meant to yield fruits for both has turned out badly (see http://farmlandgrab.org/uploads/attachment/Mozambique_Bulletin_48_Land.pdf). The people have been side-lined in favour of profits. The Diocese had hoped the project would be an example of ethical investment, and model a different way of exercising stewardship. Pray once again that God’s resources may be justly used for all, and for an end to temptation to such big companies to exploit and overpower the poor and simple.

Let me end this letter by encouraging all South Africans to work to create an environment that is safe and fair, for voting in the forthcoming local elections. Do exercise your right to vote and to hold those you vote for accountable to the promises they make in their speeches. As you prepare for the elections on 18 May, ask yourself serious questions such as the following: do the words and the actions of this party / person that I am voting for, bring life to all God’s people? What are their values? I will say more about this in my homily at the Mothers’ Union Lady Day service at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town later this month.

May the God who gives us grace and courage, enable our journey of rededication and recommitment as we seek to reconcile all things and people to God.

+ Thabo Cape Town

Postscript: As I am about to send out this letter, news of the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan is reaching the world. Please pray for all those affected by this latest disaster – as well as those who are still struggling to rebuild their shattered lives in both Christ Church, New Zealand; and more than a year on, in Haiti.

Jerusalem - Pursue Dialogue and Learn the Lessons of the TRC

The following press release was issued on 2 July 2010

Anglican Archbishop tells Middle East to Pursue Dialogue and Learn the Lessons of the TRC

Parties to the Middle East conflict should learn the lessons of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, instead of 'futile' argument about whether parallels outweigh the differences with apartheid, said Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, yesterday (1 July), at the UN African Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Rabat, Morocco. One of the most important lessons was that true dialogue must provide adequate opportunity for every voice to be respectfully heard. He called for the perspective of Palestinian Christians not to be overlooked.

Addressing the religious and cultural significance of Jerusalem, Dr Makgoba called on faith communities outside the region to focus on how best to help direct parties to the conflict find a just, sustainable, lasting peace, and to draw on the resources of religion, including generic religoius values. He argued for far greater sensitivity in use of language, especially around the name Jerusalem, since religious, historic, political and other connotations, many symbolic, were often interwoven in confusing and misleading ways.

Note for editors: The two-day meeting has been organised by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People - see http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/gapal1168.doc.htm and http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/gapal1169.doc.htm for further details.

The full text of the Archbishop's address follows below.

The Religious and Cultural Significance of Jerusalem

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honour and privilege to participate in this meeting. It is also a great challenge. First, because this is a vast and complex subject to address in only 15 minutes; and second, because very little has been left unsaid.

In reflecting on the status of Jerusalem from the perspective of its religious and cultural significance, my key question is this: how can people of faith, predominantly from outside the region, best help the direct parties to the conflict find a just, sustainable, lasting, peace?

My experience as a South African tells me genuine dialogue is the only way forward – a way that truly can bridge brutal and violent divisions over many decades. Only dialogue can take us beyond the physical separation barrier, to mention one very obvious symbol on the Israeli side; or beyond the disparate, and even contradictory, voices, stances, actions, on the Palestinian side.

To talk about Jerusalem, we must first ask ourselves, ‘What do I mean by “Jerusalem”?’. We all have many different Jerusalems. There are:

- Christian, Jewish and Muslim Jerusalems;

- past, present and future Jerusalems;

- spiritual Jerusalems, geographical Jerusalems and political Jerusalems;

- the Jerusalems experienced by those who live there;

- the Jerusalems of spectators from outside;

- and the Jerusalems of ideologies, international posturing and power games.

We use one word for them all.

The incongruity of this hit me when I was privileged to visit the sprawling modern city two years ago. My brief visit taught me how little I know what I am doing when I use the word ‘Jerusalem’.

The huge range of meanings, some allegorical or symbolic, often become confused and misleading. Faith communities need to take particular care – for we appropriate, and interpret into our own situations, texts written by people separated by centuries, even millennia. These were written in very different cultures, addressing very different circumstances to those we face today. None of our Scriptures are what we might call balanced forensic history, telling the whole story with the sort of accuracy we might expect from a UN Commission today.

While some of our holy writings do include historic narratives written from very particular perspectives, others are far more symbolic. For example, the last book of the Bible describes God’s promise of heaven, our eternal destiny, as ‘the new Jerusalem’. This is clearly not to be confused with a specific physical place. Yet, believing they somehow convey eternal truths, we appropriate all these powerful images, and the subsequent centuries of tradition, through the inevitably distorting lenses of our own particular perspectives of context and experience.

I challenge us to be far more aware of these different associations – alongside all those of more recent history and politics – in our own usages. In our own speaking, are we conscious of how many meanings we weave together – and of how they can become unhelpfully tangled and confused? Do we recognise the filters we employ in our listening? And as others speak, do we acknowledge that if the name Jerusalem stirs up such complex associations for us, then it is legitimate that it is similarly, if differently, evocative, for others?

Effective dialogue requires much more mindful, and careful, use of language. We must be much more deliberate and honest, in unmasking the implicit meanings and connotations that contribute to this one name, Jerusalem, bearing such vast and complex significance. Only then will we be able to speak clearly, and know ourselves heard, and understand the different levels on which we are communicating.

For such associations powerfully touch not only our heads, but our hearts, our souls – the deepest fibres of our being. We cannot discuss Jerusalem together if we attempt – or pretend – to do so only with our intellects. We can only deal constructively if we are also prepared to bare our hearts and souls to one another, and share in profound honesty, acknowledging all the different resonances within us. This requires a degree of mutual vulnerability that is very challenging, when we recall what blood has been spilled around the question of Jerusalem.

Yet this should, paradoxically, give us courage. For engaging in mutual vulnerability can help overcome our tendency to objectify others, by putting us in touch with what we share as human beings. This is the key to genuine dialogue – where everyone is granted the dignity to tell their stories, in their own terms, and be heard respectfully, and begin to trust one another.

Only dialogue can build trust. And without trust, we cannot go forward – we cannot make the essential move from ‘conversation’ to ‘implementation’. Implementation, speedy implementation, is the vital goal: such as safeguarding the Palestinian suburb of Silwan in East Jerusalem from the ‘King’s Garden’ archaeological park project – a necessary trust-building step on the path to a long term just and peaceful solution.

Our faiths offer further valuable resources, in insisting that we deal with the whole human person: heart, soul, mind, and body; and that we speak with honesty, patience, forbearance, generosity. Bearing such generic religious values in mind also helps identify what hinders true dialogue.

In addition, faith can enrich secular political language. So, for example, human rights talk is transformed when we regard every person as of eternal significance and value, since each one bears the mark of our divine creator. Holy justice promises the possibility of win-win solutions, and frees us from zero-sum thinking.

Faith helps us dare to live as those who believe that blessings come when we love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and practice radical forgiveness. My predecessor but one as Archbishop of Cape Town, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, helped us harness this power of God for good, when he chaired South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

It was perhaps inevitable that I should speak about our TRC today. But let us not be naïve in relation to the situation in the Holy Land. There are parallels with apartheid, but there are also differences, and it is futile to argue which dominate. Let me rather share lessons that we learnt.

One of the most important was that true dialogue ensures that voices which are weakest, most marginal, or excluded altogether, are given space and safety to be heard. People of faith know this, because in God’s eyes everyone matters.

Therefore let me turn to the perspective of the Palestinian Christians, whose voice often goes unheard. I do not presume to speak for them. When the Anglican Communion deplores violence and calls for an end to blockades and occupation, the freezing of settlements, the demolition of the wall, and so forth – we do so working closely with Anglicans in the Holy Land.

Let me commend two particular resources, for better understanding the significance of Jerusalem from the perspective of the Palestinian Christians. First, the works of Palestinian Christian theologians, such as Naim Ateek, especially on Biblical interpretation. And second, the Palestinian Kairos document, published by leaders of the main historic churches, East and West, last December (and available online).

In some respects, this echoes the original ‘Kairos Document’, written by black South African theologians in 1985. Kairos is one of the Biblical words for time – a decisive moment, where action needs to be taken. Our Kairos document was a Christian, biblical and theological commentary on the apartheid crisis of that time. Through it we explored how faith, culture and politics were interwoven. While they could not be wholly separated, we and our cause were nonetheless hugely helped by seeing clearly how each impinged upon the others in how we understood our situation.

The Palestinian Kairos document is similarly ‘a document of faith and work’ which describes current realities, and how their beliefs are both challenged by, and shape their assessment of, the situation today and their hopes for tomorrow. They beautifully sum up the religious, cultural, and political significance of Jerusalem in the following passage [quote]:

'Jerusalem is the foundation of our vision and our entire life. She is the city to which God gave a particular importance in the history of humanity. She is the city towards which all people are in movement – and where they will meet in friendship and love in the presence of the One Unique God, according to the vision of the prophet Isaiah … "In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established … and all the nations shall stream to it … They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Is. 2: 2-5).

'Today, the city is inhabited by two peoples of three religions; and it is on this prophetic vision and on the international resolutions concerning the totality of Jerusalem that any political solution must be based. This is the first issue that should be negotiated because the recognition of Jerusalem's sanctity and its message will be a source of inspiration towards finding a solution to the entire problem, which is largely a problem of mutual trust and ability to set in place a new land in this land of God.' [end of quote]

Wise words indeed. So let all of us who are people of faith – especially those of us from the faith communities of this holy city – join in praying for and working to effect the peace, God’s just and lasting peace, of Jerusalem, of all our Jerusalems.

Amen

UN African Meeting on the Question of Palestine: Address given in the Plenary Session on the Status of Jerusalem

'Moral State of the Nation Address'

Note: The Archbishop of Cape Town gave the following address on 3 February 2010 at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, Illovo, speaking alongside the Chief Rabbi of South Africa Dr Warren Goldstein (www.chiefrabbi.co.za).

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m glad to be with you this evening.

Introductory Comments

I have just returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos. There, religious leaders contributed articles on ‘Values for the Post-Crisis Economy’ and helped lead discussions, as part of our interdisciplinary consideration of economic, political, social and technological developments. This underscored how religious leaders are expected to express views on the moral questions that set the context for our lives.

So I am grateful to the Chief Rabbi for proposing that we should address the moral state of the nation, from the perspective of our particular faith communities. My hope is that we may sow the seed of something larger for the future: that in years ahead, contributions will come from a fuller breadth of the faith communities – and that we will prompt a debate, in which all South Africans should share, on the broad questions shaping national life.

Nonetheless, I am aware that it might seem presumptuous to deliver a ‘Moral State of the Nation Address’. Therefore, let me offer it as just one lens through which we might view our country. But I hope we will nonetheless bring a helpful focus on areas where we feel compelled to speak and act, and where we cannot allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by moral relativism. This is our reality. This is Holy ground.

The Nature of Morals

My purpose this evening is not to ‘moralise’, in the sense of passing judgement in a spirit of negativity. It is always easier to criticise and condemn. It is far harder to be creative and constructive. Yet let us dare to take the harder route, as a new decade unfolds before our feet.

This week, we are especially conscious of the journey of the past twenty years, and the momentous steps that set us on a new path, and opened up new hopes and dreams. Twenty years ago, liberation movements were unbanned, Nelson Mandela walked free, and suddenly, anything seemed possible.

So my fundamental question tonight is to look at those hopes and dreams, at the vision for which we had struggled, and then dared to believe could become reality – and to ask ourselves: Who are we now? We aspired to be masters of our own destiny. What destiny are we now creating for ourselves? Do our actions and their consequences reflect our deepest, most heartfelt, aspirations? Or have we lost sight of that great and glorious vision – and, if so, how shall we rekindle it in our hearts and minds, our souls and spirits?

These are moral questions, if we appreciate that the Latin roots of the word ‘moral’ address the essence of what it is to be human: to be flourishing individuals within flourishing communities. The totality of human existence, lived well, is the core business of the faith communities. It is also the context for conducting our political and economic life. Therefore, our best chance of making a success of our country, lies in making the comprehensive well-being of the whole of life, our over-riding priority.

In its proper sense, therefore, morality is not an optional extra, for those with tender consciences, or who can afford to have scruples. This is the picture given in the play, My Fair Lady: Colonel Pickering, shocked at the attitudes of working class Alfred Doolittle, asks ‘Have you no morals, man?’ – and gets the response, ‘Can’t afford them, governor.’ It’s witty, but it’s wrong.

Morality, then, directs us to the common good – the pursuit of all that makes us truly, fully, human. To echo the words of Jesus Christ, it is life in all its abundance, for all South Africans. This was what we dared to dream, twenty years ago.

Constitution and Covenant

Abundant life for all is enshrined in our Constitution, which commits us, among other things:

• to establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;

• to improve the quality of life of all citizens; and

• to free the potential of each person.

It is helpful to look at these commitments, and the Constitution itself, not as a contract, but as a Covenant, between South Africans. To understand what Covenant means, I want to turn to the Hebrew Bible – Holy Scripture which the Chief Rabbi and I share. Here we read how God regrets he ever created degenerate humankind – with the exception of faithful Noah. God tells Noah to make an ark, a great boat, in which Noah’s family and two of every kind of animal take refuge. A flood then destroys all other living things. After the flood subsides, God makes a new beginning in his relationship with humankind, in the form of a Covenant.

It is as though God says to humanity, ‘We belong together – we cannot get away from each other – and therefore, the only sensible thing to do is to commit ourselves to make the very best of this relationship, and keep on investing together in our shared future. Really, there is no alternative.’

In South Africa, we too belong together – we cannot get away from each other – and therefore for us also, the only sensible thing to do is to commit ourselves to make the very best of the relationship that lies between all South Africans, and keep on investing together for our shared future. Really, there is no alternative for us, either.

Covenant is entirely ubuntu-shaped – we find our humanity through the humanity of others – we flourish through promoting the flourishing of others. SePedi has a proverb for this: Mphiri o tee ga o lle – one bangle makes no sound. But working in harmony can create a beautiful symphony!

With the World Cup only 127 days away, football also offers some good illustrations. I watched the final of the African Cup of Nations at Zurich airport, waiting to fly home – and I saw the elegant goal that brought the Egyptians victory. It demonstrated team spirit; co-operation; mutual trust; generosity in sharing the ball, in sharing opportunities – for the good of the whole team.

Furthermore, every player must play by the rules – no matter how great a star. It’s no different if we want South Africa to be winners in the game of life – we must play as a team, work hard together, and all keep the rules. This is why upholding the Constitution – both its letter and its spirit – is a moral non-negotiable.

While I’m on the subject, let me pay tribute to ‘Team South Africa’ at Davos. The representatives of government, business and civil society, were wonderful ambassadors not only for the World Cup, but also for our country as a place to do business and invest. Of course, we are not perfect – no country is – but I saw that the flames which ignited our hopes and dreams, twenty years ago, had not fully been extinguished. But how shall we fan them more fully back to life?

The story of Noah offers three signposts to the way ahead. God warns Noah and his sons not to shed human life – for humanity bears the image of God – and God adds, ‘… never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth … and this is the sign of my covenant: the rainbow.’ So then, the three signposts to abundant life:

• first is the sanctity of life – which must be honoured as holy;

• second is the stewardship of creation – the preservation of the earth;

• third is the dignity of difference, symbolised in the rainbow.

Let us consider these in turn, addressing some of the specifics of life in South Africa today.

The Sanctity of Life

First – the sanctity of life. The culture of violence pervading society concerns me greatly. Daily accounts of murder and brutality are just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, we are heirs to a violent political past. But still we continue to fuel violence. From TV cartoon characters to computer games, violence infects so much of so-called entertainment – and it scars the children who grow up with it.

We also use the language of violence in politics, business, and across society. We should know by now it is unacceptable to speak of ‘killing’ for your political objectives, or telling your opponents to ‘go and die’. But it is also appalling that we say things like ‘I’d kill for those shoes, this car, that job’; or describe someone smart as ‘dressed to kill’. Or how about ‘I could murder a cold beer …’

Language is used in other ways to demean and diminish human beings. This is the opposite of human flourishing: the opposite of honouring elders; or seeing the divine spark in one another; or upholding ubuntu. In footballing terms, it is the equivalent of playing the man, not the ball – and we should all cry ‘Foul!’ loud and clear!

This applies as much to overheated political rhetoric as it does, say, to the sexual objectification of women – which brings me to wider questions of sex. I’m sure you’ve been wondering when I would get round to this subject!

Of course, it would be easy just to preach ‘no sex outside marriage’: which is what Christians, and others, uphold – and for good reason – as what best makes for strong families and healthy societies. But if my words are completely out of touch with how people actually live, then I risk being dismissed as irrelevant. Let me rather put it this way: promiscuity, unfaithfulness, adultery, unprotected sex that risks spreading HIV or resulting in unwanted pregnancies and the appallingly high numbers of abortions that occur in our country – all of these are offences against the sanctity, the sacredness, of life. They are acts of emotional violence and physical peril, and demeaning to the human dignity of all involved.

Why do we pursue such damaging behaviour? – damaging to ourselves, to those we claim to love, to the stability of society, to future generations? Of course, sex is wonderful – it is one of God’s best gifts to humanity. But the greatest gifts are open to the worst abuses. Let us use the gift of sexuality wisely and well.

Yes, life is sacred, and every individual should live with dignity and be treated with complete respect by everyone else, with no-one marginalised, excluded, or voiceless within society. This must be the bedrock for all government policy-making and service delivery. I should also like greater urgency in tackling poverty, housing, health, education, and the other fundamentals of life. For though we knew that we could not turn round our economy overnight, we have seen a disturbing complacency among those who have found success in economics and politics. Yet what matters is not getting the job – but getting the job done!

I am heartened that some senior politicians have finally begun to address this. I hope this will affirm the thousands of dedicated civil servants, teachers, doctors and nurses, police and other public sector workers, who want to do a good job. I hope this will give them courage to speak out against the lazy and corrupt few. I similarly hope business acknowledges that profit must be balanced against human and environmental realities; and that true growth is not about economic activity but delivering tangible benefits.

Let’s ensure morality and ethics inform every walk of life – for example:

• in staff development from the factory floor to the highest management;

• in schools and at all our universities and colleges;

• and in our faith communities, including madressas, bar mitzvah preparations, and confirmation classes.

Whenever when we feel uneasy about a matter, we should not let ourselves be paralysed with fear. We should speak up, for the good of our society – and make ourselves part of the solution. Together we can overcome the scourge of criminality and corruption.

The media can play their part too. I challenge the writers of our soapies, to make the good guys, the nice people, into the true heroes, the ones we‘d like to be. Don’t present the violent, criminal and corrupt as exciting and glamorous; nor depict abusive relationships as normal and to be expected.

The Stewardship of Creation

Just as we honour the sacred spark in every human being, so we must also honour our planet. Stewardship of creation is our second signpost.

I am glad President Zuma decided to go to Copenhagen. I hope this has whetted his appetite to continue working for a legally binding agreement in Mexico in November, though it will take considerable work!

In Switzerland last week, I was struck by the high level of environmental awareness – from conserving energy, water, and other resources, to recycling everything imaginable. We have a lot to learn – yes, it costs money; but it will cost more if we destroy our environment through short-sightedness. The Archbishop of Canterbury reminded us at Davos that living responsibly means living within ecological limits to ensure the security of work and food.

This vital theme was echoed this week by the new African Union President, the President of Malawi, who put the needs of the neediest at the top of his agenda, prioritising hunger – and with it, agriculture and food security.

The Dignity of Difference

Unjust inequality should not be confused with legitimate diversity – so let me turn to my final signpost, the dignity of difference. Jesus famously said ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ He did not tell us to like each other, or to agree. But, no matter how different, we must live together, and engage with one another, constructively and respectfully.

Let me say that I have received considerable criticism for agreeing to appear on a joint platform with the Chief Rabbi. I do so, conscious that we come from different faith perspectives, and have differing views on various issues – not least on Israel and Palestine, and particularly the Goldstone Report. Yet he, and the Jewish Community, are an important part of South African life. And it is South Africa on which we are focussed this evening. So we are going to keep talking, and work at trusting each other enough to say hard words where we disagree – but also stand together where we have common concern. Today that concern is the morality, the well-being, of our nation.

South Africans need to work at loving one another – by which, I mean getting to know and understand one another sufficiently well to ‘walk in one another’s shoes’. It is said that God made us with two ears and one mouth, so that we should listen twice as much as we speak! We need to be able freely to air our differences, whether within or between religious communities, or political parties, or any other walk of life. This is the way to help one another grow into our best selves, contributing richly to our common life.

I was struck by this at Davos. Global leaders from different faiths held each other in considerable regard, and collaborated in drawing secular leaders into deeper engagement around the current crisis of values and ethics.

Respecting difference extends beyond power, riches and status. In the eyes of God, no individual is more valuable, more important, than any other. Government must therefore respect its citizens – for example, engaging communities in meaningful dialogue about decisions that affect them. Many so-called ‘service delivery’ protests are more about the frustration of not being properly consulted.

Honouring difference also means being prepared to shoulder our responsibilities as well as demand our rights. To put this in footballing terms: different positions require different skills, where each must play to the best of their abilities, for the good of the whole team – and not worry about who scores the goal or gets the glamour! Players also have the right to expect, even demand, that other team members fulfil their own roles fully.

This is the spirit of the sePedi saying: Go botšiša kgoši ga se go e roga – To question a king is not to scold him. In a democracy, ordinary people have a right to ask questions and make suggestions to our leaders – and in response to expect not only words but action. I hope this is what we have been doing this evening.

Conclusion

I began by asking how far we are achieving our dreams of 20 years ago. Let me end with another anniversary – the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, on 30 January 1948 – which was marked by the scattering of the last of his ashes in the sea off Durban. I should like to leave with you Gandhi’s own Seven Deadly Social Sins:

1. Politics without Principle

2. Wealth without Work

3. Commerce without Morality

4. Pleasure without Conscience

5. Education without Character

6. Science without Humanity, and finally

7. Worship without Sacrifice

In other words, there can be no faith – even faith in a new South Africa – without self-sacrifice. We cannot do nothing, and expect to get whatever we want. Are we prepared to give what it takes, to pursue our dreams, and to create a truly moral society – a society where everyone can be fully human, and everyone can flourish?

Let’s rise to the challenge. As the American satirist Felicia Lamport put it

Vice

Is nice

But a little virtue

Won’t hurt you.

Thank you.

Statement on Hostilities in Gaza

Statement from Archbishop Thabo Makgoba

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has added his voice to those calling for an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza.

"Watching the news, I could not help but join in the tears of Jesus, who wept over the land of his birth, and prayed for peace to reign," the Archbishop of Cape Town said.

"Christmas reminds us that God took human form in Jesus Christ, vividly demonstrating the sanctity of all human life. This is not negotiable, and must be respected by all sides through an immediate end to violence.

"My prayer is that the tragic events of recent days will spur everyone in the region, and in the international community, to intensify efforts towards establishing a just and lasting peace in the land of our Saviour's birth."

He added, "Christians who believe that Jesus came to be 'Prince of Peace', and all people of good will, must work and pray for true peace to come not only to Gaza and Israel, but to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Somalia, and to everywhere where there is conflict."

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

The tempo and rhythm of the conference is relatively set in our Bible study and Indabas. In our small "indaba within the Indaba" group today, we made a commitment not to be overwhelmed by the sea of social justice issues but to start small and from a specific point. The issue of the American biofuels programme and the U.S. government's foreign policies occupied our group - as did malaria, HIV and Aids, TB and the war and displacement of people in Sudan. We resolved to learn best practices and to support one another as we bring Christ into these situations.

I attended the second self-select session of the conference today. The theme was social justice and the session discussed the Christian response to the challenges in the Holy Land. We had various scholars, practioners and archbishops from Israel/Palestine address us. Practical suggestions were: 1. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 2. Educate the youth in the Holy Land and the Holy Basin (that part of Jerusalem including its holiest sites) to live with respect for one another.

There is a great longing for peace in the midst of anguish and hopelessness in the Holy Land. We should never forget those who are suffering there - we need to visit them, to keep contact with them and to highlight their plight. On a different level, one speaker said the problem there has been imported from the US and the fear of what happened in Eastern Europe, and suggested the solution may be for the US to take away what it has imported into the Holy Land.

All I can say, as the Patriarch of Jerusalem said when handing the Archbishop of Canterbury the Order of the Holy Sepulchre: Thank you for your concern for us and the deep knowledge of our spirituality evident in your words, writings and ways; Let our ways, words and writing bring life and light to all the children of God, bruised at this time in the Holy Land.

I also managed some fun and wandered about in the "marketplace" (see the photo!), looking at various bookstalls and vestments. Bishop Geoff Quinlan kindly loaned me his rochet and chimere for the opening service and, guess what, I found a stall which sells them and have ordered one.

The weather is still great, in fact hot. Last night we joined Archbishop Rowan and Jane Williams and other guests for dinner, where the ambience was lovely and the food delicious. So today Lungi and I took a longer walk than normal to keep fit. She continues to enjoy the conference, the first-ever church conference she has attended. Tomorrow is our walk of witness, a visit to Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace in London.

God bless you,

++Thabo

A Visit to the Holy Land

My Dear People,

I thought I should drop you this line on my recent trip to the Holy Land, squeezed into my schedule just before Lungi and I left for the Lambeth Conference.

The trip was made at the invitation of a diverse group of South Africans concerned with justice in Israel and the Occupied Territories. They have a website, and you can see the Mission Statement of the visit here:

http://www.humanrightsdelegation.org/statements.asp

Also on the website is other information, such as the names of those who travelled with me, and press clippings of coverage while we were there:

http://www.humanrightsdelegation.org/statements.asp

As I write this, there is so much raw data in my mind and soul that I need more space and time to reflect on and process my experiences. The issues raised by the situation in the Middle East are sensitive, and maintaining a balance in our approach is crucial.

Nevertheless, as a preliminary reflection, what is uppermost in my mind can be categorised into three sections.

First, the physical and superficial - the topography of the Holy Land, the separation walls and fence which set people apart from one another, the separate roads on the West Bank on which only Israeli settlers are allowed to travel, the robust and solid settlements the settlers have established, and the old and new Jerusalem, clearly divided into Jewish and Palestinian areas.

Second and at a slightly deeper level, I was struck by the people, their pain and their longing for peace and for the Holy Basin to be whole again.

At a third level are my personal and spiritual responses: my wrestling with God and God's invitation in Mark's Gospel, to come and let us cross to the other side. Crossing to the other side is a missional invitation that needs courage and humility and rootedness in the sure hope of a call.

Following this short visit, I am humbled and encouraged by those who build peace - and feel moved to invite others to be peace builders. It is obviously costly but we cannot but be stirred by suffering, separation, brokenness and God's sure message of hope.

God bless you,

++Thabo