This is an edited version of the sermon preached at the Installation of Mr Guy Pearson as the Principal of Diocesan College, 'Bishops', on 16 January 2013. A similar sermon was preached on 21 January 2013, at the Installation of Mr Stuart West as Head of Herschel Girls' School (recently named the top school in the Western Cape - Congratulations, Herschel!)
1 Kings 3:5-10, Matthew 13:44-52
May I speak in the name of God of all wisdom, who gives us both old and new treasures from his store.
Let me repeat what a great delight it to be installing Mr Guy Pearson as the new Principal of Bishops. Guy, we offer you hearty congratulations on this appointment! Though the weather in Cape Town may not be quite as hot as in Kwa-ZuluNatal at this time of year, be assured that our welcome to you and Marée could not be warmer!
I also want to congratulate Diocesan College on such an excellent choice! We know you come with extensive experience in educational excellence; with business skills; and with a deep, mature, Christian faith. And we look forward to the developing synergy between all that you are and that you bring to us, and our own traditions of pursuing excellence, promoting innovative and entrepreneurial instincts, and, of course, grounding every aspect of life upon the firm foundation-stone that is Jesus Christ.
The task of the school is the development of the boy child – intellectually, socially, spiritually. I know you share our vision, and will work for it: including through leading our gifted and more than able staff team; and through challenging and encouraging parents and guardians in playing their part in the raising of young men. Together, our desire is that each Bishops boy may grow into a contributing member of society: an effective citizen of the world, who can be part of life’s solutions at every level, personal and professional.
This is our shared hope, our shared prayer.
It is very much like the prayer of King Solomon, which we heard in our first reading. Here was a young man, preparing to take on great responsibilities in a changing world. His time was not the time of his father, King David. He inherited a nation at peace, after much war and turbulence. His task was consolidating a divided people and building a nation – rooted in the faith of God and all that this meant: a nation of justice and moral standards; of peace and economic prosperity.
I am sure you see the parallels with the new generation of ‘free-borns’, growing up and coming to adulthood in democratic South Africa.
Solomon knew it was a huge task – and he knew what he needed most: God’s gift of wisdom. The Bible tells us that God’s wisdom, holy wisdom, is not about being brainy. It is far more profound. It is about understanding how the world works and what makes people tick. It is about seeing under the surface of a situation, grasping what needs to be done, and knowing how to achieve it.
The Bible says such wisdom is more valuable than gold or precious jewels – and more to be desired than riches or honour, prosperity or success, fame or fortune! God’s wisdom is at the heart of the ‘buried treasure’ of God’s kingdom, the ‘pearl of great price’ of which Jesus spoke in our second reading. It is worth devoting our lives to.
Godly wisdom comes in as many different forms as there are people – as varied as the fish in the net of Jesus’ parable. For some, it may indeed mean becoming an expert in a particular field, pioneering new knowledge and its constructive use. Or it may come in very practical ways; or in organisational aptitudes; or in leadership abilities; or people skills.
Not everyone can be a straight-A student – but God has a gift of wisdom for each of us to grow in. Every one of you – and I include parents, staff, all of us, at any time – every one of us can pray the same prayer as Solomon, and know that God delights to give us whatever wisdom we need, for the challenges and tasks that come our way in life. God’s wisdom is for everyone – and it is also to be used for everyone, for the good of others, for the well-being of the whole of society – as, indeed, Solomon himself prayed.
Bishops shares this wider perspective. Boys are not here to pursue narrow goals of self-advancement, but to learn to make a positive difference in the world around. This begins at school – through the vision in the Bishops Partnership, through the Outreach programmes and Special Projects, through networks with other Anglican schools, and in many other ways.
As I’m sure you know, spreading educational opportunity and excellence to all South Africans is very close to my heart – and this is why I have launched the Archbishop’s Education Initiative; and am promoting the Vuleka School network, which, I am delighted and honoured to say, is now building a new ‘Archbishop Thabo Boys’ School’ in Johannesburg.
Mr Pearson, we are delighted that you are becoming part of Bishops’ life. Together we can build on what we each bring, of tradition and experience. Together, by God’s grace, we can also create new initiatives.
In other words, to quote our second reading again, together we can discover and use the old and the new treasures which God has in his storeroom for us.
So may he bless us all, in the new chapter that lies before us. Amen
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Consecration of Bishop Margaret Vertue - Sermon
This is an edited version of the sermon preached at by the Revd Duncan McLea, Rector and Team Leader of St John’s Parish Wynberg, at the Consecration of The Revd Canon Margaret Vertue as Bishop of False Bay, on 19 January 2013.
You can also read more about the consecration at http://ray-wordpix.blogspot.com/2013/01/time-for-england-to-follow-africa-says.html#!/2013/01/time-for-england-to-follow-africa-says.html
Ezek 3:4-11, Psa 23, Acts 4:8-13, Matt 16:13-19
Thank you your Grace for the honour and responsibility you have entrusted to me to preach at this significant event and milestone in the life of our Province, this Diocese and of course in Margret’s life and ministry.
A little while ago my daughter wrote me a two line email. ‘Dear Dad, It says in 1 Corinthians 14:34 that woman should be silent in church, but they are not are they. How do you understand this text?’ My reply, for which I asked her forgiveness, ran to 20 pages, as I tried to explain how we read and understand Scripture in its original context, draw out the principles of what God was saying in that context as the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the human authors, and then applying the principle, the warning, the command, or whatever in our context today.
The subject of that email is not what I need to address here today. For the church of which we are apart through careful study of Scripture and theological reflection, and following due canonical process has opened the way for Margaret and before her Eleyna to be Bishops in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. This is a move I welcome and celebrate. If it is any help I have posted my reply to my daughter on my blog ‘Duncan’s Diary’.
But it is important that whenever the people of God gather to worship and pray, and especially when we come together for an event such as this, that we submit ourselves to the Word of God and allow the Spirit to speak to us freshly through the Scriptures. In the Sovereign providence of God this service is taking place when the church remembers the Confession of Peter, and the Archbishop asked that these be the readings for this service.
So I take as my text the Gospel Reading, Matthew 16:13-20, the record of the conversation that takes place between Jesus and Peter at Caesarea-Philippi, as Simon son of Jonah makes the Great Confession, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God’, and as Jesus responds declaring that on this foundation he will build his church. So our theme is The Confession Peter. But a subtitle for this passage could well be, ‘Essential lessons for a church leader’… not an inappropriate theme for an occasion such as this as we gather for Margret’s consecration and enthronement as the second Bishop of the Diocese of False Bay.
As we look at this passage I want to draw your attention to four statements Jesus makes and draw out four lessons for church leaders.
(1) Who do people say the Son of Man is? – vs 13
(2) Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven – vs 17
(3) I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it – vs 18
(4) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven – vs 19
Let’s pray: Come Holy Spirit of God and open your word to our hearts and minds, and open our hearts and minds to your word; that we may see the living word of God – Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Lord. Amen.
So, four lessons for church leaders. Here is the first …
(1) It is all about Jesus
It is as simple as that, but not quite as simple as that. Lets dig into the text a bit. Why does Jesus ask the questions, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Jesus was not suffering a moment of self-doubt and looking for human affirmation. Asking questions is in fact a very rabbinic way of teaching, and Jesus taught in the rabbinic tradition. Asking questions was a way a way of moving your pupils from knowledge to understanding – from head to hands – from theory to practice.
So what does he want them to understand – to grasp – what change is he looking for? He wants them to understand, yes, who he is, and then what the implications are for the way they live. And up to that point that they had not ‘got it’. It was vitally important that they – that we – get this.
But note that this is not an isolated exchange. This question does not come out of nowhere. What is the context of this passage?
Flip back a few pages to Matthew 14. The chapter begins with the beheading of John the Baptist - which illustrates starkly the cost of being a disciple. This is followed in chapter 14 verse 13 by the feeding of the 5,000 - a dramatic demonstration of Jesus’ power to provide, as well as an invitation to trust him. This is followed immediately verse 22 by another opportunity to learn trust. Jesus comes walking across the water to the disciples in their boat in the middle of the lake. He invites Peter to let go of the feeble fragile failing security of the boat and trust him. Peter takes a few steps; sees the wind and waves and begins to sink. Jesus reaches out his hand and caught him and they climb into the boat and the wind and waves are still. ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’
That is Jesus asking another question, note. Why did he doubt?
You see Jesus is pushing them to try to get them to understand who he is and what that means for them. He gets him into the boat and the wind and waves died down and they worshipped him… Truly you are the Son of God.
Ah, they have got it. But have they?
Chapter 15 - they are given opportunity to write a sup in the Galilee School of Discipleship Course 101.They failed first time round. Now there is a second chance. They are once again in a deserted place surrounded by a large crowd - 4,000 hungry people this time. And Jesus expresses his compassion for the hungry crowd. He says he does not want to send them away hungry. (That was the solution the disciples came up with last time you remember.) You have to see the humour in the narrative as Matthew records the disciples response: ‘Where in a remote place like this could we get enough bread to feed such a crowd?’ Come on! They have just witnessed him feeding 5,000; walking on water; calming the storm. And now a chapter later they are all mixed up again. The sign they had witnessed first-hand; the worship meeting on the boat … the message had not got through to them.
And Jesus knew this about signs - however dramatic they may be, they don’t convince or convert us. Hence his refusal to acceded to the demands of the Pharisees and Sadducees for a sign at the start of chapter 16. Signs don’t convince or convert us. It takes more than – if you like – ‘flesh and blood’. It takes more than human effort, well resourced and planned programmes that deliver on time, be they to feed or heal people, or even change the weather. Bread and miracles won’t do it.
And we in the church can get so caught up in our plans and programmes, our institutes and institutions, … all well-meaning and lovingly conceived, ... sacrificially funded as they be… but have we forgotten who is at the centre of it all?
Do you get the picture? To be a leader in the church of God we have to come back to this essential and fundamental lesson. It is all about Jesus! It is that simple. But then it is not that simple.
For it is not what the latest popular opinion polls say about Jesus, or what we think Jesus should be, or what we want Jesus to be. It is about the Jesus revealed to us in Scripture - in the Gospels. It is all about Jesus who Peter recognises to be God’s Messiah; who invites his disciples to trust him; who has compassion on the hungry crowd; who invites us to get out of our boats – to let go of our fragile, feeble, frail security and step onto the water and take his hand. It is about a relationship with him, who wants to draw us into an ever-deepening understanding of his love.
It is that simple. But it is not that simple, because there is always more. This is not the end of the story. They had their worship meeting – ‘You are the Son of God’; Peter got the confession right – he got the formula right – but he had not yet understood the implications. In just a few verses on we see how he had ‘not got it’. How dangerously wrong he was in his understanding.
In verse 21 – the verse following our Gospel reading for today – Jesus begins to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and all that awaited him there in terms of suffering and death - the cross. That was at the heart of what being the Messiah of God was all about. The way of the cross is the way of salvation. Without the cross there is no salvation. Peter, on a high as the newly recognised authority on Messiahship, tries to coach Jesus out of choosing this path. And he gets the sharpest most damning rebuke that anyone gets from Jesus. ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have the mind and concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’
A Messiah who avoids suffering is no Messiah of God. The Gospel without the Cross is merely a human programme. It is not of God. It is a stumbling block. Worse than that, it is evil. In effect Jesus says in his rebuke of Peter that the Gospel without the Cross is Satanic. Peter had got the formula right, he had the proclamation right, he had got the confessional statement right, but he had misunderstood who Jesus really was. But there is still more.
This may be Peter’s Confession, but it was not Peter’s Commissioning. That comes much later. That comes when Peter meets the resurrected Jesus is asked another question. Not, ‘Who do you say I am?’, but, ‘Peter, do you love me?’ And Peter is able to answer out of his brokenness and aware of his own limited resources and expressing his dependence on and surrender to Jesus: ‘Jesus, you know I love you.’ You know the limits of my love. You know me.
He was, at the moment we can say, ‘Anchored in the love of Christ’. Peter had got to that point. We need to get there too. So, ‘Who is Jesus?’ It is important that we get the confessional statement right. It is imperative that we understand the centrality of the cross. It is essential that we know our selves being wooed and drawn into an ever-deepening place of intimacy with Jesus. It is an ongoing journey for us all of putting our trust and faith in him who comes to us in the middle of the storm, in the middle of the lake in the middle of the night and says, ‘It is I’.
It is all about Jesus. That is the first lesson. Here is the second …
(2) The Father is on a mission
God the Father is on a mission. In response to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah of God, Jesus responds… (vs 17) ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
God the Father is on a mission. And that mission is to reveal his Son Jesus, the Messiah of God, to the world. Mission is at the very heart of God. And the heart of that mission is that people should come to know and see Jesus for who he is – the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. This is expressed of course so definitively in that key text which, being brought up on the Prayer Book, I knew as one of the ‘comfortable words’… that our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him. ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’
And we see in our text that there were any number of ideas and theories floating round as to who Jesus was:
- John the Baptist: Some say that is who you are Jesus … the fearless political aesthetic activist that took on Herod.
- Elijah: Some say you are Elijah, Jesus. Why Elijah? Last verses of the OT predict the return of Elijah (Mal 4:5 & 6). At the Passover Seder there is an empty chair left for Elijah – there was an expectation that he would come at the end of time. He is not the Messiah, but he would be a forerunner making way for the messiah.
- Jeremiah or one the prophets: You are spectacular Jesus. You are important. You are amazing. But you are just the curtain raiser. You are not the real deal.
And is that not our context today? There are many who honour Jesus and his teaching. Respect the principles he taught and lived by. But they are not at the place of saying he is the Messiah of God. Friends, if that is missing from our ministry and mission as the church we may be on a mission, but we are not the Father’s mission. We are, dare I say, on a ‘flesh and blood’ mission - a human mission. But it is not the mission of God to which we Anglicans commit ourselves to in our mission statement … Anchored in the love of Christ. Committed to God’s mission.
From our New Testament Lesson today we have Peter’s defense before the Sanhedrin for the healing of the beggar at the Temple gate. When asked by what power or name he did this, he responds (Acts 4:9) ‘If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.’ And he adds, verse 12, ‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.’
That truth is under attack. Michael Cassidy in his recently published book ‘The Church Jesus Prayed For’, explores the prayer of Jesus for the Church in John 17. It is an invitation to explore praying for the church in the way Jesus prayed for the church. He looks at the ten things Jesus prays for those who the Father has given him and who will believe in him through their message. The first of these is truth, and vitally, the truth about Jesus.
Jesus prayer is ‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth’ and ‘Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.’ Dare we not join Jesus in praying for his church in the way he prayed for it? Dare we not join Jesus in praying that God’s Church be sanctified in the truth – the truth of God’s Word incarnated in his Son Jesus? This prayer stresses unequivocally the central uncompromising truth - Jesus is the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.
As the liturgy we use today expresses it: we gather to set aside one who will be tasked with amongst other things … ‘Interpreting the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, … of banishing error … and leading God’s people in mission to the world’. While this is a role and task assigned particularly to those called to serve as Bishops, we for our part as clergy and laity in the church must encourage, pray for and support our bishops and share in this task with them.
We want to say to you Bishops and Bishop-elect Margaret, we want you to lead us and serve us in ‘interpreting the truth as it is in Jesus Christ … of banishing error … and leading God’s people in mission to the world’. We are right behind you. We do, and will pray for you.
Margaret is one who knows the essential value of, and sets an example for us all in her dedicated disciplined life of prayer. People of this Diocese, learn from her and follow that example so that what was said of Peter and John may be true of us all. For in the Acts reading Luke continues the narrative … (Acts 4:13ff) ‘When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.’
Ordinary and unschooled you are not Margaret, but we covet for you that essential character of a Bishop that we covet for all who serve in the church; that we may be those who are seen and known to have been each day with Jesus – the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. In essence that is at the heart of God’s mission. That is what we as Anglicans in this Province commit ourselves to: To be … Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God’s mission, and thirdly - Transformed by the Holy Spirit.
That all leads to the third lesson for church leaders that we draw from this passage.
(3) The mission of God is nothing less than the transformation of the world.
And God is going to do this through the Church, founded on the Confession of Peter, that Jesus is the Messiah of God. Jesus said, (vs 18) ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of death (of hades, of hell) shall not overcome it.’
To appreciate the impact and relevance of these words we need to set this passage in its historical and geographical context. At this point Jesus has journeyed with his disciples up north from Lake Galilee and they have arrived in the region of Caesarea Philippi. It is the northern most part of Israel with a great pagan gentile history. In Old Testament times it was called Ba’al Hermon because the god Ba’al was worshipped there. In Hellenistic times it was called Paneas because the god Pan and his worship had replaced the ancient Ba’als. Pan was the half-man half-goat god of fright (thus ‘panic’). Today it is called Banias which is an Arabic derivation from Paneas. In New Testament times the city had been renamed - Caesarea Philippi. Philip Herod chose the name to venerate the Roman Emperor Caesar and link his name to the Emperor’s. A politically shrewd move one might say.
As for its geographical context Caesarea Philippi was the location of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. A tourist attraction still today is the large cave in the cliff-side that is the mouth of the spring, with a pool of water in front of it. One can still see carved into the cliff face above the cave opening, a number of porticos in which shrines were placed to various gods. These shrines were where the people came and did homage to asked for protection and help. These gods they believed controlled life and gave them security, happiness and comfort.
At one level it is an attractive geological feature. At another it spoke of a cauldron of pagan occultic activity and associated bondages. In the 3rd century B.C., human sacrifices were cast into the cave as offerings to the gods. The cliff face towering above them with this array of gods and idols engendered an ominous sense of foreboding. In many senses it represented ‘the gates of hell’. The cave opening was a vivid symbol of the entrance into the realm of the dead - the gates of Hades.
It is in this location that Jesus says, ‘I will build my church, and the gates of death … the gates of hades, of hell … shall not overcome it.’
Now we know about the politics of renaming cities and roads, don’t we? And we know about making sacrifices to gods/idols that we look to give us security, comfort and pleasure. We may not cast our sacrifices into a cave but we pay subscriptions to DSTV, ADT, and we try to buy protection and happiness. And we know about bondages that keep people captive – grinding poverty and unnecessary unemployment. Who of us could survive on R150 let alone R65 a day? We know about HIV and AIDS, scandalous inequality and self-seeking corruption, gender violence and fear, absent fathers and moral decay.
In many ways we live in a society not that dissimilar to Caesarea- Philippi: beautiful on the outside, a wonderful tourist destination with impressive geographical features and lush countryside; but a cauldron of spiritual, political and economic powers keeping people in bondage and throwing too many into the realm of the dead.
But note this. Let me ask you the question. At that time, in the course of a battle, were gates essentially offensive or defensive weapons? Defensive. Gates were used as a defense against the advancing opposition. So if Jesus says, ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail’, that means that the church of Jesus the Messiah is on the offensive. It is pushing into the territory occupied by the enemy. It is moving against this spiritual, occultic, political, economic, systemic opposition to the rule of God symbolised by the gates of hell.
The Church of Jesus Christ is on the offensive, against all that seeks to hold captive and in bondage those made in the image of God. That is the promise in this text which we can take hold of today. The gates of hell and all that they represent will be blown apart. God’s Kingdom will advance. It will come on earth as it is in heaven. We dare to pray that and believe that. Theologians call this realised eschatology. It is about anticipating and living into the future that is secure and sealed.
Let me illustrate this with a story. Those who know me know that I love watching rugby. You will recall the Boks played a series of three matches in the UK towards the end of last year. The final game of the tour was against England at Twickenham and as it turned out I was conducting a wedding at the very time the match was being played. So I set the video recorder to tape the game hoping that no one would spoil it and tell me the score before I got home – so I could watch it live as it were. Well towards the end of the reception some one knowing my love of rugby came bounding up to me and said, ‘We won!’ Too late! The result was known. We what that meant was that on Sunday afternoon I got myself a cup of tea and sat down in relaxed fashion and with no stress at all watched the game. The game was exciting and went this way and that, but I could watch it with relaxed confidence. I knew we would win, it was just a matter of how. That is realised eschatology.
Darrel Johnson in his excellent book on Revelation tells the story of a group of seminary students who used to play basketball in the gym. They left their bags at the side and they noticed that the janitor was paging through one of their books. It turned out to be the Bible. When the students asked him what he was reading he it turned out to be Revelation. ‘Why?’ they asked. ‘I always read the last chapter of a book first to see if I will like it.’ ‘Do you understand what you are reading they asked?’ ‘Oh yes’ he said, ‘I do.’ ‘So what is it about?’ Looking furtively this way and that, he leant forward and said in a whisper, ‘Jesus wins.’
That is the promise of this text. The mission of the God in his Son Jesus is nothing less than the total transformation of the world. Nothing short of bringing all people and the whole of creation into what Paul describes as ‘the glorious liberty of the children of God’.
And the church of Jesus Christ, founded on the confession of Peter, that Jesus is the Messiah of God, will advance and take back that which has been stolen by the enemy. The gates of hell will not prevail. Jesus wins! That is point three. And to conclude – point four is….
(4) Get going!
Jesus says (verse 19), ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bed loosed in heaven.’
Now much ink has been spilled by commentators trying to get at what exactly Jesus said in the original language, who he was addressing, what he meant and what are the implications for the church today. But what is the impact of these words for us, ‘I will give you the keys … what you bind will be bound … what you loose will be loosed’? To cut to the chase: there was amongst many Jews the expectation that the messianic kingdom would come climatically without any human agreement or action. Jesus announces something different. The keys of the kingdom are entrusted to Jesus’ disciples. They must proclaim the Good News, bind that which is destructive, loose those held in bondage. There is a physical and a spiritual dimension to this. It involves earth and heaven.
Yes, God the Father is on a mission. Yes, Jesus is building his church, but the church of Jesus Christ is not an audience. It is a group of ordinary people who like Peter and John have been with Jesus, who with Peter confess that Jesus is the Messiah of God, who are given authority to bind and loose, who know them selves as loved, who are commissioned to feed the sheep. The mission of God is not a spectator sport. Get out of the stands and onto the playing field.
I recall the day I got my drivers license. For the first time my father gave me the keys of the car and said I could unlock it and go for a drive. Here are the keys. Go for a ride. So the fourth lessons for church leaders, which I draw form this passage is simply this – get going!
Conclusion
So Margaret, my sisters and brothers in Christ, I offer you from our text for today these four lessons for church leaders.
It is all about Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah of God who went to the cross and who invites us to put our faith and trust in him and in him alone.
The Father is on a mission. God is on a mission to reveal Jesus his Messiah to the world.
The mission is nothing short of the total transformation of this world. There are no ‘no-go-areas’. The gates of hell will not hold the church of Jesus Christ back.
So get on with. Out of the stands and onto the playing field.
Amen
You can also read more about the consecration at http://ray-wordpix.blogspot.com/2013/01/time-for-england-to-follow-africa-says.html#!/2013/01/time-for-england-to-follow-africa-says.html
Ezek 3:4-11, Psa 23, Acts 4:8-13, Matt 16:13-19
Thank you your Grace for the honour and responsibility you have entrusted to me to preach at this significant event and milestone in the life of our Province, this Diocese and of course in Margret’s life and ministry.
A little while ago my daughter wrote me a two line email. ‘Dear Dad, It says in 1 Corinthians 14:34 that woman should be silent in church, but they are not are they. How do you understand this text?’ My reply, for which I asked her forgiveness, ran to 20 pages, as I tried to explain how we read and understand Scripture in its original context, draw out the principles of what God was saying in that context as the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the human authors, and then applying the principle, the warning, the command, or whatever in our context today.
The subject of that email is not what I need to address here today. For the church of which we are apart through careful study of Scripture and theological reflection, and following due canonical process has opened the way for Margaret and before her Eleyna to be Bishops in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. This is a move I welcome and celebrate. If it is any help I have posted my reply to my daughter on my blog ‘Duncan’s Diary’.
But it is important that whenever the people of God gather to worship and pray, and especially when we come together for an event such as this, that we submit ourselves to the Word of God and allow the Spirit to speak to us freshly through the Scriptures. In the Sovereign providence of God this service is taking place when the church remembers the Confession of Peter, and the Archbishop asked that these be the readings for this service.
So I take as my text the Gospel Reading, Matthew 16:13-20, the record of the conversation that takes place between Jesus and Peter at Caesarea-Philippi, as Simon son of Jonah makes the Great Confession, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God’, and as Jesus responds declaring that on this foundation he will build his church. So our theme is The Confession Peter. But a subtitle for this passage could well be, ‘Essential lessons for a church leader’… not an inappropriate theme for an occasion such as this as we gather for Margret’s consecration and enthronement as the second Bishop of the Diocese of False Bay.
As we look at this passage I want to draw your attention to four statements Jesus makes and draw out four lessons for church leaders.
(1) Who do people say the Son of Man is? – vs 13
(2) Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven – vs 17
(3) I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it – vs 18
(4) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven – vs 19
Let’s pray: Come Holy Spirit of God and open your word to our hearts and minds, and open our hearts and minds to your word; that we may see the living word of God – Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Lord. Amen.
So, four lessons for church leaders. Here is the first …
(1) It is all about Jesus
It is as simple as that, but not quite as simple as that. Lets dig into the text a bit. Why does Jesus ask the questions, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Jesus was not suffering a moment of self-doubt and looking for human affirmation. Asking questions is in fact a very rabbinic way of teaching, and Jesus taught in the rabbinic tradition. Asking questions was a way a way of moving your pupils from knowledge to understanding – from head to hands – from theory to practice.
So what does he want them to understand – to grasp – what change is he looking for? He wants them to understand, yes, who he is, and then what the implications are for the way they live. And up to that point that they had not ‘got it’. It was vitally important that they – that we – get this.
But note that this is not an isolated exchange. This question does not come out of nowhere. What is the context of this passage?
Flip back a few pages to Matthew 14. The chapter begins with the beheading of John the Baptist - which illustrates starkly the cost of being a disciple. This is followed in chapter 14 verse 13 by the feeding of the 5,000 - a dramatic demonstration of Jesus’ power to provide, as well as an invitation to trust him. This is followed immediately verse 22 by another opportunity to learn trust. Jesus comes walking across the water to the disciples in their boat in the middle of the lake. He invites Peter to let go of the feeble fragile failing security of the boat and trust him. Peter takes a few steps; sees the wind and waves and begins to sink. Jesus reaches out his hand and caught him and they climb into the boat and the wind and waves are still. ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’
That is Jesus asking another question, note. Why did he doubt?
You see Jesus is pushing them to try to get them to understand who he is and what that means for them. He gets him into the boat and the wind and waves died down and they worshipped him… Truly you are the Son of God.
Ah, they have got it. But have they?
Chapter 15 - they are given opportunity to write a sup in the Galilee School of Discipleship Course 101.They failed first time round. Now there is a second chance. They are once again in a deserted place surrounded by a large crowd - 4,000 hungry people this time. And Jesus expresses his compassion for the hungry crowd. He says he does not want to send them away hungry. (That was the solution the disciples came up with last time you remember.) You have to see the humour in the narrative as Matthew records the disciples response: ‘Where in a remote place like this could we get enough bread to feed such a crowd?’ Come on! They have just witnessed him feeding 5,000; walking on water; calming the storm. And now a chapter later they are all mixed up again. The sign they had witnessed first-hand; the worship meeting on the boat … the message had not got through to them.
And Jesus knew this about signs - however dramatic they may be, they don’t convince or convert us. Hence his refusal to acceded to the demands of the Pharisees and Sadducees for a sign at the start of chapter 16. Signs don’t convince or convert us. It takes more than – if you like – ‘flesh and blood’. It takes more than human effort, well resourced and planned programmes that deliver on time, be they to feed or heal people, or even change the weather. Bread and miracles won’t do it.
And we in the church can get so caught up in our plans and programmes, our institutes and institutions, … all well-meaning and lovingly conceived, ... sacrificially funded as they be… but have we forgotten who is at the centre of it all?
Do you get the picture? To be a leader in the church of God we have to come back to this essential and fundamental lesson. It is all about Jesus! It is that simple. But then it is not that simple.
For it is not what the latest popular opinion polls say about Jesus, or what we think Jesus should be, or what we want Jesus to be. It is about the Jesus revealed to us in Scripture - in the Gospels. It is all about Jesus who Peter recognises to be God’s Messiah; who invites his disciples to trust him; who has compassion on the hungry crowd; who invites us to get out of our boats – to let go of our fragile, feeble, frail security and step onto the water and take his hand. It is about a relationship with him, who wants to draw us into an ever-deepening understanding of his love.
It is that simple. But it is not that simple, because there is always more. This is not the end of the story. They had their worship meeting – ‘You are the Son of God’; Peter got the confession right – he got the formula right – but he had not yet understood the implications. In just a few verses on we see how he had ‘not got it’. How dangerously wrong he was in his understanding.
In verse 21 – the verse following our Gospel reading for today – Jesus begins to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and all that awaited him there in terms of suffering and death - the cross. That was at the heart of what being the Messiah of God was all about. The way of the cross is the way of salvation. Without the cross there is no salvation. Peter, on a high as the newly recognised authority on Messiahship, tries to coach Jesus out of choosing this path. And he gets the sharpest most damning rebuke that anyone gets from Jesus. ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have the mind and concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’
A Messiah who avoids suffering is no Messiah of God. The Gospel without the Cross is merely a human programme. It is not of God. It is a stumbling block. Worse than that, it is evil. In effect Jesus says in his rebuke of Peter that the Gospel without the Cross is Satanic. Peter had got the formula right, he had the proclamation right, he had got the confessional statement right, but he had misunderstood who Jesus really was. But there is still more.
This may be Peter’s Confession, but it was not Peter’s Commissioning. That comes much later. That comes when Peter meets the resurrected Jesus is asked another question. Not, ‘Who do you say I am?’, but, ‘Peter, do you love me?’ And Peter is able to answer out of his brokenness and aware of his own limited resources and expressing his dependence on and surrender to Jesus: ‘Jesus, you know I love you.’ You know the limits of my love. You know me.
He was, at the moment we can say, ‘Anchored in the love of Christ’. Peter had got to that point. We need to get there too. So, ‘Who is Jesus?’ It is important that we get the confessional statement right. It is imperative that we understand the centrality of the cross. It is essential that we know our selves being wooed and drawn into an ever-deepening place of intimacy with Jesus. It is an ongoing journey for us all of putting our trust and faith in him who comes to us in the middle of the storm, in the middle of the lake in the middle of the night and says, ‘It is I’.
It is all about Jesus. That is the first lesson. Here is the second …
(2) The Father is on a mission
God the Father is on a mission. In response to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah of God, Jesus responds… (vs 17) ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
God the Father is on a mission. And that mission is to reveal his Son Jesus, the Messiah of God, to the world. Mission is at the very heart of God. And the heart of that mission is that people should come to know and see Jesus for who he is – the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. This is expressed of course so definitively in that key text which, being brought up on the Prayer Book, I knew as one of the ‘comfortable words’… that our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him. ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’
And we see in our text that there were any number of ideas and theories floating round as to who Jesus was:
- John the Baptist: Some say that is who you are Jesus … the fearless political aesthetic activist that took on Herod.
- Elijah: Some say you are Elijah, Jesus. Why Elijah? Last verses of the OT predict the return of Elijah (Mal 4:5 & 6). At the Passover Seder there is an empty chair left for Elijah – there was an expectation that he would come at the end of time. He is not the Messiah, but he would be a forerunner making way for the messiah.
- Jeremiah or one the prophets: You are spectacular Jesus. You are important. You are amazing. But you are just the curtain raiser. You are not the real deal.
And is that not our context today? There are many who honour Jesus and his teaching. Respect the principles he taught and lived by. But they are not at the place of saying he is the Messiah of God. Friends, if that is missing from our ministry and mission as the church we may be on a mission, but we are not the Father’s mission. We are, dare I say, on a ‘flesh and blood’ mission - a human mission. But it is not the mission of God to which we Anglicans commit ourselves to in our mission statement … Anchored in the love of Christ. Committed to God’s mission.
From our New Testament Lesson today we have Peter’s defense before the Sanhedrin for the healing of the beggar at the Temple gate. When asked by what power or name he did this, he responds (Acts 4:9) ‘If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.’ And he adds, verse 12, ‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.’
That truth is under attack. Michael Cassidy in his recently published book ‘The Church Jesus Prayed For’, explores the prayer of Jesus for the Church in John 17. It is an invitation to explore praying for the church in the way Jesus prayed for the church. He looks at the ten things Jesus prays for those who the Father has given him and who will believe in him through their message. The first of these is truth, and vitally, the truth about Jesus.
Jesus prayer is ‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth’ and ‘Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.’ Dare we not join Jesus in praying for his church in the way he prayed for it? Dare we not join Jesus in praying that God’s Church be sanctified in the truth – the truth of God’s Word incarnated in his Son Jesus? This prayer stresses unequivocally the central uncompromising truth - Jesus is the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.
As the liturgy we use today expresses it: we gather to set aside one who will be tasked with amongst other things … ‘Interpreting the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, … of banishing error … and leading God’s people in mission to the world’. While this is a role and task assigned particularly to those called to serve as Bishops, we for our part as clergy and laity in the church must encourage, pray for and support our bishops and share in this task with them.
We want to say to you Bishops and Bishop-elect Margaret, we want you to lead us and serve us in ‘interpreting the truth as it is in Jesus Christ … of banishing error … and leading God’s people in mission to the world’. We are right behind you. We do, and will pray for you.
Margaret is one who knows the essential value of, and sets an example for us all in her dedicated disciplined life of prayer. People of this Diocese, learn from her and follow that example so that what was said of Peter and John may be true of us all. For in the Acts reading Luke continues the narrative … (Acts 4:13ff) ‘When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.’
Ordinary and unschooled you are not Margaret, but we covet for you that essential character of a Bishop that we covet for all who serve in the church; that we may be those who are seen and known to have been each day with Jesus – the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. In essence that is at the heart of God’s mission. That is what we as Anglicans in this Province commit ourselves to: To be … Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God’s mission, and thirdly - Transformed by the Holy Spirit.
That all leads to the third lesson for church leaders that we draw from this passage.
(3) The mission of God is nothing less than the transformation of the world.
And God is going to do this through the Church, founded on the Confession of Peter, that Jesus is the Messiah of God. Jesus said, (vs 18) ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of death (of hades, of hell) shall not overcome it.’
To appreciate the impact and relevance of these words we need to set this passage in its historical and geographical context. At this point Jesus has journeyed with his disciples up north from Lake Galilee and they have arrived in the region of Caesarea Philippi. It is the northern most part of Israel with a great pagan gentile history. In Old Testament times it was called Ba’al Hermon because the god Ba’al was worshipped there. In Hellenistic times it was called Paneas because the god Pan and his worship had replaced the ancient Ba’als. Pan was the half-man half-goat god of fright (thus ‘panic’). Today it is called Banias which is an Arabic derivation from Paneas. In New Testament times the city had been renamed - Caesarea Philippi. Philip Herod chose the name to venerate the Roman Emperor Caesar and link his name to the Emperor’s. A politically shrewd move one might say.
As for its geographical context Caesarea Philippi was the location of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. A tourist attraction still today is the large cave in the cliff-side that is the mouth of the spring, with a pool of water in front of it. One can still see carved into the cliff face above the cave opening, a number of porticos in which shrines were placed to various gods. These shrines were where the people came and did homage to asked for protection and help. These gods they believed controlled life and gave them security, happiness and comfort.
At one level it is an attractive geological feature. At another it spoke of a cauldron of pagan occultic activity and associated bondages. In the 3rd century B.C., human sacrifices were cast into the cave as offerings to the gods. The cliff face towering above them with this array of gods and idols engendered an ominous sense of foreboding. In many senses it represented ‘the gates of hell’. The cave opening was a vivid symbol of the entrance into the realm of the dead - the gates of Hades.
It is in this location that Jesus says, ‘I will build my church, and the gates of death … the gates of hades, of hell … shall not overcome it.’
Now we know about the politics of renaming cities and roads, don’t we? And we know about making sacrifices to gods/idols that we look to give us security, comfort and pleasure. We may not cast our sacrifices into a cave but we pay subscriptions to DSTV, ADT, and we try to buy protection and happiness. And we know about bondages that keep people captive – grinding poverty and unnecessary unemployment. Who of us could survive on R150 let alone R65 a day? We know about HIV and AIDS, scandalous inequality and self-seeking corruption, gender violence and fear, absent fathers and moral decay.
In many ways we live in a society not that dissimilar to Caesarea- Philippi: beautiful on the outside, a wonderful tourist destination with impressive geographical features and lush countryside; but a cauldron of spiritual, political and economic powers keeping people in bondage and throwing too many into the realm of the dead.
But note this. Let me ask you the question. At that time, in the course of a battle, were gates essentially offensive or defensive weapons? Defensive. Gates were used as a defense against the advancing opposition. So if Jesus says, ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail’, that means that the church of Jesus the Messiah is on the offensive. It is pushing into the territory occupied by the enemy. It is moving against this spiritual, occultic, political, economic, systemic opposition to the rule of God symbolised by the gates of hell.
The Church of Jesus Christ is on the offensive, against all that seeks to hold captive and in bondage those made in the image of God. That is the promise in this text which we can take hold of today. The gates of hell and all that they represent will be blown apart. God’s Kingdom will advance. It will come on earth as it is in heaven. We dare to pray that and believe that. Theologians call this realised eschatology. It is about anticipating and living into the future that is secure and sealed.
Let me illustrate this with a story. Those who know me know that I love watching rugby. You will recall the Boks played a series of three matches in the UK towards the end of last year. The final game of the tour was against England at Twickenham and as it turned out I was conducting a wedding at the very time the match was being played. So I set the video recorder to tape the game hoping that no one would spoil it and tell me the score before I got home – so I could watch it live as it were. Well towards the end of the reception some one knowing my love of rugby came bounding up to me and said, ‘We won!’ Too late! The result was known. We what that meant was that on Sunday afternoon I got myself a cup of tea and sat down in relaxed fashion and with no stress at all watched the game. The game was exciting and went this way and that, but I could watch it with relaxed confidence. I knew we would win, it was just a matter of how. That is realised eschatology.
Darrel Johnson in his excellent book on Revelation tells the story of a group of seminary students who used to play basketball in the gym. They left their bags at the side and they noticed that the janitor was paging through one of their books. It turned out to be the Bible. When the students asked him what he was reading he it turned out to be Revelation. ‘Why?’ they asked. ‘I always read the last chapter of a book first to see if I will like it.’ ‘Do you understand what you are reading they asked?’ ‘Oh yes’ he said, ‘I do.’ ‘So what is it about?’ Looking furtively this way and that, he leant forward and said in a whisper, ‘Jesus wins.’
That is the promise of this text. The mission of the God in his Son Jesus is nothing less than the total transformation of the world. Nothing short of bringing all people and the whole of creation into what Paul describes as ‘the glorious liberty of the children of God’.
And the church of Jesus Christ, founded on the confession of Peter, that Jesus is the Messiah of God, will advance and take back that which has been stolen by the enemy. The gates of hell will not prevail. Jesus wins! That is point three. And to conclude – point four is….
(4) Get going!
Jesus says (verse 19), ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bed loosed in heaven.’
Now much ink has been spilled by commentators trying to get at what exactly Jesus said in the original language, who he was addressing, what he meant and what are the implications for the church today. But what is the impact of these words for us, ‘I will give you the keys … what you bind will be bound … what you loose will be loosed’? To cut to the chase: there was amongst many Jews the expectation that the messianic kingdom would come climatically without any human agreement or action. Jesus announces something different. The keys of the kingdom are entrusted to Jesus’ disciples. They must proclaim the Good News, bind that which is destructive, loose those held in bondage. There is a physical and a spiritual dimension to this. It involves earth and heaven.
Yes, God the Father is on a mission. Yes, Jesus is building his church, but the church of Jesus Christ is not an audience. It is a group of ordinary people who like Peter and John have been with Jesus, who with Peter confess that Jesus is the Messiah of God, who are given authority to bind and loose, who know them selves as loved, who are commissioned to feed the sheep. The mission of God is not a spectator sport. Get out of the stands and onto the playing field.
I recall the day I got my drivers license. For the first time my father gave me the keys of the car and said I could unlock it and go for a drive. Here are the keys. Go for a ride. So the fourth lessons for church leaders, which I draw form this passage is simply this – get going!
Conclusion
So Margaret, my sisters and brothers in Christ, I offer you from our text for today these four lessons for church leaders.
It is all about Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah of God who went to the cross and who invites us to put our faith and trust in him and in him alone.
The Father is on a mission. God is on a mission to reveal Jesus his Messiah to the world.
The mission is nothing short of the total transformation of this world. There are no ‘no-go-areas’. The gates of hell will not hold the church of Jesus Christ back.
So get on with. Out of the stands and onto the playing field.
Amen
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Christmas Sermon
This sermon was preached at Midnight Mass, at St George's Cathedral, Cape Town.
Isaiah 9: 2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-20
The angel said ‘Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ, the Lord!’
A blessed, happy Christmas to you all! Dean Michael – happy Christmas to you, your clergy colleagues and staff, and to all of you who contribute to the life of the Cathedral through the year. Thank you everyone – this beautiful place of holy worship is a wonderful gift to us, each Christmas, and throughout the year. Dean Michael – let me also congratulate you and Bonita, on the celebration of your 28th wedding anniversary last Saturday! May God grant you many more happy years together.
The angel said ‘Do not be afraid – I am bringing you good news.’ What is good news for us?
Well, one piece of good news is that, to nobody’s great surprise, the world did not end last Friday! [A banner is displayed: ‘The end is nigh'] The general response was for everyone to just carry on – business as usual.
Yet perhaps you saw the picture that was going the rounds on Facebook – a small grubby child, in tattered clothes, clutching a piece of bread in a dirty little hand, and looking with big eyes at the camera. The caption said ‘I’m not afraid the world will end in 2012: I’m afraid it will carry on with nothing changing.’
There is a lot we’d like to change – a lot we need to change. 2012 has been a hard year, in many ways – we can look back on the Limpopo text-book fiasco; the Marikana shootings; the Cape farm workers’ strikes. Farther afield, there is the continuing terrible conflict in the DRC; the ongoing struggle to secure lasting peace in Southern Sudan; and, of course, the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut.
More generally, we want to see change in the ongoing issues of poverty, unemployment, inadequate health care and education, corruption and inefficiency, and environmental degredation. President Zuma may have been re-elected President of the ANC – but we say to our politicians and all in positions of leadership and influence, it cannot be ‘business as usual’. There has to be a greater urgency, a deeper commitment, to doing more and doing it better.
Instead of the end of the world, we need a new beginning. And this, of course, is the message of Christmas. Jesus’ birth invites us to see the world as changed into a different place, full of new and hope-filled possibilities.
We often describe the end of the world as ‘apocalypse’. But the word apocalypse actually means ‘revelation’. Therefore, Christmas is the true apocalypse, this December – and every December. [A new banner is now displayd ‘The Beginning is nigh']
Christmas, Christ’s birth, is God’s revelation of God’s true self, in human form. Christmas is God’s declaration that we are not created by a distant deity who sits on a remote cloud issuing condemnations upon our fallibility. It is the bold expression that God is more than on our side: God is with us.
God in Jesus Christ experiences what it is to be human, with all life brings, its joys and disappointments, friendships and betrayal. He knows the turbulence of adolescence, and the challenges of adult responsibility. He knows what it feels like to face mortality. The child in the manger becomes the man on the cross, who puts death to death, rising with a promise of eternal life.
Christmas says it is no longer ‘business as usual’. Christmas says God loves us so much that he willingly sacrifices himself so that we can have what we most need in life. And I don’t mean ipads or flat-screen TVs! Our greatest need is for forgiveness for our failings, healing of our brokenness, comfort in our sorrows, fresh hope and encouragement in all we encounter, strength to persevere in doing the right thing. We need the knowledge that God will always be Emmanuel, (literally ‘God with us’), helping us grow in love, in all that is good, every step of the way until we find our heavenly home. We need to know God’s new beginning, always available, always fresh, in our own lives – and his promises of life and love triumphing over death and destruction.
Confident of this, let us pray for God’s great light shining wherever people walk in darkness, and for the Prince of Peace to reign in justice: in the DRC, in Southern Sudan – wherever conflict and strife has a hold –in Syria, in Egypt, in Israel and Palestine, the birthday place of our Lord and the Holy basin for Abrahamic faiths
Confident of this, let us pray for ourselves, that God, incarnate through the Christ-child, may fill our own lives, our homes, our families, with his gifts of love and inner peace – so that they may dwell within us; and so that we too may be channels of love and peace in God’s world.
Confident of all that Christmas brings, let us spare a special prayer for God’s full healing of Madiba. This is the prayer that is being used around the world for him, and for Me Graça, at this time:
At Advent we sing and pray, O come, O come Emmanuel.
We ask now, for Emmanuel, God with us, to be with Madiba and Me Graça
Come Emmanuel and release our Madiba from the scourge of ill health;
Come Emmanuel and offer Madiba everlasting healing;
You are a God who knows vulnerability, weakness and frailty,
You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Lord of life and death,
Your power sustains us in life and death.
May your arms of love, stretched wide on the cross for us,
Now enfold Madiba, and Graça, with compassion, comfort and
the conviction that you will never forsake them but that
you will grant Madiba eternal healing and relief from pain and suffering.
And may your blessing rest upon Madiba now and always. Amen.
May God’s blessing rest upon all of you also: may the eagerness of the shepherds, the joy of the angels, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours, this Christmas, and always. Amen.
Isaiah 9: 2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-20
The angel said ‘Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ, the Lord!’
A blessed, happy Christmas to you all! Dean Michael – happy Christmas to you, your clergy colleagues and staff, and to all of you who contribute to the life of the Cathedral through the year. Thank you everyone – this beautiful place of holy worship is a wonderful gift to us, each Christmas, and throughout the year. Dean Michael – let me also congratulate you and Bonita, on the celebration of your 28th wedding anniversary last Saturday! May God grant you many more happy years together.
The angel said ‘Do not be afraid – I am bringing you good news.’ What is good news for us?
Well, one piece of good news is that, to nobody’s great surprise, the world did not end last Friday! [A banner is displayed: ‘The end is nigh'] The general response was for everyone to just carry on – business as usual.
Yet perhaps you saw the picture that was going the rounds on Facebook – a small grubby child, in tattered clothes, clutching a piece of bread in a dirty little hand, and looking with big eyes at the camera. The caption said ‘I’m not afraid the world will end in 2012: I’m afraid it will carry on with nothing changing.’
There is a lot we’d like to change – a lot we need to change. 2012 has been a hard year, in many ways – we can look back on the Limpopo text-book fiasco; the Marikana shootings; the Cape farm workers’ strikes. Farther afield, there is the continuing terrible conflict in the DRC; the ongoing struggle to secure lasting peace in Southern Sudan; and, of course, the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut.
More generally, we want to see change in the ongoing issues of poverty, unemployment, inadequate health care and education, corruption and inefficiency, and environmental degredation. President Zuma may have been re-elected President of the ANC – but we say to our politicians and all in positions of leadership and influence, it cannot be ‘business as usual’. There has to be a greater urgency, a deeper commitment, to doing more and doing it better.
Instead of the end of the world, we need a new beginning. And this, of course, is the message of Christmas. Jesus’ birth invites us to see the world as changed into a different place, full of new and hope-filled possibilities.
We often describe the end of the world as ‘apocalypse’. But the word apocalypse actually means ‘revelation’. Therefore, Christmas is the true apocalypse, this December – and every December. [A new banner is now displayd ‘The Beginning is nigh']
Christmas, Christ’s birth, is God’s revelation of God’s true self, in human form. Christmas is God’s declaration that we are not created by a distant deity who sits on a remote cloud issuing condemnations upon our fallibility. It is the bold expression that God is more than on our side: God is with us.
God in Jesus Christ experiences what it is to be human, with all life brings, its joys and disappointments, friendships and betrayal. He knows the turbulence of adolescence, and the challenges of adult responsibility. He knows what it feels like to face mortality. The child in the manger becomes the man on the cross, who puts death to death, rising with a promise of eternal life.
Christmas says it is no longer ‘business as usual’. Christmas says God loves us so much that he willingly sacrifices himself so that we can have what we most need in life. And I don’t mean ipads or flat-screen TVs! Our greatest need is for forgiveness for our failings, healing of our brokenness, comfort in our sorrows, fresh hope and encouragement in all we encounter, strength to persevere in doing the right thing. We need the knowledge that God will always be Emmanuel, (literally ‘God with us’), helping us grow in love, in all that is good, every step of the way until we find our heavenly home. We need to know God’s new beginning, always available, always fresh, in our own lives – and his promises of life and love triumphing over death and destruction.
Confident of this, let us pray for God’s great light shining wherever people walk in darkness, and for the Prince of Peace to reign in justice: in the DRC, in Southern Sudan – wherever conflict and strife has a hold –in Syria, in Egypt, in Israel and Palestine, the birthday place of our Lord and the Holy basin for Abrahamic faiths
Confident of this, let us pray for ourselves, that God, incarnate through the Christ-child, may fill our own lives, our homes, our families, with his gifts of love and inner peace – so that they may dwell within us; and so that we too may be channels of love and peace in God’s world.
Confident of all that Christmas brings, let us spare a special prayer for God’s full healing of Madiba. This is the prayer that is being used around the world for him, and for Me Graça, at this time:
At Advent we sing and pray, O come, O come Emmanuel.
We ask now, for Emmanuel, God with us, to be with Madiba and Me Graça
Come Emmanuel and release our Madiba from the scourge of ill health;
Come Emmanuel and offer Madiba everlasting healing;
You are a God who knows vulnerability, weakness and frailty,
You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Lord of life and death,
Your power sustains us in life and death.
May your arms of love, stretched wide on the cross for us,
Now enfold Madiba, and Graça, with compassion, comfort and
the conviction that you will never forsake them but that
you will grant Madiba eternal healing and relief from pain and suffering.
And may your blessing rest upon Madiba now and always. Amen.
May God’s blessing rest upon all of you also: may the eagerness of the shepherds, the joy of the angels, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours, this Christmas, and always. Amen.
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Urgent Prayer Request for Tata Madiba and Me Graça
Dear Friends,
You will recall that last week I spend three days fasting and prayer for our country. I ended my prayers at Freedom Park at a service for Reconciliation Day and prayer.
During my prayers and fasting, God in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, kept on giving me the refrain to also pray for Me Graça Machel and Tata Madiba. Would you kindly intensify your prayer for him at this time, and in your parishes and all places of worship tomorrow and this Christmas ask your followers to spend a significant amount of time praying for him please. Because I am making this call today, I will also make it via the public media to reach as many of you as are possible in a short space of time.
This is the prayer I composed for him and Me Graça. You may want to use your own as may be relevant in an ecumenical or interreligious context or no faith, but spare a moment please.
At Advent we sing and pray, O come, O come Emmanuel.
We ask now, for Emmanuel, God with us, to be with Madiba and Me Graça
Come Emmanuel and release our Madiba from the scourge of ill health;
Come Emmanuel and offer Madiba everlasting healing;
You are a God who knows vulnerability, weakness and frailty,
You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Lord of life and death,
Your power sustains us in life and death.
May your arms of love, stretched wide on the cross for us,
Now enfold Madiba, and Graça, with compassion, comfort and
the conviction that you will never forsake them but that
you will grant Madiba eternal healing and relief from pain and suffering.
And may your blessing rest upon Madiba now and always. Amen.
Yours in the service of our Lord and Saviour
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.
You will recall that last week I spend three days fasting and prayer for our country. I ended my prayers at Freedom Park at a service for Reconciliation Day and prayer.
During my prayers and fasting, God in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, kept on giving me the refrain to also pray for Me Graça Machel and Tata Madiba. Would you kindly intensify your prayer for him at this time, and in your parishes and all places of worship tomorrow and this Christmas ask your followers to spend a significant amount of time praying for him please. Because I am making this call today, I will also make it via the public media to reach as many of you as are possible in a short space of time.
This is the prayer I composed for him and Me Graça. You may want to use your own as may be relevant in an ecumenical or interreligious context or no faith, but spare a moment please.
At Advent we sing and pray, O come, O come Emmanuel.
We ask now, for Emmanuel, God with us, to be with Madiba and Me Graça
Come Emmanuel and release our Madiba from the scourge of ill health;
Come Emmanuel and offer Madiba everlasting healing;
You are a God who knows vulnerability, weakness and frailty,
You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Lord of life and death,
Your power sustains us in life and death.
May your arms of love, stretched wide on the cross for us,
Now enfold Madiba, and Graça, with compassion, comfort and
the conviction that you will never forsake them but that
you will grant Madiba eternal healing and relief from pain and suffering.
And may your blessing rest upon Madiba now and always. Amen.
Yours in the service of our Lord and Saviour
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.
Friday, 21 December 2012
Church Leaders' Message to President Zuma and other Leaders
You can read the letter that Church leaders sent, earlier this month, to President Zuma at http://www.sacc.org.za/content/SACC%202012%20DOCS/DEC%202012/JOINT%20letterhead_dear%20president%20Zuma_final.pdf.
We sent similar letters to Premier Helen Zille and other key figures in the political and economic world.
The message we enclosed is at http://www.sacc.org.za/content/SACC%202012%20DOCS/DEC%202012/The%20church%20speaks%20_Final%20%2030%2011%202012.pdf.
We sent similar letters to Premier Helen Zille and other key figures in the political and economic world.
The message we enclosed is at http://www.sacc.org.za/content/SACC%202012%20DOCS/DEC%202012/The%20church%20speaks%20_Final%20%2030%2011%202012.pdf.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
To the Laos - To the People of God, Christmas 2012
Dear People of God
'Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing which has taken place’ say the shepherds to one another – and in doing so, invitation us all to come with them to the manger and kneel before the tiny infant who becomes our Saviour and Servant King. Babies and children move our hearts in special ways, putting us in touch with something within us that we do not want to lose – perhaps that ‘childlikeness’ which Jesus says is necessary for entering the kingdom of heaven.
Once again, I have been touched by the Christmas party which Lungi, Nyaki, Pabi and I hosted, for the third year, at Bishopscourt, for 200 girls and boys from Anglican orphanages and children’s homes. It is always a day full of fun and games, as we join ‘children being children’ in spite of the harsh realities they have faced.
Thanks to generous sponsorship, we have now bought a trampoline for use every year. We also had a clown, volunteers from the City Council's Childline, and St Johns Ambulance on stand-by for bumps, scratches and other first aid. The Anglican Students’ Fellowship lent a hand, as did the stalwarts of the Church Men’s Society, and many of the ‘mothers’ of the diocese were here to give home carers a break. Hope Africa has also become a key supporter and board members enjoyed interacting with the children. We are always grateful to the Science Centre for sending their mobile laboratory, with complex, stimulating, games. I tried a science puzzle on eye-hand coordination: tracing a maze while looking at your hand only through a mirror. I founded I needed more ‘flexibility’ in my thinking, to move my hand as I wanted!
The children love the swimming pool, so girls from Anglican schools, Herschel and St Cyprians, acted as life guards. Others offered face painting. St George’s and Bishops schools’ boys could not attend but sent generous donations of food and Christmas parcels. Nyaki lent a hand, even though he had to leave early for an Art examination that afternoon, and so Pabi joined her mother and her team, doing ‘double duty’ for them both. It is always a delight to see the parking area full of mini-buses from the homes and other cars, and children taking over the whole estate.
The kids are great theologians and philosophers, asking questions with a curiosity and directness that adults never match: ‘Archbishop, why do you wear such a big ring?’ ‘Why did you invite us here – I thought only important people came to Bishopscourt?’ One little child asked, ‘When Father Christmas arrives here to collect the presents, where does he park? Do you keep the addresses of all the Christians in Cape Town for him?’ They certainly made me laugh at their vivid imaginations! Yet the sense of appreciation from the kids is always humbling. God willing, we will meet again next year. Some of the children will have moved on – do pray the older ones can establish a settled life – and others will have joined them. Please keep them all in your intercessions. Perhaps you can make a donation to children in need either through Bishopscourt or Hope Africa, or in your own diocese or parish.
As we ponder on the mystery that the vulnerable Christ-child was also the incarnate Son of God, we can let our hearts be touched by all children in poverty and need. Pray especially for those who suffer systemic oppression, particularly through such abuses as child slavery and militarisation. We thank God for all NGOs and others who work with children, and pray for them to prosper, and bring genuine tangible hope, and new beginnings to the boys and girls they seek to serve.
I also strongly commend to you the ‘Promising Life’ campaign of the Micah Challenge: Christians supporting the Millennium Development Goal of dramatically reducing mother and infant mortality. See http://www.micahchallenge.org.za/.
Ten days later I travelled to Maputo for Bishop Dinis Sengulane’s wedding to Lina Valoi. First, we attended the funeral of Fr Germano, giving thanks to God for this faithful pastor and PSC rep, who had died two days earlier, as custom dictated we deal with death before turning to celebrate life. We then went to bless the new house that +Dinis and Lina are building; and on to Lina’s home to complete the lobola process. It was a fascinating ‘indaba’ process, as representatives of the two families engaged in dialogue. Finally the bride-to-be was called from her bedroom to check the groom was indeed the right chap, and that she was prepared to marry him. There was great rejoicing at her affirmative answer – celebrated with a wonderful lunch!
‘Everyone’ was at the church wedding the next day, from ACSA, ecumenical interfaith partners, state, business, labour, every part of the nation and with many international guests. The church was packed, and the fans struggled to produce a cooling breeze. We rejoiced as the bridal couple chanted psalms and joined the choir in song and dance. +Dinis used the opportunity to launch a new hymn book and a guide to Christian living – ‘excellent resources’ said one guest, a convert from Islam, on scanning the booklet after the service. The vibrant, colourful occasion was even broadcast live on TV! Afterwards, around 700 of us were entertained at the reception, including the president’s wife, prime minister, and current and former cabinet ministers. It was a multilingual party, with representatives from the US, the Church of Norway, partners ALMA and MANNA, and French and Portuguese speakers too.
On Sunday, the bishops who were present (including five of us from ACSA) were sent for ‘mission experience’! I preached, presided at the Eucharist, and baptised a baby, for an English service, attended by +Dinis and Lina, and two other newlywed couples. We also had prayers for a widow, 30 days after her husband’s death, and marked the 30th anniversary of the Portuguese and English congregations joining. The context was truly of life and death, from baptism, birthday and wedding celebrations to grief and mourning. The tiny church was packed: if we had been in Joburg, fire inspectors would have banned us from meeting because of fire hazard!
We then travelled to +Dinis and Lina’s new home, for the traditional welcoming of the new bride. Further family negotiations then took place, to confirm assent to the lobola, while we ate and chatted. Then there were smiles and we knew all was well, the process was complete, and they were legally, theologically and culturally married!
This is my last letter until March, as, from late January I shall be away, to follow the ‘Full Spiritual Exercises’ of St Ignatius of Loyola, which involve a 30-day retreat. I’m looking forward, with anticipation, and some apprehension, to this stretching spiritual journey, and discovering how God wants to meet me and deal with me. I’m praying that in my personal walk with him, and in my ministry, it will be a time of refreshment, fresh focus, and, I’m sure, deep challenge and new calling.
Before I leave, it will be my great joy to preside at the consecration of the Ven Margaret Vertue as Bishop of False Bay on 19 January. In March the consecrations of the Revds Dintoe Stephen Letloenyane and Stephen Moreo, as Bishop of the Free State and of Johannesburg, will be in my calendar, together with a Synod of Bishops meeting. Provincial Synod also meets this year, in October. Please begin praying about this too, and considering motions you wish your diocese to bring before us.
Let me end with the traditional Christmas blessing, which reminds us that God in Christ meets us each of us just as we are, and touches us with love that is tailor-made: May the eagerness of the shepherds, the joy of the angels, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours, this Christmas, and may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you always. And may you also have a happy and blessed 2013.
Yours in the service of Christ
+Thabo Cape Town
'Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing which has taken place’ say the shepherds to one another – and in doing so, invitation us all to come with them to the manger and kneel before the tiny infant who becomes our Saviour and Servant King. Babies and children move our hearts in special ways, putting us in touch with something within us that we do not want to lose – perhaps that ‘childlikeness’ which Jesus says is necessary for entering the kingdom of heaven.
Once again, I have been touched by the Christmas party which Lungi, Nyaki, Pabi and I hosted, for the third year, at Bishopscourt, for 200 girls and boys from Anglican orphanages and children’s homes. It is always a day full of fun and games, as we join ‘children being children’ in spite of the harsh realities they have faced.
Thanks to generous sponsorship, we have now bought a trampoline for use every year. We also had a clown, volunteers from the City Council's Childline, and St Johns Ambulance on stand-by for bumps, scratches and other first aid. The Anglican Students’ Fellowship lent a hand, as did the stalwarts of the Church Men’s Society, and many of the ‘mothers’ of the diocese were here to give home carers a break. Hope Africa has also become a key supporter and board members enjoyed interacting with the children. We are always grateful to the Science Centre for sending their mobile laboratory, with complex, stimulating, games. I tried a science puzzle on eye-hand coordination: tracing a maze while looking at your hand only through a mirror. I founded I needed more ‘flexibility’ in my thinking, to move my hand as I wanted!
The children love the swimming pool, so girls from Anglican schools, Herschel and St Cyprians, acted as life guards. Others offered face painting. St George’s and Bishops schools’ boys could not attend but sent generous donations of food and Christmas parcels. Nyaki lent a hand, even though he had to leave early for an Art examination that afternoon, and so Pabi joined her mother and her team, doing ‘double duty’ for them both. It is always a delight to see the parking area full of mini-buses from the homes and other cars, and children taking over the whole estate.
The kids are great theologians and philosophers, asking questions with a curiosity and directness that adults never match: ‘Archbishop, why do you wear such a big ring?’ ‘Why did you invite us here – I thought only important people came to Bishopscourt?’ One little child asked, ‘When Father Christmas arrives here to collect the presents, where does he park? Do you keep the addresses of all the Christians in Cape Town for him?’ They certainly made me laugh at their vivid imaginations! Yet the sense of appreciation from the kids is always humbling. God willing, we will meet again next year. Some of the children will have moved on – do pray the older ones can establish a settled life – and others will have joined them. Please keep them all in your intercessions. Perhaps you can make a donation to children in need either through Bishopscourt or Hope Africa, or in your own diocese or parish.
As we ponder on the mystery that the vulnerable Christ-child was also the incarnate Son of God, we can let our hearts be touched by all children in poverty and need. Pray especially for those who suffer systemic oppression, particularly through such abuses as child slavery and militarisation. We thank God for all NGOs and others who work with children, and pray for them to prosper, and bring genuine tangible hope, and new beginnings to the boys and girls they seek to serve.
I also strongly commend to you the ‘Promising Life’ campaign of the Micah Challenge: Christians supporting the Millennium Development Goal of dramatically reducing mother and infant mortality. See http://www.micahchallenge.org.za/.
Ten days later I travelled to Maputo for Bishop Dinis Sengulane’s wedding to Lina Valoi. First, we attended the funeral of Fr Germano, giving thanks to God for this faithful pastor and PSC rep, who had died two days earlier, as custom dictated we deal with death before turning to celebrate life. We then went to bless the new house that +Dinis and Lina are building; and on to Lina’s home to complete the lobola process. It was a fascinating ‘indaba’ process, as representatives of the two families engaged in dialogue. Finally the bride-to-be was called from her bedroom to check the groom was indeed the right chap, and that she was prepared to marry him. There was great rejoicing at her affirmative answer – celebrated with a wonderful lunch!
‘Everyone’ was at the church wedding the next day, from ACSA, ecumenical interfaith partners, state, business, labour, every part of the nation and with many international guests. The church was packed, and the fans struggled to produce a cooling breeze. We rejoiced as the bridal couple chanted psalms and joined the choir in song and dance. +Dinis used the opportunity to launch a new hymn book and a guide to Christian living – ‘excellent resources’ said one guest, a convert from Islam, on scanning the booklet after the service. The vibrant, colourful occasion was even broadcast live on TV! Afterwards, around 700 of us were entertained at the reception, including the president’s wife, prime minister, and current and former cabinet ministers. It was a multilingual party, with representatives from the US, the Church of Norway, partners ALMA and MANNA, and French and Portuguese speakers too.
On Sunday, the bishops who were present (including five of us from ACSA) were sent for ‘mission experience’! I preached, presided at the Eucharist, and baptised a baby, for an English service, attended by +Dinis and Lina, and two other newlywed couples. We also had prayers for a widow, 30 days after her husband’s death, and marked the 30th anniversary of the Portuguese and English congregations joining. The context was truly of life and death, from baptism, birthday and wedding celebrations to grief and mourning. The tiny church was packed: if we had been in Joburg, fire inspectors would have banned us from meeting because of fire hazard!
We then travelled to +Dinis and Lina’s new home, for the traditional welcoming of the new bride. Further family negotiations then took place, to confirm assent to the lobola, while we ate and chatted. Then there were smiles and we knew all was well, the process was complete, and they were legally, theologically and culturally married!
This is my last letter until March, as, from late January I shall be away, to follow the ‘Full Spiritual Exercises’ of St Ignatius of Loyola, which involve a 30-day retreat. I’m looking forward, with anticipation, and some apprehension, to this stretching spiritual journey, and discovering how God wants to meet me and deal with me. I’m praying that in my personal walk with him, and in my ministry, it will be a time of refreshment, fresh focus, and, I’m sure, deep challenge and new calling.
Before I leave, it will be my great joy to preside at the consecration of the Ven Margaret Vertue as Bishop of False Bay on 19 January. In March the consecrations of the Revds Dintoe Stephen Letloenyane and Stephen Moreo, as Bishop of the Free State and of Johannesburg, will be in my calendar, together with a Synod of Bishops meeting. Provincial Synod also meets this year, in October. Please begin praying about this too, and considering motions you wish your diocese to bring before us.
Let me end with the traditional Christmas blessing, which reminds us that God in Christ meets us each of us just as we are, and touches us with love that is tailor-made: May the eagerness of the shepherds, the joy of the angels, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours, this Christmas, and may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you always. And may you also have a happy and blessed 2013.
Yours in the service of Christ
+Thabo Cape Town
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