Diocesan Synod Presidential Address
19 March 2016
On 15 December last year something began, something which was to last six months. For that was the date when British astronaut, Tim Peake, was launched into space on a Soyuz rocket. Some 6 hours later he arrived at the International Space Station and had his first meal in space, which was a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea. Some of you have also had fairly long journeys today in order to get to Synod, although I trust none of you have had journeys quite as audacious and adventurous as that. Hopefully however many of you have also enjoyed a bacon butty and cup of tea when you landed here on planet Bridgwater and are ready for the rigours and demands of Diocesan Synod.
Because of advances in communication more people than ever were able to share in what Tim Peake was seeing and doing. Lots of people followed him on Facebook and Twitter and enjoyed seeing the photos he sent back from space. You may recall he also caused a certain amount of consternation when trying to phone his wife by dialling a wrong number and surprising an unsuspecting lady on the end of the phone. The photos of earth from space that he sent were astounding and in his New Year’s message he declared that the world was beautiful and precious and called upon all of us to treasure it and look after it.
This reminds us of the words of Jesus who said that ‘God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16). And the good news is not only that ‘God loved the world’ but that God still loves his world. And when God looks at the world what does he see? He sees a hungry world, an unjust world, an angry world, a fearful world. He sees a world that has been polluted and stands on the brink of serious ecological and environmental disaster. He sees a world that is governed by many false gods, a world that pays little heed to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he also sees a world of beauty and hope in which goodness and love abound. A world where many strive for justice, integrity and peace. A world which he created, which he loves and which is sustained by his loving power.
Interestingly when NASA speak of their work they speak of it as a ‘mission’. And we know that God also has a mission – a mission which the Church is called to share in. God loves his world and just as Jesus was sent by the Father, so the Church is sent by Jesus, in the name of the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit. In a few days time we shall be celebrating the glorious message of Easter and once again we shall find ourselves with Jesus in the Upper Room on the evening of the first day of the week. And in our hearts and in our imaginations we will hear him say ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’ (John 20:21)
Jesus was clear what his mission was. He came to bring deliverance to the poor, sight to the blind, freedom to those in prison and release for those who were oppressed. He came to bring life, life eternal, life in all its fullness. As John Stott once said: ‘Jesus lived and died, so that we might die and live.’ We are called to share in Jesus’ mission to the world.
Jesus’ Mission has sometimes been described in three inter-related elements, as presence, proclamation and prophecy. Jesus’ presence on earth speaks of the love of God which reaches out to all people. As Augustine said – Jesus took upon himself our humanity in order that we could share in his divinity. The Son of God became man, in order that we might become sons and daughters of God. Jesus identifies with us in our sin, suffering and brokenness in order that we might receive his forgiveness, salvation and healing. ‘I am with you always’, said Jesus, ‘to the very end of the age’.
And Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God in word and deed. As our Lentern collects remind us: Jesus did not go up to joy before he suffered pain. He did not enter into glory before he was crucified. It is by walking the way of the cross that Jesus draws the whole human family to himself. It is only by following the example of his patience and humility that we can be made partakers of his resurrection. The way of the cross is the way of life and peace.
The mission of Jesus is about presence and proclamation, and it is about prophecy. In this life we can only catch a glimpse, a foretaste of the Kingdom of God. But the Church is called to live the resurrection life and to make the risen Jesus visible in bread and in wine, in foot-washing and in radical, prophetic living. The Church is called to be salt and yeast and light, a city set on a hill. We are called to be salt and yeast and light, to make God visible by the way that we speak, through the things that we value, by the way that we behave and through the lives that we lead. It is because we are engaged in Jesus’s mission to the world that we must put mission and evangelism at the heart of all that we do. So when we come to think about our developing diocesan strategy in our Synod meeting this morning that will be the first of the challenges we shall need to think about.
During the launch of a space mission there is a tradition that each cosmonaut is allowed to choose three songs to be played to them. Tim Peake chose Queen’s ‘Don’t stop me now’, U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’, and Coldplay’s ‘A Sky full of Stars’. As we think about what God’s call is upon our lives and what our mission should be let’s not plan for decline. We know that the Church of England could do that more elegantly and efficiently than any other organization. Let’s have the confidence to listen to the Spirit, to listen to each other, to listen to the voices of young people and those who are outside of the Church. Let’s not think about reducing our capacity but think about ways to increase it. Let’s see what levers God may be giving us – levers for change, levers that will bring growth. And as God’s people, ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven let us find ways to live and demonstrate the good news of Christ. Let’s make sure that the diocese of Bath and Wells is known as a diocese which is reaching for the stars.