Bishop’s News - Pentecost 2022
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:9-13, NIV).
Across our Anglican Communion, in preparation for the Lambeth Conference this year, Bishops across the world have been gathering on Zoom to study 1 Peter, to pray together and listen to God for the Church. A few weeks ago I joined a group studying the theme of suffering and hospitality in 1 Peter 4.
It’s a pleasure to gather together with brothers and sisters across the world and hear stories of God’s goodness and faithfulness. But as well as a pleasure, it’s always a challenge. Each of us were asked “what’s your experience of suffering and hospitality?” You can imagine the kinds of stories of persecution and suffering that the meeting moderator from Pakistan, or the widower from African, shared with the group.
Then to be asked, “what’s your experience in New Zealand?” When faced with the global reality of suffering, what could I say? My response was that we were not experiencing suffering as such, rather we are grappling with losing our place in society. Anything we experience here is mere inconvenience in comparison. I’m not talking here about the realities of people’s lives of struggle, but more of our relative stability and wealth as the Tikanga Pakeha expression of God’s church in New Zealand.
As we move towards Pentecost, it’s a reminder of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the global church, ‘adding to their number daily.’ We need both these things. At the recent Training Days I shared that in this season we need to hear from the voices ‘outside the boat,’ as we see Jesus offering that outside perspective in John 21. We need to listen with hunger and humility to the voices not in our room. This includes the voices of the global church which are often lost as we go about our day to day walk of faith here.
I’m looking forward to Lambeth. It will be strange to be travelling again. But I know God will speak to us through the collective voices of the global church and I’m excited to hear what God has to say.
In the meantime as we sit in this period of Thy Kingdom Come, as well as the five we are praying for to come and know life and fullness in Christ, let’s also continue to pray deeply for the global church and all the communities represented – in their life, colour, complexity, suffering and hope.
In Christ
+Justin
