Bishop Ellie’s Synod Charge
Watch Bishop Ellie’s Synod Charge here, or read a summary below.
Bishop Ellie began with a reference to part of Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17:
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. (John 17:15-18)
+Ellie noted that as we gather around the Eucharist table in our regional hubs, we are sent out just as we always are. We are sent into the world as Jesus was sent into the world. And as Jesus was sent from a place of incredible intimacy with God, we also are sent from there, in unity and belonging together. This is where transformation flows from.
She noted that global challenges have shaped our both our Motions and our whole way of being Synod today. We are meeting in this way because of Covid-19, and this requires global work together, crossing boundaries. Likewise climate change is something that requires global conversations across national boundaries. Similarly campaigning against human trafficking – the work that Rev Chris Frazer and our church does is a global work – this is not an individual task. The increasing disparity in incomes – nationally and internationally – continues to expand. Our economy is global. Our resources are global. Social cohesion – identity and belonging – takes place in a global social world of culture creation and navigation.
These global challenges that require global community responses. Part of our Christ-human calling is to be malleable to that beyond ourselves and to embody the paschal call to die to self. It is our foundational, theological, Biblical identity.
Jesus teaches us to pray “your kingdom come on earth as in heaven.” Jesus’ orientation is always to the world that he gave himself for. We have learned a lot about bubbles over Covid season. We are not called to live in Christian bubbles – we are called out into the world together. For God’s Kingdom to come on earth as on heaven we must live into global identity.
Bishop Ellie remarked just how beautiful it is that all of us belong to a global communion of faith? Yes, we have our individual, local, Diocesan, and Three Tikanga Provincial Province identities – and we have a global communion to which we belong. It’s particularly significant in the beginning of the journey towards the Lambeth Conference in 2022. Because the world has changed, this gathering has also changed. Usually, the Archbishop of Canterbury Bishops from around Communion every 10 years. This time we are gathering over a 3-year arc – and that first year has already begun. We have been called under the banner of being ‘God’s church for God’s world.’ There are three phases to gathering:
A season of journeying more deeply together across local spaces as Bishops. Conversations are focusing around 1 Peter, and particularly on the ministry of reconciliation. Bishops are sharing experiences, difficulties and wisdoms and their hopes of transformation.
A season of being present: coming together in physical presence. That togetherness will be formed by the conversations we have already had around being God’s church for God’s world.
Walking together and witnessing together and working together – specific calls to action, prayer and witness that will come out of the two year journey of deepening our awareness of the needs of the world and the call of the Church and hearing what God’s Spirit is saying to the Church.
+Ellie shared how humbling it has been to be part of the Lambeth coordinating groups. I’ve been alongside Bishops across the world and heard the grassroots stories of local faith communities, and in turn been able to share the stories of our Diocese. There is a tangible sense of hope that comes as we share the way we share God’s kingdom coming on earth as it is on heaven. Much like as +Justin noted in his charge, we share our challenges with each other prayerfully. So many places are experiencing unimaginable difficulty – but the presence of Christ remains palpable.
So, as we live into the call to be family, Bishop Ellie noted that the work and witness we do together is of huge significance to other brothers and sisters around the world.
To achieve good process, the coordinating Lambeth committee have created three postures to guide their interactions:
Listen together by being curious
Walk together by being present
Witness together by re-imagining
Postures help us to do things that are difficult. Christian virtues can be considered postures or ‘first principles’: patience, generosity, love. These help us to hold tension and carry together things that are challenging. Becoming family requires us to become more adept in these postures.
If you have been in Anglican Centre recently we have had a reorganisation of desks and furniture. +Ellie had observed the people who brought the new desks up the stairs. The person in charge told a pair of his crew, carrying an awkward desk “oi! You are holding that differently – hold it the same way and your energy will work together.” It’s a good metaphor for how we live as the family of God. We carry the challenges and tensions of being the church in this land and time.
+Ellie gave us a computer gaming analogy as she wrapped up; sharing about a game that she plays with her youngest son Joe. In this game you solve puzzles around the world as characters. At the same time you build your own island home with the things you win. You can play this just as a game, or you can join a team. You enter competitions as a team and contribute your ‘energy’ for the competition as a whole, rather than your own game. Once your ‘energy’ has gone, it’s gone. If you’re part of a team, and you win, there are lots of prizes – and the top ones are really good! You have to make a calculated decision about where to put your energy.
One morning we opened the game – and our team was number one in the competition. At the beginning of the day we were going to school and work – Joe asked me to keep working on it during the day – but my day was busy. When Joe ran in at the end of the day we found our team came first – but because we didn’t contribute, we didn’t get to share the prize. We learnt a hard lesson – if you don’t play, you don’t win. Even if you play just one bar of energy, you get to share that gift. That’s a bit like our life together. As we work together, the gift of doing that is that when we see breakthrough and transformation we all benefit. We benefit not because someone else is doing something, but because we have contributed and have been changed and transformed. Our transformative movement of local faith communities is made up of transformed people.
So in Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17 we are given the gift of being part of the enfolded covenant of Christ. We get to be one as the Father and the Son are one, united in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
As +Ellie rounded her charge, she prayed for us all. We were invited to take time to think how you want to posture our hearts to receive the gift of being the family of God. It’s not something we create, but a gift we receive, which we enliven with the choices we make:
E te whānau.
Sparse sowing, meagre reaping;
But we if are generous, bountiful will be the harvest.
So let us give what we can,
Not with regret, nor from a sense of duty.
God loves a cheerful giver.
And when we help others, we will not just meet their needs,
We will unleash a flood of gratitude to God.
Many will give glory to God
For our loyalty to the gospel and for our generosity.
God loves a cheerful giver.
We each give what we can with a heart of gratitude and thankfulness from the great abundance that God has given us.
