Canterbury Cathedral
Bishop Simon E. Chiwanga
Diocese of Mpwapwa, Tanzania
Chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council
Called to be Christ-like
Luke 6:27-36 (2 Cor. 4:7-11)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I express my deepest appreciation to his Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for giving me this rare and awesome honour of preaching at this Opening Service of Lambeth 1998. I accepted this honour on behalf of my Province and on behalf of the Anglican Consultative Council.
I thank the Dean and Chapter for their most warm welcome. I thank all of you for your prayers, for me and for all those who have been asked to undertake tasks more challenging than mine at this Lambeth Conference.
I count it a particular honour to worship today with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, with former Presidents of the Anglican Consultative Council, now retired Archbishops of Canterbury, and with all of you present at this great Eucharist where we ask for God's blessings upon the Lambeth Conference and the Spouses' Programme.
For Anglicans Canterbury Cathedral symbolizes both our common roots and our being part of that apostolic succession of costly witness through suffering and martyrdom. As we view its magnificence and grandeur during our time here let us be reminded of the majestic transcendence of God which rises far above our divisions both in the church and society and draws us together in Christ as a pilgrim people.
During the great 4th century period of spiritual renewal, when women and men were called by God to forsake their cultures and retreat to the desert, a great and powerful man of the royal court went to the desert to seek out a holy person.
Soon the pilgrim met an abbot (a holy man) walking with his young monks. He stopped the holy man and asked for a teaching upon which he could build his whole life. The abbot responded by picking up a tablet and on it he wrote one word "Awareness!"
Perplexed, the pilgrim asked if the abbot expected him to live his life seeking God on the basis of only one word. The abbot took back the tablet and wrote "Awareness, awareness, awareness!" "Whatever do you mean?" cried the pilgrim. The holy man bowed down humbly, picked up the tablet and wrote, "awareness, awareness, awareness, means awareness!"
For myself if there is one thing that I am in need of in my ministry, it is awareness, Christlike awareness.
I am aware that the world is desperately in need of a living demonstration of what it means to be a Christ-centred community of believable believers where every person is welcomed, accepted, loved restored to wholeness and is encouraged to serve.
Like the pilgrim in the story, there are many people, particularly the youth, who are looking for Christ-like leaders in the Church - lay and ordained - who can demonstrate the awareness of the love of God and the way to a more meaningful life.
The context of our ministry:
The scenario described in today's readings is a scenario that confronts many of the Bishops gathered in this Cathedral this morning. The 2nd letter to the Corinthians, which forms the text of our daily Bible Studies at this Conference, speaks about episcopacy in time of crisis and leadership in the midst of struggle and suffering.
2 Cor. 4:7-11 reflects the difficult experiences that are faced by many within the Anglican Communion, who live and serve in places where there is both physical and spiritual deprivation. There are places where state disapproval is the normal context for some, as the recent tragic loss of the Roman Catholic bishop in Pakistan testifies. "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; all ways carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies."
The stories of tribal conflicts in Africa, the violence in Northern Ireland, the terrorism that strikes at literally every person in the Western world; all this points to a world which is hungry for Christ's love and compassion; and this is the world that God so loved "that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (John 3:16) God wants His Church and His servants to keep on growing more and more into a Christlike image in order to accomplish His purpose as St Paul says, "so that through the Church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." (Eph.3: 10).
Turning the Church inside-out:
What this means for the Church is to turn itself inside out. The Decade of Evangelism was a call to turn the Church inside-out, that is to move from being primarily a pastoral community, looking inward; to being primarily a missionary community looking outward. This call to Evangelism must remain our guiding principle as we develop the next step after the Decade.
The Church that is aware of, and is engaged in Christlike mission, will not spend its time bragging about being the only real missionary or the better evangelist. It will not occupy the seat of Moses judging others. The Christlike evangelist says with St John the Evangelist - "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)
A Church that harbors bitterness, anger and disharmony is distorting its image of a living gospel and may be on the road to decay.
It is in mission in the world that we grow more into Christ's likeness. For Jesus, the constant moments of his encounter with the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, the sinner and the dead became moments of deeper awareness of his divine identity and mission. Likewise the identity and mission of the church is discovered and deepened when we literally take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ into the midst of the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, the dead, and there reveal the love of Christ. The authority and power given to the church and its leaders is discovered at Table in Holy communion, in table fellowship with the poor the outcast, the broken hearted and all who are in need of God and of freedom.
Our Communion's total commitment to the cause of canceling International debt that adds an unbearable burden on the poor is a powerful witness of our following Jesus into the midst of the disadvantaged.
Day by day our Anglican Communion continues to grow. We give thanks to God for the exciting developments, such as the formation of our new Province in South America. The incredible work of the 'Karen' Christians in Burma and Thailand is a tremendous inspiration to us all. The often hard-pressed situation of our Palestinian-Arab Christian friends, including our own Episcopalians in that country, is also most inspiring.
Called to be Christlike in differences:
Christians who live in the midst of such conflict teach us to be aware of being Christlike in differences and in conflicts.
The passage from St Luke, read for the Gospel, speaks about the need for Christians to treat even those whom they find resentful and who might have significant differences with them in a way that is Christlike. Controversial issues and passionate debates do happen, and the Lambeth Conference cannot be an exception. What is essential for every participant to be aware of is that we have to look for the Christ in each other and to turn the other cheek, particularly when feel we have been offended.
In Barbados, a story is told of a woman in Church who always bowed profoundly whenever the name of Jesus was mentioned. But she was seen to bow equally profoundly whenever the name of Satan was mentioned. When she was questioned about this strange behavior she explained "Well when I die I do not know whose hands I shall fall into, so I am making friends on both sides!"
Being Christlike in our differences does not mean having no convictions or clear position of your own. It is a call to interpretive charity in our Christian dialogues.
Interpretive charity can be defined as the ability to apply the most loving interpretation to actions and opinions of others. Interpretive charity means listening to one another in love. It demands that we restrain our impulse to start formulating our response before the other has finished what they are saying. It is difficult. It is a lot easier and more attractive to evaluate the first few words of the speaker and then plug that statement into a pre-constructed mental model.
Interpretive charity calls us to persevere with the discomfort of thoughtful silence and to use that time to prepare a loving response to what we have heard. Interpretive charity challenges us to avoid demeaning labels that we are so eager to apply to our opponents.
There are several examples we can give of Jesus' interpretive charity. When some men cut through the roof of a house where Jesus was staying so that they could lower their paralyzed friend into Jesus' healing presence, he did not call them vandals. He rewarded their faith. When an angry mob wanted to stone a woman caught in sin, Jesus challenged anyone who was without sin to cast the first stone. And even upon the cross, when he was being insulted, spitted at and nailed, Jesus prayed "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
Interpretive charity calls us to two further things: first not to disenfranchise or un-church anyone. Hold unswervingly to that which you believe to be of essential truth, but to God leave the final judgement in all matters. Change comes by enlightenment, not by force. Forcing your point of view by excluding from your circle those who disagree with you, or by compelling acceptance, is to usurp the place of God.
Remember what St Paul says in Romans: "Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall." (Rom. 14:4)
In Philippians he says, "Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained." (Philippians 3:15, 16)
Second, do not give power to sin. Whenever you are the recipient of uncharity in any form, bear it, forgive it, rather than repeat it to others. The Apostle Peter says, "Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8)
St Paul again says, "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, ... one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all." (Eph 4:2-6)
In our daily relationships with others and during this Conference, may we be aware that a critical remark, a gesture of rejection or an act of impatience can be remembered for life by those to whom it is directed. The Prophet Malachi cautions those in authority and leadership as follows: "For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts."(2:7)
During the next few weeks, as we stand aware of God and the world, we have a tremendous opportunity before us. It is a Holy Moment, when we can once more demonstrate, through the power of the Holy Spirit, our ability to speak the truth in love, interpretive charity, and to show how truth can triumph over error in a way that is Christlike.
"But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." (|Luke 6: 27, 28)
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.