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LAMBETH CONFERENCE : JULY 2008 : UK
Bishop Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo and
Chairman Board of Governors of S. Thomas' College, was given the honour
of delivering the opening sermon at the Lambeth Conference - the global
communion of Anglican Bishops.
The Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo,
was chosen by the Archbuihop of Canterbury to deliver the sermon at the
opening Eucharist of the Lambeth Conference of all Anglican Bishops
world-wide held once in ten years. It is being held this year at the
University of Kent at Canterbury. The following is the text of his
sermon delivered at the Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday 20th July 2008.
CHALLENGES FACING THE CHURCH TODAY
- The Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Lambeth 2008
We gather in this impressive, awesome, magnificent cathedral this
morning as representatives of several nations, several cultures, several
tongues. And certainly as representatives of several Christian
denominations, and other living faiths.
This is a joyful and a sacred moment, and I would like to suggest that
we keep a pause in our worship to express our gratitude and our thanks
to God for all those responsible for shaping our Anglican identity, for
nourishing our spirituality, and for helping in the formation of our
common life through the centuries and in so many parts of the world.
The text that I have for our reflection on this occasion is the ninth
verse of the twelfth chapter of St Paul's second letter to the
Corinthians - a familiar text for all of us: "My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Paul is here both confessing and proclaiming the paradox of grace in the
Christian Gospel. It is, as we increasingly recognise and acknowledge
our vulnerability in our journey of discipleship in Christ and with
Christ, that we receive grace to be, and to become, faithful disciples.
And I want you to hold on to this text because it is the idea that will
undergird our thinking through the rest of this reflection. The
recognition of our vulnerability is what makes growth possible in
Christian discipleship.
There are two realities that encompass us as we meet as a world family
of the Anglican Communion. And I would like to draw your attention to
both these realities, without which our conference and our forward
journey will become meaningless.
The first is that our world is a torn and divided world. Bishops are
expected to bring their dioceses with them to the Lambeth Conference,
and Bishops whose dioceses strive to be faithful by the challenges that
come to us from God's world will inevitably bring along with their
diocese the pain and the struggles, the injustice, the evil, the
hostility that men and women encounter in today's world. It is indeed a
true saying that God gives the Church an agenda out of the crises of the
world. And so my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, the Anglican
Communion must always give the highest priority to our invitation from
Christ to participate with Christ in transforming God's world. To bring
healing, peace, justice, reconciliation, abundant life, where there is
oppression, where there is hostility, where there is strife, and
division. This concept of the world in pain must, through this
conference and after the conference, receive the energy and spirituality
of our Church. No other priority can contend for that place. God has
called us and placed us in God's world so that we might participate with
him in bringing this transformation.
The second reality is the reality that we are a wounded community. Some
of us are not here, and that is an indication that all is not well.
Certainly the crisis is complex. It is not a crisis that can be resolved
instantly.
The journey ahead is a long arduous one - a journey that will demand our
prayers, our faithfulness, our mutual trust in each other, and of course
our trust in God who makes reconciliation possible.
I would like to draw your attention to the parable that was read as the
Gospel: the words of the master were wise words. Let them grow together.
There can and there must be no uprooting, simply because if we attempt
this game of uprooting the unrighteous then, my dear sisters and
brothers, none of us will remain. We are all a mix of the wheat and the
weeds. The wisdom of these words suggest that we stay together because
we draw from a common soil, a common tradition, a common heritage. We
are what we are regardless of our differences, because of our common
life together and our origins. Transformation comes in this interaction,
and transformation must come from within.
In Jaffna, the northernmost part of the Diocese of Colombo, a church is
being converted into a centre for conflict analysis and peace – Christ
Church, Jaffna. The church has been renovated after several bouts of
bombing and shelling. Something is emerging: a mandate and an agenda for
peace and reconciliation in this place, but we have decided that we will
retain the marks and the scars of war on the walls of this church.
Transformation comes from within. The old gradually converts as men and
women pray and talk and dialogue, and even disagree as we must, but call
to mind repeatedly that disciples of Jesus stay together and journey
together.
There are three challenges that I like to leave for us as we address the
objectives of this Lambeth Conference:- to strengthen our Anglican
identity, and to enable bishops to be leaders in God's mission. Here are
three thoughts that could contribute both to identity and mission.
The first is: our communion must return to the discipline and the
practice of self-scrutiny. We have a rich tradition that supports this
discipline - the retreat, the quiet time, contemplation, meditation,
spiritual counsellors, all of which enhance this practice and discipline
of men and women coming to God in stillness to evaluate and examine
their lives:- the parable of the plank and the speck of dust. Christ
calls us to be hard on ourselves and Christ calls us to consider him
only as our measure and our standard. So we stand and evaluate our lives
in relation to the fullness and the abundance of life in Jesus. And then
when lapses and shortcomings are detected we work with the Spirit to
overcome, to grow, to become beautiful and faithful in the eyes of
Christ. Mind you, the standard is always Christ.
It's not that bishop who is giving you trouble. It's not that archdeacon
whose theology always irritates you (and there are a few around like
that). Self-scrutiny is possible in the Christian journey as we stand
naked before Jesus the Christ.
The second challenge that I'd like to leave with you, is one that we
need to resuscitate and declare again and again, and that is the
challenge of unity in diversity. As I look around and see you, I see
this wonderful unity in diversity. Shortly, when the sacrament is
administered, lips from numerous countries, numerous nationalities,
numerous cultures will touch the same cup. We are united in spite of the
fact that we are different, because in Christ we are equal. There's
enough to go around if none will be greedy.
Here my dear sisters and brothers is an insight of what the Church is
called to be: an inclusive communion, where there is space equally for
everyone and anyone, regardless of colour, gender, ability, sexual
orientation. Unity in diversity is a cherished Anglican tradition – a
spirituality if you like, which we must reinforce in all humility for
the sake of Christ and Christ's Gospel.
The third challenge that I have for you is that of the prophetic voice.
Very often people say: "all this talk of reconciliation is not complete
unless we address and deal with the injustice of the world." And so the
Anglican Communion must articulate this prophetic voice regardless of
where we serve in the world. Now as many of you will be aware, the
prophetic voice has two strands, and it is imperative that these strands
are held together. The first is the prophetic voice is a voice for the
voiceless. There are those who for political reasons, cultural reasons,
economic reasons, military reasons, cannot speak for themselves, or if
they do, they do so at tremendous risk. And so the Anglican Communion
must speak on their behalf - whether it is the crisis in Sri Lanka,
whether it is the crisis in Zimbabwe, or Sudan, or Afghanistan or Iraq.
The voiceless must be given a voice through the leadership of the
Anglican Communion. The second strand that goes with a voice for the
voiceless, is the calling into accountability of those who abuse power:
authoritarian regimes who oppress and suppress the people. The prophetic
voice will ask poignant, relevant questions: "why", and sometimes, "how
dare you?"
Two other comments about the prophetic tradition - in a sense the
prophetic voice is monotonous. It's the same thing as long as the
problem remains. And so, you don't need to worry if you're not saying
anything new. Relentless monotony. And the second feature is that there
is no self-interest in the prophetic tradition. We speak for justice and
order in God's world, and we speak on behalf of those who cannot speak
for themselves.
I want to conclude by quoting one of my favourite Archbishops -
Archbishop William Temple, who once said: "The Church is the one
institution that does not live for itself." My dear sisters and
brothers, as we move from this wonderful retreat, through this beautiful
eucharist into our conference, let us hold on these words. For here is
the crux of Anglican identity, and here is the crux of Anglican
spirituality. We do not live for ourselves, and all our energy, all our
gifts are directed to abundant life for the other.
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