Easter Message from Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council, has sent this 2013 Easter message –
To the Faithful of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and friends from Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 Read more
Edith Schaeffer 1914–2013
Tim Challies reports that Edith Schaeffer has died at the age of 98.
“In 1948 the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions sent the Schaeffers to Switzerland as missionaries.
In 1955, after… withdrawing from that organization, they decided to simply open up their home and make it available as a place to demonstrate God’s love and provide a forum for discussing God and the meaning of life. They called it L’Abri after the French word for “shelter.’”
Archbishop Peter Jensen’s last Easter message
Archbishop Peter Jensen has released his last Easter message as Archbishop of Sydney.
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
2013 Easter MessageThis is my 12th and final Easter message as Archbishop of Sydney.
As I think on my time as Archbishop, naturally I look back and try to judge myself – not with much success!
Like you, I have a real judge. Think how much more God, who knows all the secrets of our hearts, must be able to hold me to account. It should make us tremble.
But I am filled with hope. Why?
Because of Easter. What happened at the first Easter reminds me of the love of God.
Through the death of Jesus even I, and all of us, can have forgiveness as we turn to him in sorrow and trust him for our lives. Our failures are not the last word over our lives. And, through the resurrection of Jesus I have a great and undeserved hope of my own resurrection and future.
I can only quote the words of John Newton, the man who wrote the song, Amazing Grace: ‘I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great Saviour’. Thank the love of God for that.
Dr Peter F Jensen,
Archbishop of Sydney,
Easter, 2013 AD
Watch it below – and log in to Vimeo to download a copy for use in church.
Easter Message 2013 from Sydneyanglicans.net on Vimeo.
The text is also available at SydneyAnglicans.net (PDF), and there’s a report here. And you can listen to the audio here.
A New New Testament
“Hal Taussig and a team of eighteen scholars and religious leaders have chosen ten texts… to be published alongside the twenty-seven that comprise the New Testament and called it A New New Testament.
The ‘new’ texts are from the post-New Testament eras and are mostly ‘gnostic’ in character (an exception is the Acts of Paul and Thecla). In fact, these texts are not ‘new’ but go back almost to the era of the apostle and for the most part have been known for many years by historians. …
Hal Taussig and his colleagues say that the ‘canon’ of the New Testament was not really ‘closed’ until relatively modern times and that it is therefore valid to publish other texts with the twenty-seven of the biblical canon within the one book. This asserts that the canon is, in effect, elastic. It is an elastic canon, capable of the addition of new texts.
That was not the view, however, of church leaders in the 2nd and 3rd centuries…”
– Historian and New Testament scholar Bishop Paul Barnett responds to a new publication which is sure to get publicity. Read it before you get all those questions.
Related – some publicity: “A New New Testament” – ABC Radio National.
Bishop of NWA’s Easter Message
Bishop of North West Australia, Gary Nelson, writes in the March 2013 Northwest Network (PDF – grab a copy for your prayers) –
As I write there is a cyclone brewing off the coast near Port Hedland – just another aspect of life and ministry in the North West. I managed to fly out of Karratha before the alert turned from blue to yellow, but as the airport doors opened for boarding the winds blew in with menacing intent. I can only imagine how fear could easily grip you when caught in the destructive winds and torrential rain of a cyclone. Please pray for those who live and serve in these regions.
Easter is rapidly approaching and I look forward to sharing with the people of Geraldton the good news of what Jesus has done in his death and resurrection. Read more
Abortion Tasmania: Hospital Chaplain’s perspective
Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower writes:
“Hospital Chaplain, Reverend Alan Bulmer, has written to Health Minister for Tasmania, The Hon. Michelle O’Byrne, in response to her draft Abortion Legislation for Tasmania.
As I read his sensitive letter, I was reminded again that the pastoral consequences of the life and death of the unborn are a very real part of a hospital chaplain’s ministry. His letter brings the personal aspect of the death of the unborn to the Minister’s attention and asks for the reconsideration and withdrawal of this draft legislation…”
– Read extracts of the letter at Bishop Harrower’s blog, or the full thing here (PDF).
Fact or fantasy — This Easter, please consider
“You head to the local library looking for a book to read over the long weekend. Something with drama, mystery, intrigue, torture, murder.
You want to read about some allegations of grave robbery, insider plots, religious corruption, political power plays. And you’re keen to spice it up with some angels and demons, astrology, ghostly appearances, the spiritual underworld, ancient signs, the dead coming to life, and claims to divinity.
‘Where will I find something?’ you ask.…”
– Dave McDonald reminds us that “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14) – at Macarisms.
The Truth of the Cross — free eBook
Ligonier Ministries is giving away the eBook edition of R.C. Sproul’s The Truth of the Cross.
“an uncompromising reminder that the atonement of Christ is an absolutely essential doctrine of the Christian faith…”
Register at their website to download a free copy – or get the Kindle version free from Amazon (just check the free offer is still valid at Amazon).
Majoring on the majors: Phillip Jensen on John Chapman
“God gives different gifts to different people. The important thing is not the gifts we’re given, but what we do with them. Being a godly man, Chappo always used his gifts for the gospel, and always for other people. He could have used them for himself, but he never did. That was his godliness on display. …”
– Phillip Jensen remembers John Chapman. He touches on a good deal of recent history, in both Sydney and Armidale. Edifying and interesting.
Related: John’s interview for AFES in 2012.
Easter messages 2013 from around Australia
Here are some of the Easter messages we’ve seen so far from Anglican leaders around Australia –
Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower writes of Jesus as the Good Shepherd,
“He is not some hireling who will run away when the surprises hit, and the going gets tough. Rather, he is ‘the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.’…”
Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn Stuart Robinson’s Easter message. He also has a video message and shares this invitation for Good Friday,
“Do please consider joining me (or praying for) – this Friday at 11.00am, Belmore Park, Goulburn. It will be an ‘open-air’ Easter Service where I will explain the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection and invite people to respond.
I’ll be walking with the cross I’ve been carrying around the diocese from our Cathedral at around 10.30am to the park.”
In his video message, Archbishop of Melbourne Philip Freier, says,
“The victory of death over his life was not as it seemed. Christians know that Jesus’ death on the cross was a victory over sin and death. Even more his victory is for all time – his light overcoming the darkness of sin and despair in every age. He has made the impossible possible.”
Defence Anglicans Administrator (until a new Bishop is appointed) Eric Burton has an Easter message entitled, “A kick in the guts”.
Please pray for all who speak in Christ’s name this Easter, whatever their churchmanship, that they will speak faithfully and clearly the words of eternal life. (And maybe a word of thanks to those who do would be appropriate.)
Lady Patricia Loane
We are sad to report that Lady Patricia Loane, widow of Sir Marcus Loane, has died in Sydney.
More from SydneyAnglicans.net.
(Photo: Anglican Information Office, Sydney.)
Archbishop Peter Jensen on the new Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop Peter Jensen was asked for his thoughts on the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in a 3 minute segment on SBS TV.
He said the new Archbishop would be “enormously welcomed” and respected if he were to visit Australia.
See it here – ‘Anglican Aussies welcome new Archbishop of Canterbury’.
(Photo: SBS.)
Give Working Families a Rest
“Work is a profoundly social activity. Few if any of us function as single subsistence farmers, disconnected from everybody else. We all work in a large complex network of relationships. From the suppliers of raw materials, to the manufacturers, the marketers and sales people, the distributors, the wholesalers and retailers, to the purchasers and delivery agents – interpersonal relationships in the division of our labour is normality.
A well ordered society can feed, clothe, house and entertain millions of people in safety, comfort and justice every day. Indeed the evolved modern market place is one of the testimonies to human ingenuity that no central planner could have devised…”
– Read the full text of Dean Phillip Jensen’s latest commentary.
Bishop of Tasmania calls for submissions against ‘draconian’ bill
Bishop John Harrower encourages submissions against a ‘draconian’ Abortion bill proposed for Tasmania.
Related:
Pastoral Letter.
When murder looks like abortion.
Archbishop of Canterbury’s inauguration sermon
“For nearly two thousand years the Church has sought, often failing, to recognise in its way of being that Jesus is the Son of God. The wind and waves divided Jesus from the disciples. Peter ventures out in fear and trembling (as you may imagine I relate to him at this point). Jesus reconciles Peter to Himself and makes the possibility for all the disciples to find peace.”
– Read Archbishop Justin Welby’s sermon delivered at his inauguration ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral overnight. (Photo: Diocese of Durham.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…