COVID shows us something deeper — the great unmasking of God

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has released his Christmas message for 2020. Read more

Bishop Mark Calder’s Christmas message for 2020

The Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, has released a brief Christmas message.

Click this link to watch the video – and the text is below.

Can you imagine the conversation Mary had to have with Joseph?

“Joseph – we need to talk”. (Long pause while she gathers the courage.) “I’m pregnant”.

What a shock! Mary knew she hadn’t slept with anyone. Joseph knew it wasn’t him!

Joseph was a good guy and decided not to make a fuss but simply walk away.

But God had other plans.

“What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”, an angel told Joseph in a dream. What a dream!! There would have been comfort in that dream – Mary had not been sleeping around. But confusion too – whatever does “conceived by the Holy Spirit” mean?

Put simply, it means that in this baby, God was stepping into our world. He had an earthly mother, but a heavenly Father. God turned up – not in a majestic palace – but as a small, vulnerable baby, laid in a food trough and needing his nappy changed. Astonishing!

The two names given to this boy help us understand something of the significance of his birth.

The first: ‘Jesus’. It means ‘God saves’. Saves from what? The angel explained to Joseph, “You are to give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”. “Sins” is not a word we use today. Ultimately it means shutting God out and living as if he doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter. That attitude breaks our relationship with God. Jesus’ whole mission was to mend that relationship. By his life, death and resurrection, he makes it possible for anyone, should they want to, to be forgiven and come back into relationship with him, now and forever. That is pretty wonderful and overwhelmingly generous.

The second name: ‘Immanuel’. It means ‘God with us’. “What if God was one of us?”, Joan Osborne mused in her hit song. Christmas reminds us that God did in fact turn up as one of us. That means he gets us. He knows life! And he’s still with us – by his Spirit. In all our joys and laughter. In all our pain and grief. God is with us! This too is pretty wonderful.

COVID may dent our plans and indeed may have caused us grief this year.

But it is not so powerful that it can change the meaning of Christmas.

God saves. God with us. Revel and enjoy. (Even if your plans have had to change.)

Watch our traditional Christmas service here: https://tinyurl.com/trad-service
Watch our more contemporary service here: https://tinyurl.com/mod-service

And do pray for the churches right across Bathurst Diocese as they seek to share the saving news this Christmas.

CMS Summer School to be completely online

 

CMS NSW / ACT has today announced that the CMS Summer School in January will now be completely online.

In an e-mail to people registered for Summer School, the organising team explains:

“Over the last couple of months, we have been working hard to adapt to government restrictions so that we can gather physically for Summer School. We praise God that over 1000 adults and over 600 youth and children registered for the 2021 conference!

However, as a result of the recent COVID-19 outbreak and the tighter restrictions that have been introduced as a result, it is no longer feasible to proceed safely with plans for an on-site program. …

The online-only conference will begin with a livestreamed session on Saturday night at 7pm, and then livestreamed sessions in the KCC Auditorium from Sunday–Thursday.”

Pray that the modified Summer School will be a great blessing to many.

See also the Summer School website.

Responses to the Appellate Tribunal Opinion

Essential reading on the 11 November 2020 Opinion issued by the Appellate Tribunal:

Restrictions tighten again amid new COVID breakout

“Growing concern over the spread of COVID-19 in Sydney’s North has led to stern warnings from the New South Wales Premier, impacting local churches.

In response to the Premier’s statement and after considering health advice, Archbishop Glenn Davies has written to rectors and churchwardens across the Sydney Diocese, advising churches in the Northern region to suspend face-to-face meetings, for others to consider whether they should go online-only or at the least use facemasks, and for those outside Greater Sydney to maintain COVID-19 protocols. …”

– The very latest from SydneyAnglicans.net

Bullying in churches — legal implications

From Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia –

“I was invited to give a presentation to ministers of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney earlier this year on the legal implications of bullying in churches.

The Diocese has kindly agreed that the presentation can be made more widely available. This links to the video and also has a link to a written paper to accompany the presentation.”

Armidale’s The Link introduces their new Bishop

The latest edition of The Link from the Diocese of Armidale leads with an article about Bishop-elect Rod Chiswell and his wife Jenni.

Most encouraging.

Read online or download your copy here.

Latest from the Northern Territory — Top Centre Issue 20.3

From David Ray, Registrar of the Diocese of the Northern Territory –

“Dear friends of the Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory, please enjoy reading the latest edition of ‘Top Centre’, featuring the ordination of Craig Rogers to the Order of Deacons and our new Dean at Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin!”

And from Bishop Greg Anderson’s page –

“We are close to the end of another year – and most of us will hope that next year is very different from this year.

But although 2020 has been challenging in many ways (and very much more challenging for people in other parts of Australia and in the wider world compared with the Northern Territory), so much has remained the same. God is still God, and he is doing his work in the world. Jesus still reigns and the good news about his work of rescuing the world still builds the church. The Holy Spirit still works to transform and empower Christians, and to soften hard hearts. …”

– Plenty of encouraging reading and fuel for prayer.

Gafcon Australia Statement about Wangaratta

Gafcon Australia has released this statement:

“The Board of Gafcon Australia notes with regret that a blessing of a civil marriage of two men has taken place in the Diocese of Wangaratta. This is inconsistent with the teaching of Christ that marriage is between a man and a woman. The Anglican Church of Australia has no other doctrine of marriage. Actions of this type in other Anglican jurisdictions around the world have deeply impaired fellowship between Anglican provinces and resulted in the most serious, and in some cases, formal and ongoing breaches of unity within and between Dioceses.  Gafcon Australia remains committed to supporting faithful and orthodox Anglicans wherever they may be, and invites any who are concerned about these recent developments to contact us for prayerful encouragement and support at info@gafconaustralia.org.”

Rod Chiswell elected Bishop of Armidale

The Rev. Rod Chiswell has been elected as the next Bishop of Armidale at today’s election Synod.

Rod is the Minister of St. Peter’s South Tamworth.

Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Glenn Davies, says in a statement:

“I welcome the news that the Rev Rod Chiswell has been elected as the next Bishop of Armidale. Rod is a faithful pastor, a fine preacher and one who will hold fast to the faith once for all delivered to the saints. He is an answer to many prayers.”

(Image from the St. Peter’s South Tamworth online service for 6th December 2020.)

Update from the Diocese of Armidale.

Sydney Diocese Response to actions in the Diocese of Wangaratta

Here’s a media release from the Diocese of Sydney, in response to actions by the recently-retired Bishop of Wangaratta:

Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
Public Statement 

Response to actions in the Diocese of Wangaratta

We are deeply distressed that the previous Bishop of Wangaratta should take presumptive action by blessing a same-sex marriage.

In doing so, he must be aware that this is a deeply contentious issue which will be the focus of the General Synod when it meets next year.

We continue to work to preserve faithfulness and unity in the Australian Church as we navigate these issues, guided by the clear voice of Scripture. That remains our hope, but this action prior to the 2021 General Synod creates a serious breach in our national Church life.

It would be naïve to think that mutually contradictory views on same-sex marriage can co-exist within our national Church. Pronouncing God’s blessing on a same-sex marriage is contrary to the teaching of Christ. It is therefore untenable to have some members of the Church purporting to declare God’s blessing in such circumstances. To pursue this course will not bring healing but will only lead to a collapse in the fellowship that binds us together.

One need only look across the Tasman, let alone around the Anglican world, to see that the issue of same-sex blessings has created an irreparable tear in the fabric of our fellowship.

While General Synod will address these issues next year, any further breaches of fellowship will only lead to the alienation of Anglicans who wish to remain faithful to the teaching of Scripture. Furthermore, alternative pathways will need to be provided for them to retain their Anglican identity, as outlined in Gafcon Australia’s document, Commitment 2020.

The Most Rev. Dr Glenn Davies, Archbishop of Sydney
The Rt Rev. Peter Hayward, Bishop of Wollongong,
The Rt Rev. Chris Edwards, Bishop of North Sydney
The Rt Rev. Peter Lin, Bishop of Georges River Region
The Rt Rev. Dr Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney
The Rt Rev. Gary Koo, Bishop of Western Sydney
The Rt Rev. Malcolm Richards, Bishop for International Relations

10 December 2020.

Source.

See also:

First same-sex marriage blessing conducted after Tribunal decision – Melbourne Anglicans.

All good things come to an end

“ ‘All good things come to an end’ is an expression of an earthly truth.  At the end of this week I leave my position as the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Armidale. Sadly I must also lay down my pen as the writer of articles for the Extra and Express. My guess is that this news will be greeted with a range of responses.

Over nearly a decade I have written many articles, some controversial, some fun, some just expressing disappointment or a communal grief. Whether you have appreciated the articles or not, it is interesting to consider the past decade of Australian history as captured in some of the ‘Faith Matters’ articles. …”

– Bishop Rick Lewers, shortly to leave Armidale to become Rector of Shoalhaven Heads, writes his last article for the local papers.

Please continue to pray for Rick and Janene, and also for the saints in the Diocese of Armidale as they begin to seek a new bishop.

Singing is back!

“Pressure from churches has led to changes to COVID Public Health orders which will allow churchgoers to sing at Christmas services, but they have been advised to wear masks. …

The Health orders will be in force from Monday, 7th December.”

– Good news from SydneyAnglicans.net.

Celebrate the great unmasking of God

“This has been the year of wearing masks.

Little did we know as we entered 2020 that Australia, and indeed the world, would suffer the effects of a pandemic from the Coronavirus – which first made its entrance into the world about 12 months ago in Wuhan, China. …”

– Archbishop Glenn Davies shares a very appropriate Christmas message in the December 2020 edition of Southern Cross.

Encouragement in the midst of a challenging year

“It’s important to take moments to stop and reflect in order to see the ways God has worked in our lives. We want to celebrate how God has blessed churches, sustained and expanded ministries, and grown his kingdom this year. Join us in giving thanks for the year that has been!…”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Judy Adamson reminds us there is much for which we can be thankful.

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