Congratulations, Philip, on this new post. Lots of people have told me how glad they are that you are coming here with such gifts.
Of course “Director of World Mission” is rather a grand title; as if you are going to be the next Dr Who. But it is a measure of the enthusiasm in the diocese and the desire to support you. Twice the Bishop’s Council was given the opportunity to take this post out of the budget or share it with USPG in several different dioceses or make it half-time; and twice they said that the work was so important that we must take a step of faith and continue to grow our mission.
It’s not fashionable to talk about missionaries at the moment. Lots of us have read The Poisonwood Bible which caricatures a western missionary who makes every conceivable cultural mistake. He learns the local language and thinks he can preach in it. He thinks he is saying: “Jesus Christ is Lord” when in fact he says: “Jesus Christ is poison wood.” And so on.
But although we have to go on apologizing for our colonial mistakes we mustn’t get so apologetic that we forget the heroism, the love, the faith of the missionaries. The first time I went to a long house in Borneo they showed me all the human skulls in the rafters, of people their forbears had eaten. The bishop turned to me and said: “You keep apologizing for the colonial missionaries; and it is true that they made some mistakes. But at least we don’t eat people any more!”
The Good News that we are loved by a loving Creator and saved by a loving Redeemer would never have got to wild and savage Mercia if Augustine and Chad and many others hadn’t got a world vision and risked their lives repeatedly to obey the Lord’s command to go into all the world and disciple each and every nation. Every Christian and every congregation is called to take its part in God’s plan for the whole world. I hope every Christian here takes a mission magazine or prayer letter and that all of us ask the Lord from time to time: “Lord, where do you want me to go next?”
Before Christmas I went to the 100th anniversary of the Diocese of Singapore. It was very moving to be in the Cathedral which has a service with hundreds of worshippers at 6am, 7am, 8am and so on through the day. At the Centenary they needed to hire the convention centre and we worshipped with 10,000 Singaporean Christians – an amazing experience. Perhaps the most moving moment for me was when each deanery came up, represented by a new banner with its name and mission statement. And after all the local deaneries came six or seven mission deaneries which they have planted or support: new Anglican churches throughout south east Asia.
And they kept thanking us, from the UK, for sending those missionaries like Francis and Hariette McDougall who went to Kuching and spent their life starting churches, clinics and schools.
Still the Archbishop of South East Asia is appealing for young people to go out there for a gap year with the St Chad’s trust, and for mature people to go for a couple of years to teach English and to help with the new congregations.
This is perhaps the moment for me to thank the World Mission Support Committee who have surrounded Michael Sheard in his pioneering ministry and will support Philip Swan and the Diocese in the next stage. Part of Philip’s task will be to send clergy and lay leaders from here on study leave so that they can be renewed in their vision. Being involved in God’s mission is like being Dr Who only it’s real, not imaginary!
Of course we have other diocesan links. Matlosane is a desperately poor diocese in South Africa; Qu’Appelle is a small and fragile diocese in Canada, Mecklenburg is a beautiful Lutheran diocese in north east Germany, and New Zealand was evangelized under the great missionary Bishop of Lichfield, George Selwyn.
We live in a fast changing world but the world mission perspective must not shrink. In the Old Authorized version of the Bible, Matthew’s Gospel used to end with the great promise of the incarnate and risen Christ; Lo, I am with you always, to the end of the world. The modern translation is slightly weaker: Remember, I am with you always to the end of the age. So let me use the old version.
Jesus’s Resurrection and Ascension mean that ultimately All authority in heaven and on earth has given to me. Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.
In other worlds the promise that “Lo, I am with you always,” is closely linked to the command, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” If there is no world vision, no Go, then there will be no Lo, I am with you always, no experience of the presence of Jesus.
May the enthusiasm of the Bishop’s Council in funding this post and Philip’s enthusiasm in taking on the challenge bear much fruit among us and throughout the world.