This week I’ve been staying in the city for synod meetings of the Sydney Anglican Diocese. Synod is like a giant AGM meeting for our whole network of Anglican Churches – a meeting of 700 or so people with strict rules – if you’ve ever accidentally stumbled across the broadcast of federal or state parliament on TV, then you have a bit of an idea of what synod is like.
Our Archbishop Kanishka Raffel used his presidential address to challenge us to mission. In the context of the booming populations of North-West and South-West Sydney he said, ”Will you help the crowds see Jesus?’
“The great need of Sydney is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said. “I do not mean that Sydney does not have many other pressing and important needs. Our churches and agencies are constantly engaged in responding to the real-life impact of cost-of-living pressure, the housing crisis and the wickedness of violence against women. Motions and reports in our business paper range across these issues as well as the scourge of online gambling.
“Our churches, schools and agencies engage with the felt and physical needs of Sydneysiders throughout the Diocese, and I am very thankful for all the ways in which so many respond to the needs of others with practical and financial assistance, the truth and comfort of God’s word, in prayer, compassion and personal support.
“But Jesus said to the paralysed man who was brought to him by his four excellent friends, ‘son, your sins are forgiven’. In doing so, he taught that beyond our visible and felt needs are our deepest needs – our need for reconciliation with God, forgiveness, freedom from the chains of the world, the flesh and the devil, rescue from God’s just judgement on sin, and hope in this world and the next.”
This is our urgent challenge and opportunity in Picton and Wilton – will we help people see Jesus and find life in his name? I pray you will join me in meeting this challenge by sharing with our friends and family about our hope in Christ and inviting them to Church.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
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