Today* is the third day of the Sydney Anglican Synod – its the AGM meeting of the Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church. It’s a 5 day meeting of 800 or so people representing around 270 parishes, plus diocesan organisations, schools and boards. It’s a business meeting with motions, bills and complex rules of debate that take quite some getting used to. We hear the Bible taught, pray together and discuss and debate a wide range of matters from financial and governance, to theology and political issues.
Highlights for me of the last few days include hearing from 3 indigenous brothers and sisters about their views on the upcoming referendum**; motions encouraging political engagement to curb the effects of poker machines and online sports betting; and many other important matters.
Michael Duckett, pastor of the Macarthur Indigenous Church, described the referendum for the Voice to Parliament as a bus. He said our tendency is to inspect the bus to see how well its built, find out how many seats its got and to criticise all the details. But he said his indigenous brothers and sisters have been waiting at the bus stop for a long time, and never before has a bus come along. He said from their perspective, there is excitement that any old bus might be coming along to help them. It might not be the best bus, but at least its something.
He also said that the most important reconciliation we can focus on is the reconciliation with God that can only come through Jesus Christ. Whatever your opinion on the voice to parliament, can I encourage you pray as you prepare to vote, and perhaps consider reading the arguments for and against linked to in the word from our Archbishop on this matter that appears at the bottom of this E-News.
Yours in Him,
Ben
*I’m writing this on the morning on Wednesday 13th September.
** Read more about what they said here: https://sydneyanglicans.net/news/indigenous-anglicans-speak-about-true-reconciliation/53594
