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The-Bishops-Charge-Synod-2020.Pdf The Bishop's Charge Synod 2020 | November 4, 2020 God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only- begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your O Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Beloved bishops, clergy, all lay delegates, guests and all who may be kindly and prayerfully observing this online Synod; I thank you for participating in this the 13th Synod of the Anglican Network in Can- ada, lovingly known as ANiC, a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, again lovingly known as the ACNA. It is a tribute to all of you and our wonderful staff that we have found a way, even in the midst of COVID 19, through the amazing technology that is available, to meet as we are able online today and tomorrow. By now, you likely are aware of our theme verse which is one of the last verses of Paul's wonderful first epistle to the Thessalonians: “He who calls you is faithful– He will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 Knowing that time is even more precious in an online Synod, I took the opportuni- ty to do the Bible teaching today which was intended to be a very brief overview of that great portion of Scripture, 1 Thessalonians. I also, in my own simple way, each Wednesday of September and October in my 1 | The Bishop's Charge | Synod 2020 brief video posts, attempted to give a meditation on two things based on 1 Thessa- lonians 5:24: 1. In September, we meditated on the faithfulness of God and that Jesus is the Faithful One who faithfully came to this world that he himself had created, took on the form of a servant, and was obedient to the will of the Father to go all the way to death on the Cross for us, sinful humanity. Alleluia! 2. In October we meditated on the fact that he who is faithful has called us and we meditated on his call. For the sake of time then, I will assume that you are steeped in the solid joys and lasting treasures of the faithfulness of God and the call of God. As I say those words it is impossible for me not to be reminded of John Newton's wonderful hymn "Glo- rious Things Of Thee Are Spoken" verse 3: Saviour, if in Zion's city I, through Grace a member am, Let the world deride or pity I will glory in Thy name: Fading is the sinner’s pleasure All his boasted pomp and show: Solid joys and lasting treasure None but Zion's children know My dear, dear friends, as Zion’s children, we are incredibly blessed, incredibly rich, incredibly secure in the faithfulness of our God who calls us. Peter said in 1 Peter, we have been "“born again to a living hope through the resur- rection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, unde- filed, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3b-5) If you are like me, you may be thinking– we should just stop right now– what more can be said? Perhaps we should stop and sing the Doxology and call it a day—call it a Synod —call it a year! But, alas, we're not going to do exactly that. But I pray that those solid joys and last- ing treasures would permeate every minute of our precious time together. Now, last year, you may remember—perhaps painfully for you—that my Charge then had 11 points. Happily for you, I feel the pressure of time and so I have only three points this year! Now before you get too happy, they are perhaps fairly long 2 | The Bishop's Charge | Synod 2020 points. But I hope they're points worthy of some time to reflect on, based on our theme: "He calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." 1. We give joyful thanks to our faithful God. 2. Knowing this is His idea, His call, His initiative and all by His provision and His Grace—despite many setbacks, afflictions and a pandemic which is ongoing, even in the midst of all this–—we press on undeterred "to lay hold of that for which we have been laid hold of" in the call of Jesus Christ, as the apostle Paul spoke of in his epistle to the Philippians chapter 3. We press on. 3. All this we do knowing that certainly God himself will do it. We draw close to him and his purposes together in joyful unity. Three points 1) we thank God, 2) we press on, 3) we do so in joyful unity. 1. WE THANK GOD! The faithfulness of God and the call of God was of particular significance and con- cern and interest to the Thessalonian church because, literally from the moment they first believed in the Lord Jesus they were thrust into the middle of persecu- tion and all manner of difficulties. The difficulties were so intense that as Paul pondered them he found himself worrying, even though he was a man of great faith, whether, as he wrote, "for this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and all our labour would be in vain.” (1 Thess. 3:5 italics added) As we've learned, when Timothy and Silas returned to Corinth to report on things in Thessalonica, Paul could rejoice because in fact not only had they started well as "they received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1:6) but now some time later, with the persecution still raging, they were continuing strong in the Lord and moving forward: “For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God." (1 Thess. 3:7-9) 3 | The Bishop's Charge | Synod 2020 Going forward because of the faithfulness of God in the midst of afflictions is a reason for great Thanksgiving to God. My dear friends, I am aware that we have all, over the last months, suffered much loss in innumerable ways. As congregations, as families, as individuals in the midst of struggling communities facing this pandemic there has been much loss and much difficulty. But like the young Thessalonian Church, we can see the faithful- ness of God, the goodness and faithfulness of our loving Heavenly Father! So, I intend to list a whole long list of some of the amazing and wonderful things that I think we of ANiC can and should give thanks to God for in these days. Basi- cally I propose we just listen to them and in a few cases I'll make some comments. As we say regularly in what's called the General Thanksgiving: “but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace and for the hope of glory.” We give thanks to our faithful God: or more than survival through the horrors of COVID-19, which is still ongoing. FAnd even in the midst of all the loss and difficulties which it has brought our way, we as a diocese and our congregations have found ways to move forward. We give thanks to our faithful God. or our glorious heritage, albeit brief—which began November 22, 2007 with Ftwo bishops, two priests, and two deacons and two congregations—to where we are today. What a joy it is to be reminded of Bishop Don, our first Moderator and Diocesan Bishop, and Bishop Malcolm, alongside both courageously blazing a trail for us all in the midst of many difficulties. And to think of the care of Archbishop Greg Venables. To remember with thanksgiving the formation, soon after, at the call of the Jerusalem Declaration, of the ACNA, which began June 24, 2009. For all of this and all that has followed we give thanks to our faithful God! (I am thrilled that we will be hearing from Bishop Trevor later in our synod about a book that he and Canon David Short, along with others, are writing about the history of our movement and diocese. This is so important because it brings glory to our faithful God. We give thanks to our faithful God! 4 | The Bishop's Charge | Synod 2020 am thrilled to remember just some 65 km down the road on November 13, 2009, I three of us were consecrated bishops: Bishop Trevor, Bishop Stephen and myself. And we continue to have the great joy and honour to serve the Lord side by side in this wonderful diocese. We give thanks to our faithful God! or our wonderful team of clergy who faithfully and generously spend them- Fselves for the cause of the gospel daily and, even in the midst—and especially in the midst— of these past months.
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